The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-08-07
correspondence Offhe .Egis s In.
seSttgenceS.
HARRIsBURo, pas AUG. q. 1s6s

-----oDoH"t u ~ mug -; ioVo'
This letter is not intended to greatly culightcn the
readers Of the g is II expected that It's pubica-
ton will afford them any amusement much satisac-
tion But as variety is said to be tho spice Of e this
may assist in making up that variety Those who think
that the statements of the newspapers reference to the
late freshet in Jones' Falls exaggerated should take
ride on the Northern Central Railroad far at least as
Woodberry ANY looking the Falls at the present
stage OF water scarcely conceive it possible that SO
small stream could have done the damage that has
done Yet the meadows, cornelds fences and above ALL
the disappearance af number of the powerfully built
bridges Of the Northern Central Raroada abundant
proofth small it is 1t Is capable Of doing i'm.
mense damage. When 1 saw II on last Friday think
II no exaggeraton say that all the water in it would
have easily passed through hogshead and yet the
would indicate that but week before 1t was an i'm
mense angry, dashing torrent with the proportions Of
arespecable sized river There along the route of
this road large number Of stations or stopping places
one Of the handsomest of which is Lutherve nine or
ten miles from Baltimore This road approaches the
below Harrisburg,
when its course Is directly along the river for consd
cradle distance. 1t does not the river at Harris
crosses the ssquehanna at Dauphn about twelve miles
above Harrisburg. The Northern Central Railroad
Company have an arrangement with the Cumberland
valley Railroad Company, by which they permitted
to the Cumberland Valley bridge merely for the
purpose Of forming connection at Harrisburg with the
great Pennsylvania Central Road and its northern,
eastern and western connections The Pennsylvania
With many extensive buildings and works FOR the
use OF their road Trims are always passing and
passing here for the west east and almost every concev
able point reached by railroad connections Harrisburg
is pleasantly and handsomely situated on the eastern
bank Of the susquehanna some little less than one hun
drod miles from Its mouth and Is the centre the
State The river shore along ihc town very hIuand
ger Of an overflow here, unless may be at the
lower end Of the town. where such thing Isuppose, is
possible One Of the heaviest eshets remembered took
place last spring without doing any damage although
the lower end people said to have been much alarm
ed At this place the river makes considerable bend,
which the Pennsylvania Canal Company cut of in ma
king their canal and consequently Harrisburg situated
directly between the river and the canal There
buildings east Of the canal excepta struggling here
and there the extreme upper end Of the city There
are number Of islands in the river opposite and above
and below the town, one Of which ID small farm The
Cumberland Valley Railroad BRIDGE we'll the Har-
risbnrg bridge for common travel over this
island The susquehanna Is unusually low this season.
Of vast grass meadow plot with thousand meander-
ing gravel walks runniag through It. or course when
The river i at It's ordinary height these little grassy
islands disappear. Tho Cumberland Valley bridge Il q
road bridge al Havre Dc Grace Indeed # the Iiasre dc
Grace Bridge boarded either side and the track
laid tho top Of the bridge instead q where il Is IL
would resemble the Cumberland Valley structure very
much IL almost appears wonderful that Harrisburg,
which not IN old town. has not increased In popula
ngs s :, WITH al ts adj asyan
east and lhe Psnnsyyana Central iarosd s M
through IT. and yet at this day she has only somet ing
OVER Or about twenty-five Thousand inabitants. This
that rAlro ids and canals which merely pass through
small place are ofbdt little servce IN die was 81 business
villages spring ID along q nssisabis Streams
but great cities flourish only the head Of navigation
J where nature has required transhipment to take
lace, In case Of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers
few small places Ike Wheeling and Vicksburg ay drag
out ecky existence along the banks, but II s LEFT for
one END mighty rivers 70 produce New Orleans
Pttsburg 70 build Up any place great IoroughEres
there must Be necessity for unemployment OF sfoppage
Of some sort Both capital and enterprise aIwaysseek
NO terminus. There are here number aof extensive
Iron works Of various kinds together with and pla
have been here but that this point Is central for both
Iron and lumber and that these two OF The great pro-
ducts Of the State Another Of the great staples coal