Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-07-25


No person can arrive at a proper appreci-
alton OF the extent and grandeur of our
National domain till he has traversed some
portions of what is called the " West" and
beheld with his own eyes, the natural
and artificial wonders that have made those
recent wilds to shine with more than Area
dian glory. A trip to that great region of
this vast country will do more toward de-
veloping his ideas, and enlarging his soul,
than century of plodding amid the mar.
row duties Of his own community. Men
and things are seen through media which
-niusu u.fnJcrcsrnrg epocns UI our ne was
tour recently to the State of Michigan,
running account of which we propose now
to furnish the numerous readers of your
widely circulated paper.
We started from Philadelphia, in the
month of last May, by way of the Penn
sylyania Central Railroad, at IL o'clock, P.
NJ, and on account of darkness and sleep
saw nothing of special interest till about
daylight the following morning, when we
opened our eyes to find the train Of cars
laundering amid the echoes Of the noun
tains overlooking the 6 Blue Juniata-
Thencc we dashed along splendid avenues
and over beautiful streams, until we began
to wind and climb, like huge serpent, the
rugged sleeps of the Alleghanies, almost to
their loftiest summit, when, bafiied by the
vast heights, we burrowed right through the
dense mountain, near Altoona, Pa, for q
distance of nearly one mile.
The first point of interest at which we
tarried for day was the iron city-Pitts-
burg, Pa.-which contains about two hun
dred thousand inhabitants, and lies on tri-
la. .,,.1 t,xrt tbf ard
Monongahela rivers, which meet at this
place, and form the Ohio River. Vast coal
| iodes lie two hundred feet high in the sur
rounding hills, in horizontal shafts, and it is
sent down in cars to the mills and factories
| located along the base, at the least possible
cost The manufactures of Pittsburg are
immense, and increasing. The bituminous
coal of this region, which is used altogether
as fuel in forges and for private purposes, as
well as for the manufacture of oil and gas
| in the city, makes an intense black smoke,
which completely envelopes the place like a
thick cloud, at times literally obscuring the
sun, and covering every available place and
thing with greasy blackness, which keeps
the whole region continually and hopelessly
dirty. The Ohio Railroad, which runs by
this place, passes through tho cellars under
the houses for considerable distance.
We next stopped for short time at the
beautiful forest city of Ohio, Cleveland. Oi
all the fine things we have seen, Euclid Ave
nue., of this city, is, without exception, the
finest. This street is about one hundred fee
wide, the side walks twenty-five feet each
with q row of trees down the centre thereof
The houses are set back from the street at
distance ranging from thirty to fifty feet, II
the middle of a lot from one hundred to on
hundred and fifty feet square, and are bull
in all imaginable fancy styles of architecture
They have also large square, called Monu
ment, in the midst of which is marbl
shaft, raised in honor of the battle of LAX
Erie, surmounted with the sculptured forr
, of Commodore Perry, the hero of that grea
occasion. From this point we crossed tina
| inland sea of fresh water, Lake Erie, in th
, magnificent steamer IL. NJ Rice. On til
! boat we met several old friends, who great
refreshed us by the way. We had comfort
i able state rooms, and peacefully slept, Will
s ssrocked in the cradle Of the deep. EARLY i
the morning, we reached our destination
g Detroit, Michigan, whittier we had gone
: attend the Thirteenth Annual Session OF tn
/ Right Worthy Grand Lodgeof North Amer
: ca, of the l. o. of G. t Detroit is also
:. place of great beauty and enterprise.
e We started, homeward bound, by way
v the Great Western Railroad, through Can
J. da, to Suspension Bridge, distance of tw
|. hundred and twenty y-nine miles. After "
|. were fairly in the Queens dominions,
A. s. officer passed through the cars, al
al stamped our baggage with the Custo
@. House SEAL to secure it from being search
@. by John Bull, whose fears magnify ever
m thing into the dreaded Fenian. The portit
n of Canada through which we passed W
,y sparsely settled, unimproved and poor.
lg moments glance in any direction was su
IL cient to convince the most casual obserN
m that he was not in the United States. I
ii appearance of the people, the names of
We railroad stations, the style of architectu
IS. the mode of farming, were all purely Eli
n lish, and we must say, in our opinion,
D. ferior to this side of the line. In the s
nd tions and saloons were such pictures as
ht- grim visage of Prince Bietyournoseoif,
rs, the pompous phiz of Lord Lookatme,
ms the smiling countenance of the Primo
red Touchmenot. We rode many miles just
me the margin of Lake Ontario, whose :
red waters stretched far away beyond the lin
art our vision. We reached Suspension Bri
the and spent day amid the wonders of
hat CARA Falls.
ant This bridge spans the Niagara river al
lin, two miles below the world-renowned IA
un- 1t is eight hundred feet long, and one
or fifty feet high. 1t is supported by four 7
win inch cables, each of which is composed
three thousand six hundred and forty-ti
any wires, stretching over pillars eighty-e
dis feet high. The ends of the cables are
ther ened in the solid rock on each side of
we'd river. The rapids through the mar
d in gorge beneath the bridge have never
80. | fatkornad and rush with s,lch fearful ra