Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-08-06
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
SKETCHES OF SUMNER TRAVEL.
Editorial Co~vsxDordenes of Tia Sin


taking the cars Of the Cleveland, Pittsburg and
Wheeling Railroad, there. Our way for more
than forty miles to wellsville, lays immediately
on the Ohio bank Of the river, which enables the
traveller to get better view Of the territory on
the Virginia side--the Pan-handle-where that
Immediately skirts the Ohio. than of Ohio: ex
cept her river fats, highly cultivated and very
productive, as they are. There Is evidently no
difference perceptibe to the traveller by this road
in the progress of the art Of agriculture in this
portion Of the two States. though the river towns
and settlements Of Virginia here show to much
best advantage. Her towns are larger, though
not 90 numerous as those Of Ohio; that is, imme-
diately upon the river, and more manufacturing
Is done in them; wellsburg, not far above
Wheeling, almost rivaling Wheeling itself in
the appearance of Its factory and furnace smoke
stacks, from the Ohio side Of the river At Min
go, 10 miles above w heeling is the junction with
the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad, In the
midst Of one Of the most beautiful vallies my ewes
ever beheld. Every description of the crops Of the
season grown here at this season are fourishing on
the small farms into which the fat is divided; and
together make picture Of prosperity and happi-
ness that Is not a little enviable. Steubenville
comparatively an ancient Ohio town, with annals
teeming with incidents Of Indian wars is passed
p miles above w Wheeling, stretching for mile
along the rivers bank, and giving evidence in
its dinginess Of the use of bituminous coal there
as freely as at Wheeling; though the rapid tran
sit OF the train through IT, and the position of the
track immediately under the hill, afforded me no
opportunity to glance even at Its distinguishing
features.
Above Steubenville, as below, plenty smiles
upon both sides of the river-ohio and Virginia
appearing, here, to run an even race in the pro
gress Of their arts Of improving the industrial
aud physical condition Of man. In 25 miles of
our progress up the river saw but three steamers
under way, owing to the very low stage q
water at present Railroads having monopolized
the rivers former travel the class of fast passen
ger boats so famous here ten years ago no longer
exists; those plying between the river towns now
steaming but half as many miles per hour az their
predecessors above referred to, and being devoted
almost entirely to the freighting business. The
entrances to coal mines in the hills skirting the
river on both sides are objects Of great interest on
tnls part OF my route. Their train roads shoot
down Tor hundreds Of feet, 1t may be- to the level
OF the rivers hais; where fat-boats receive their
loads OF the mineral, dropped into them from the
cars run out over them upon staging. From Steu-
benville up the river, the manufacturing charac
ferred from the Virginia to the Ohio side. Thus,
while virginia, here, teens with smiling rural
homesteads, Ohio smokes and burns, not less
interestingly, with iron mills. &c. Above Jeddo
however, on the Virginia side one sees half I.
dozen coal mines in operation within the space
OF mile or two; and, as a consequence, thrifty
and well-built village stretching along the foot
OF the hills there
We dined at w ellsville, Ohio, 43 miles ont from
and again taking the cars, thi, time
out from Pittsburg. At p. m renew the Jour
ney 10 Cleveland, heading back down the river
Tor three miles, to point whence the railroad
DIVORCES west and starts out from the river.
bank to cross the country to Lake Erie's shore
On leaving the river the route Of this railroad
runs up Yellow Creek valley, which in some of
us attributes differs from those Of the creeks I
wound among yesterday in Western Virginia.
Thus, the highlands between which 1t lies are
bat hiilocks, and ii (the Valley Is broader than
most OF them, being far more cultivable than
my that saw between the Alleganes' top and
w heeling. Such being the characteristics Of
Eastern Ohio, hence Ii was settled up before
w estern Virginia
AT Hammondsville, 6H miles out from Wells
lille, we passed dozen coal mines and coking
furnaces, In which the refuse coal Is made mer-
into shape to be of value to the
ron masters; and also a mandatory OF coal oil,
III together employing perhaps a hundred hands
md their families. Near Hammondsville, we
passed the handsome residence Of the world
E. X. Collins, the founder of the
collins Line'' Of ocean steamers, who since the
Government withdrew its aid from that enter
prise and its consequent death, has himself with.
irawn from commercial pursuits In New York,
md becoming heavy proprietor of coal and
ron lands In this vicinity, is now as conspicuous
Is miner, iron master, &c, here, as formerly as
! seaman, ship-owner, and merchant In the En-
pire City.
We are now at Salinesville, near which I'm
Early times there were many salt works one Of
which only Is now In operation. From Yellow
Greek to Hammondsville, I forgot to mention
above, Is one Of the richest iron and coal tracts
'r veins in this country and discoveries of sites
'or oil wells are now being made there As we
progress Northwest coal mines seem to open to
view with nearly every turn of the road while
The country Immediately bordering Il does not
appear to possess the agricultural advantages of
he vicinity OF the Ohio, the fields seeming TO be
lutte as worn out as those Of any Eastern State.
While the farm buildings, &C., are not as good
The minerals In the bowels Of the earth here evil
ientiy attract more Of the capitalists attention
han the superintendent soil. The county fof
Ohio,) in which we are now trav.
ling, however, is regarded as one of the finest
wheat producing counties In the State That In.
III the line Of this railroad below SummitviIle'
he frontier of the mining part Of It, which we
have just passed. The farms here run from one
% four hundred acres In extent, and sell for from
thirty to forty dollars per acre, except where
highly improved AS we progress into the int
'ior Of the State the appearance Of the land i'm
proves, together with that Of the farm buildings.
;rediable indeed, to the Quakers Of this section,
who own them.
AT Hanover we met freight train from CIeye-
and Of 70 double cars, half dozen of which
were laden with iron ore from Lake Superior.
destined to be snelted in Pittsburg and Wheel
ng. Its superior yield Of iron Of the best quail
ty justihes Its transportation SO far from where
mined.
Thirty miles out from wellsville we passed
East Rochester, village of some importance ere
railroads. had usurped the carrying business of
the Sandy and Beaver canal, on the bank Of
which IL stands. That not being navigated now.
East Rochester evidently shares Its dilapidation
] am In love with the cleanliness Of the fence
locks In this PENNSYLVANIA Ouaker settlsu... =