Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-08-09
LETTER FROM OHIO.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, August 9Th, lS67,-ln
my last promised your readers description
Of The Nicholson pavement, now becoming
quite popular in the West. After grading the
street, q foundation OF sand is lald, aud this Is
covered with plank floor, the boards BENG an
inch probably in thickness, and coated on both
sides with mixture Of gas tar aud pltch. On
this are placed blocks of wood from foot to
eighteen inches long, three inches thick, and slz
inches high, the lower part also covered with coal
tar, each row of blocks being separated by strip
of wood about an inch thick, and half as high as
the blocks, securely nailed So a. TO keep the
blocks in place Another row OF blocks follows
and then strip, aud SO on, alternately, the IN
terstices between the blocks and over The strips
being filed with gravel, rammed In, and The
whole being covered with Il coating of tar, and
then with sand and gravel. 1t is very costly,
but very clean and smooth, and if ii lasts we'll
which some appear to doubt, it will be cheap III
the end Almost every body drive" here and
the comfort of driving over such Il pavement
can be appreciated hy those who are usei t"
our rough streets; it feels like riding over
very smooth bridge, and the pavement gives
out hollow sound as you pass over 1t. II ever
| place wanted good pavemenis, 1t Is Column,
! bus, for never saw SO many bugglca IN i town
in my life-avcrybody seems TO have ouc
Besides the State House, there are many
other public buildings among the finest OF
! which | may name, the several State AsylunS
| for the Insane, Idiotic, Blind, and Deaf and
Dumb; the High School; the Starting Alcdl,
| cal College; the Capitol, University, and the
| Ohio Penientiary. Connected with the Med
ical College is an excellent hospital, supcrln-
| tended by nuns, who wear Il coarse brown
habit, tied at the waist with white cord, and
| q black veil, and who are called '"The Sisters
of St. Francis Of the Poor" They occasion
ay 90 around the city begging for their pa
| tients, and receive considerable donations III
provisions, &C., from people OF all denomlna-
| TONS
The great hall of the Insane Asylum Is very
| elegant and spacious apartment and during
| the winter and occasionally in summer, balls
are held in it, at which some of the inmates
dance, and to which citizens are often invited.
| Everything is said to be conducted with the
greatest propriety, and friend who had seen
them, assured me that il you did not know,
you would never suspect yourself TO be in Il
mad house.
| For the small sun Of twenty-five cents, you
can not only get into the Penitentiary, but out
| of it again, and it is really worth visiting
| Manufactures of hoes, dung forks, scythc
snaths, planes, bits, buckles, and many other
| kinds Of hardware are carried on in it, and the
| articles manufactured are OF excellent finish
and quality. Perfect order seems to reign
| there, though there are more than thousand
! inmates, and everything goes as if by clock
work. The prisoners are lodged IN narrow
| stone cells, with open iron doors; three stories
Of cells are built up in an lmlucnse house. like
| herths in steamboat, except that the cells DC
| cupy the middle, and you can pass all around
| them. They are so massive and strong that
escape from them would seem hopeless yet it
was from this penllcntary that John Morgan
escaped during the wal.
The city has three banks; two daily and
several weekly papers, &c, and large number
| of benevolent and charitable organizations. -
| There arc iwenty-cig ht cIiurchcs OF which two
are Baptist one Congregational; two Evan
| gelica three Lutheran; eight McthodIst
| Episcopal; five Presbyterian two Protestant
| Episcopa two Catholic; one United Brethren
| or Iunkcrs aud one lnycrsa!iat: and a jew
! ish Synagogue
! 1.-The Fire Department has three Steam
| Engines, aud Hook anI Ladder Truck, with
! hose, &c The Steamer, are not 30 'atId%"mc
az oulS, being oI the Ss-l,trt Falls pattern, but
are powerful, and are sai1 to do excellent, ser
vice The Department is laid, an Engineer,
Fireman, Hosler, and llo&clan being kept at
each Engine House, and two extra lioAcmen
being always read y when q fire occurs, and re
celving pay by The job. The Hose Carriages,
AZ well AZ he Eng ines, are drawn by horses,
and the entire Department is controlled by
| Chief Engineer Water, however, IS m"t very
! plentiful in the streets, being obtained from
cisterns, which are easily exhausted. Many Of
the citizens have pumps i'll their yards, but the
| water being strongly lmprcgnated with hnir,
| most Of them have. also, clstcrnS, and collect
rain water, which they filter and use t0r do
nestle purposes FInEI#.
! JUDGE UNDERWOOD AND THE Il. S. DIS
| TRICT COURT, IN RICHMoND.-A number 81
| "quor cases. as they are called have been
! up before the Court.
| Judge Underwood, by way OF preface to HE
examination Of those dnckeled for the day,
stated with much earnestncys ''that it. is the
intention Of the court to make j manifest dis
elimination between those accused OF violation
of the revenue laws Of the United States 10
regard to the distillation OF liquor, who p ead
| guilty, and those who plead not guilty. In
the latter contingency, they will be instrument
tai in consuming much ni the time OF the court,
and entail, IN addition, i heavy expense upon
the Government.
The first delinquent called was Richard
Parker, of Pittsylvania, who through his coun-
sci, Major Carrington showed hat he had 10
criminal intention OF violating the law IN what
he did The Judge being convinced that such
was the case, placed the fine at tive dollars and
the term of Imprisonment at one day, which
means to 20 into the jail and come ont Tie
had, however, to pay the costs, which approx
l b,,p, DLll