The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-03
American Englneering Energy.

A few months since, the prophets of evil in this
country expected an extraordinary and sudden
collapse of the great American Republic. The
bubble was about to burst, and the mighty sham
which boasted so much was about TO go into
a state of Everlasting smash" No doubt vhe
wish was father to the thought In most instances,
and the prophets as Ben. Disraeli says, are
"baffied and mortified" 1t is not our province,
however, to point out the errors of our country
men, or to speculate on the political destnies of
the American Republic, but rather to utter pass
ing comment on the amazing industrial energies
OF Americans, as indicated by Sir S. N. Peto. at
Bristol on the 18th inst. That prince of con.
tractors went with others to America to endeayor
to find fresh outlets for English capital.
The newspapers have already informed us that
wherever they went they were warmly and en-
Enthusiastically received. Sir Samuel, who is
accustomed to see great engineering. works
achieved with rapidity, appears to be startled
by the strong, buoyant, and multltudinous ener-
gies OF our American cousins. He ascertained
that when the Southeners destroyed the bridges
throughout one hundred and hfty.siX miles of
country General Sherman only allowed General
McCallum seven days to reconstruct them; one
bridge, twelve hundred feet long and fifteen
feet wide, was constructed in three days and
a halt; that in six days General Sherman was
moving the whole of his army over the one hun
dred and fifty miles.
Sir Samuel also states that on the termination
OF the war there were actually connected with
the supply of the armies 2500 miles OF railway,
3S7 engines, 5000 cars, and 10000 employees. Well
overwhelmed with the power which produced
such state fittings. Sir Samuel further states
that Chicago, which a few years ago was a mere
villages dot upon the map-has now a popu.
latlon exceeding quarter of a million, with
public buildings surprising anything he has
ever seen in any provincial town in this coun-
try; while its bridges its roads, its hospitals its
universities and public works, were OF the most
magnificent description"
From Chicago Sir Samuel went TO Boston, and
he found that even since the commencement OF
the war the inhabitants of that city had expended
five millions sterling in the erection OF public
buildings and the extension OF public works.
Were not the speaker a sober common sense
Enelishman, we should have thought be wanted
to play upon our credulity. He, however, is
particular in terrifying his statements by sub
stantlal evidence. As an instance how soldiers
are absorbed into private life, he says that four
months before ne visited America the army
amounted to ]. .200, 900 men. General Grant told
him that he had mustered out $4,000, and that
shortly they intended to have only 100000 men
IN active service.
ing establishment IN which torty-seven OF the
compositors had been soldiers. One was
captain, another was a lieutenant, and another
was sergeant, and they were all at work as II
they had never lett the composltors desk. Not
one OF these men had pension; and he would
have felt insulted if he had been offered IL.
| These statements OF Sir S. NJ. Peto are corro6o-
rated by mdisputable authority. we may
| therefore, as nation, well rejoice that the
| Americans have conquered their greatest diff
culnes, and that in all probability they Will be
| purlhed and strengthened by the suderlngs they
| have endured. at all events, even Jhoughtless
and selfish Englishmen are not likely to speak OF
them so contemptuously as was the fashion a
short time since.-BltiLdilg NelgS.