Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-02-22

For THE STAR.
EXCURSION FROM WASHINGTON.
An Hour WITH JIM wISoHELL.

Us
Portable pace, caring only to reach home by
tea time. After passing the fret mile, we
found ourselves following drove Of about a
hundred cattle; their slow pace, and the clouds
of dust, made it quite unpleasant, but the ac-
quaintance of the drover, jim Winchell, made
up for these drawbacks, and IS he was going
my way" / determined to accompany him.
One could not be long in company with this
genuine Yankee and be ignorant of the locale
Of The neighborhood. With little parrying,
for we were perfect strangers, the early his
tory of his youth was soon told, and is a true
exponent of thousands of the great as well
sS the unknown, in our Republic. youth,
thrown upon the world without means, is by
necessity, compelled to use his wits, his COM
mon sense, and perseverance,, to carve the
future. Winchell has had his share, and knows
every crook and turn Of affairs. both financial
and political in that vicinity. He was anxious
TO know the complexion of the political hori-
zon in the latitude of this city, but more anx-
lous to double his money on his present specu-
latiOn. Drovers from the West cross the river
either at Catskill or at Hudson, then turn
down the Harlem valley on their way to New
York city 1t SO happened that the drove
now in hand had proceeded as far as Miller
ton, when its owners finding the price rapidly
diminishing, determined to sell at almost any
price. They offered the drove, numbering
ITO, a. 81 200. Winchell offered 81 .GOO and
the trade was soon completed, he getting them
at less than SO per head. After an hour or
80 we met a wealthy looking farmer. with a
fss: team, for they have fast horses here as
we'll as elsewhere, holding races at Copake
every week during the season, who, taking a
fancy to particular COW, asked what he
would take for her. Yankee like, Winchell
replied, % What will you give?"
Thirty dollars
I'll take thirty five"
Wont you take less?'
- No. Not CEN"
Well, I'll let you know tomorrow" and
he drove on.
You intend to get good profit on that
cow" said /.
"Yes, L know that man, he always offers
sbost five dollars less than he intends to give
He III take her tomorrow. L don't intend to
sell one less than twenty dollars. have hay
enough to winter one half the drove, and
they'l bring good price in the spring. Just
at this time We arrived at-a place in the road
that exhibited - -
REMARKABLE PIECE OF ENGINEERING.
The old road passed just at the foot of the
hill, following its sinuosities a few feet from
the plain. On the lower side Of the road for
about "a eighth of a mile some shrub bushes
and briars had grown to considerable hight,
and the owner Of the adjoining lot proposed to
move the road up the hill that he might de-
stroy them. The question came up in town
meeting, and against spirited opposition, the
road was moved up the hill, so that, as Win
chell said, they might have the privilege of
drawing load up the hill and then down
again, whereas the old road was level,~ and
furnished no such advantage. Winchell now
proposes to open both roads for year, and
after that to close the least travelled Doubt
less bis plan viii bring the old road again into
use, for now every ton Of freight that passes
through this section has to be hauled over
quite a steep hill. However, Winchell says
he will be perfectly satisfied if they will move
the road about twenty rods further up the hill,
where the ascent on either side is about forty
fleet.
DUTCH YANKEE VS.. CONNECTICUT YANKEE
Ii seems hardly possible that the eastern
ridge along this valley should separate people
50 entirely different from each other, not only
specifically but generically. One point of diff
ference is well illustrated by their farms In
New York farm is from 100 to 600 acres, in
Connecticut from 100 acres to one. Probably
no territory on the face of the globe produces
so many little patents or manufactures SO many
! kniek knacks as Connecticut This is chsrac-
.teristic of the race Every little conceivable
thing ever thought of is made by the inhabit-
Ants Of this State, and at inconceivably low
prices. Buttons are made at half a cent per
dozen, pins at a cent per hundred, &c., &c.
= No man in Harlem valley could ever be in
educed to manufacture such trifes at such tri-
fing prices. He sells his butter and cheese
by the ton, his milk by the barrel, and his
for the hundred little articles which his neigh
bors over the mountain consider Indispensable
historic incident in each locality will serve
Tn show popularity of the ancient inhsbit-
ants net now wholly obliterated in either Sec
! y ton r,s p,..,oo,s.,,,,--c,,.
- In the early settlement of this country time
7 pieces were very expensive, and only the most
= wealthy could afford to import them. good
clock cost several hundred dollars and a Con-
nectieut Yankee couldn't afford to pay that
I price, nor could he do without it. Accord
:. ingly, youth Of eighteen schittked one out of
h q limb of an apple tree, with his s,ack knife +"
2. This wooden clock, the first manufactured in
: the new world, made entirely with a knife
! kept excellent time for nearly 200 years and
few years since, Col. James Loomis, one of
. the descendants of this youth, to whom this
: clock had come rs an heirloom from gener-
3 alton to generation, presented il to the Wads-
worth Atheneum at Hartford, where it still
may be seen, curiosity not only commemo-
s-rstiye of the skill Of the lad, but q stand
.>fng monument Of the inventive genius Of that
THE OLD DUrcH CHURCH BELL.
About the same time the wooden clock was
being made in Connecticut, an incident oc-
cured in Tarrytown, n. Y, which may be
illustrative Of the ability to call into exercise
the inventive talent of the early settlers in
that region. The good people desiring to have
. all the mOuefn lm mpfOVements, sent 10 dOiand
I for bell weighing about 200 pounds for their
church, now known as the Old Dutch Church.
In due process Of time the bell came, wholly
encased in q wooden frame, braced in all d.
rections 50 as not to be damaged by the great
sea-" On its arrival the people of the place all
me;to the church to see and assist in hang
ing it. bnt notwithstanding their long con-
suItation, no one could tell how il was to be
done, and the council decided to send to New
York and procure n man of ''curious attain
. ments' to hang the bell. On his arrival, by
the assistance Of the authorities, he took the
} bell out of its confined condition and hung ii
in the belfry Of the church, but after repeatea
. trials, left, not being able to hang the bell 50
y that il would ring. 1t was now determined to
= send TO Holland for directions how to proceed.
During this interval Of many months, Dutch
man more wise than the rest, reyolyed in bis
mind the idea Of knocking out the braces that
kept the tongue from hitting the sides Of the
bell. Possibly it might destroy the bell, u
= bat be proposed the thing in town meeting
q and sitter long debate be was allowed 10 try
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