The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-07-17
Editorial Notes En- Route.
Central New YOrk-Syracuse and Os-
WegO.
SYRACUSE, N. Y, July II.


ing from Syracuse and embracing the
central lake regions of the State. Ag-
riculture is in its highest state of ad-
vancement. The great Erie Canal
and the New York Central Railroad.
with its branches and connections, and
a perfect system of turnpikes, bring
all parts of it into intimate relations
with the commercial world. Its edu-
cational advantages are very fine.
And then, politically, it is overwhelm-
ingly Republican. 1t is mainly from
this region that the Democratic ma
jority of thirty or forty thousand in
the city of New York, is overcome and
the Empire State made reliable for
freedom and progress. There is much
of beauty and interest to attract the
traveller who has leisure to enjoy it.
Syracuse is a fourishing city of
about 40. 1000 inhabitants, well built,
and has many fine residences. 1t is
the favorite place of assembling for
all kinds of political and social con-
ventions and mass meetings. 1t is
principally noted, however, for its ex-
tensive salt manufactures, which are
probably the largest in America, if
not in the world. The water is main
ly derived from one immense spring,
which rises Immediately in Ononda-
ga Lake, adjoining the city. This
spring is owned by the State. and by
it has been protected from the fresh
water of the lake by a kind of crib or
basin, whence the water is pumped
up, and supplied to private manufac-
turers through conduits OF pump
logs; and for the water the State
levies a small lax per bushel upon the
salt produced. The water is carried
in all directions for several miles, in
order to give the manufacturers
room for evaporation. The process
now most in use is the solar evapo-
ration" thereby saving the cost of
fuel, which is here becoming expen-
sive. After the water undergoes a
simple purifying process, it is drawn
off into broad and shallow wooden
basins or troughs, where, by simple
exposure to the sun, it is transformed
into pure, white salt.
From this place a delightful excur-
sion can be made down to Oswego on
Lake Ontario. an hour and a half run
by rail over a good road. 1t was one
of the first French settlements, being
in the Gordon of Posts which they
established early in the eighteenth
century to maintain their supremacy
on the Western continent. Until only
a few years ago the traces Of the Old
Fort built by MONTECALM were to be
seen; but the last vestiges have been
erased by the demands of this, now
fourishing, city. Oswego is the prin-
cipal American port on Lake Ontario,
and has a very large shipping interest,
chiefly engaged in the transportation
of grain, -four, and lumber. But its
principal interest is its extensive -four
manufacturing. Until the past few
years Oswego did almost nothing but
manufacture -four. The Oswego
River, which drains the central chain
of New York lakes, for a few miles
before it empties into Lake Ontario,
has a fall of over one hundred feet,
which affords an abundant water
power. The river is lined with extern
sive and substantial stone mills, capa-
BILE. apparently, of turning out enough
-four to keep the whole continent in
breadgAAH the rich men, and the
" retired princes" whose palatial
mansions adorn the hills around the
city have been. in their day, millers.
The millers are emphatically the
~aristocracy of Oswego. The city has
a population of three or four thous-
and less than Evansville, but pos
-sesses much more wealth, and, as a
consequence, is much better built. In
one respect it is decidedly in advance
of our city-it has five large hotels.
any one of which Evansville would
esteem itself fortunate to possess. I
have visited few if any cities of SINH
lar population, which displays more
taste in its private residences, in their
surroundings, or in beauty of situa-
ton. Nature has done much for the
city, and the good taste of man has