The Portland daily press., 1865-09-05
A "TRIP DOWN EAST.
RICHMOND, IND, Aug. rs, 1865.

we left Richmond The day-fifth of july.
time-eleven at night, when our journey be-
gan. The route, Indiana Central r. r.. the
conveyance sleeping car. Between white
sheets-a rare thing on railroads--we rode
Five hours ride and sleep brought us to Col
umbus, Ohio. (Which way do you 90. sir ?n
cleveland and the East, sir,"' replied the wri-
ter of this. "Train been gone twenty min
utes." GLOW long before the next train.q
asked l. "Seven hours and half" aOh.n
Immediately it was decided to exchange tick
cts and take the Pennsylvania route. which,
with some difficulty was accomplished, and
the writer was on his way through Central
Ohio The only topic of interest on this road
was the Conductor, who was a curiosity, be-
cause he was gentleman. ar
At Steubenville is the famous bridge, over
the Chic, not yet finished, which is to give
travellers the privilege of passing over the
Pan Handle in future years, instead Of follow
ing the Ohio bend Y miles out of the way. It
IS beautiful structure and does honor to the
architect. AT 4 O'Clock we arrived at a
PIrrsBURG. we esq
The sootyest (preserpe the spening) city in
America is Pittsburg. Every animate and
nanlmate thing in the city bears the marks of
the Pittsburg coal. Did you ever hear of
the Pittsburg foga Pittsburg is afoggy place.
1t was in Pittsburg where man while shing-
ling barn, shingled out 200 feet on the fog,
before he discovered he was off the end Of the
building In Pittsburg they mix up coal and
iron dust, with the fog, saw it into blocks and
boat it down the river for building MATERIAL
AT midday the fog is often SO impenetrable as
to obscure the sun, which is sometimes inyis-
lble there for weeks at time, and people are
able to recognise each other only at the dis
lance oil few feet. rsHa slaawc
The only thing remarkable there, on the day
Of our passage, was the heat, which made war
upon our patience and paper collars. ~. i.
4 THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA. 81, s. ,.s
Our thanks were hearty when we were out
of Pittsburg and into the country. And With
reason, for we at once began to enter some of
the most beautiful country traversed by any
railroad in the world. Coal mountains rising
abrubtly and picturesquely on every hand, dis
played the deep black caverns in which theeoal
ismined, and presented ascene of rare interest
to those who saw it now for the first time.
Before night fall, we were at Connemaugh,
at the foot of the Alleghanies. Here we took
on the PONY" or extra engine, to assist us
up the mountains A more beautiful night,
with full moon, it is impossible to conceive.
The air was clear, cool and pure. The route
lay through the valley Of a river with jaw
cracking Indian name. The mountains, COW
cred with the primeval forests, except where
the bold and precipitous rocks raggedly pro-
truded, rose on either hand, sometimes almost
perpendicularly, above the railroad, and then
permitting us to pass through a romantic val
ley, half mile in width, of rare beauty and
grandeur. The mountains here must be 1000
feet high on each side Of the valley. Wewere
gradually ascending the Aneghanies, the top of
which we reached about 9 o'clock. If the
scenery ascending the mountains was wild, ro-
mantle, beautiful, grand, the descent was more
than language can convey any idea OF. Such
succession zofcrags, peaks, precipices, valleys,
such an accumulation of wild scenery, is not
surpassed by that of any railroad route in the
world The mind staggels at the thought of
what was accomplished by human skin in
buildinga railroad over mountains, high as
the Aneghan es, and through a country appar-
emily so impossible. Toform any idea of the
descent from Gabitain to Allatoona, down
mo ,fas,,
On one occasion the two ends of the train of
fifteen cars were opposite each other on diff
ferent sides of precipice 500 feet deep, and
SO near each other, as to enable passengers to
throw stones across. At one place one may
see Allatoona 1000 feet below only half mile
distant but the cars traverse six long miles be-
fore we reach the town.
! Should one desire to pass through this coun-
try, make calculations to be at Harrisburg ear
ly in the morning if you are going West, or to
be at Pittsburg by eleven o'clock in the fore
noon if going East, tor it is only once in life
time that one can see this country by the light
of full moon with a clear sky.
te eaas TIME
This route is longer by seven or eight hours
for New England passengers than by the N.
Y. Central r. r.. but if one is in no wonderful
hurry, the beauty of scenery will make up for
all other deficiencies; one ofWhich is decent
EATING HOUSES. M So
The arrangements for obtaining refresh
ments and such refreshments as one desires,
could hardly be worse. Any change would be
an improvement. The cars stop. Conductor
announces, "15 minutes for refreshments -
Out they rush. Crowd into room capable of
seating 200 to 500 people. Table dirty, eat
ables cold, coffee muddy and made of compos-
ition, and tea undrinkable. Eat for dear life.
and in five minutes the tables are stripped
Befo4e one has fairly began waiter shouts
Is cts. or 81 in his ear, which is reluctantly
paid. One gets up from the table conscious of
having eaten just half enough, and he is also
aware that what he has eaten is worth not
over ten cents. Why not adopt the European
system of allowing one to eat and pay for what
he wantse My advice to all who do not wish
to starye and be robbed on the Penn Centeal
R. R., is to take food enough in your satchel
with you to last the journey, and then you
will not come back, to find all your umbrellas
and valises stolen, as did most of those who
stopped for supper on the evening of July 9th.
NEW YORK.
Early on the morning of the 7th we found
ourselves refreshed with sleep and hurrying
over the plains east of Harrisburg. BY eleven
O'Clock we were on the pier opposite of New
York. ,ig -
The people of New York are very polite
Half dozen gentleman, perfect strangers to
us, met us at the Ferry, and very kindly vol
unteered to take us with all our baggage to
any part of the city, and, not content with
our thanks and refusal, importuned US for the
privilege. We still persisted in our refusal and
soon they left with picture upon their faces
betokening supreme disgust at our ingratitude
Of