The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-08-10
The City Of BFOthefiy. Love Its
Streets and Public Busi1lngs-In-
dependence Hall-gh6 RaVy Yard
Q Nr--vror.c HourT NJ Y

is one Ol tHC AdHAFOIlO0~ 1880
continent, and IS proverbial for the
cleanliness of its streets. 1t ls, IN
deed, magnificent city, not only IN !
size and population, but also IN the
splendor Of its buildings. Inc on
portion of it, like most OF inc Gl1
cities in this country, was Iulneu ny
800 e4rents many Of them, es-
I1ecialIv those running, hoTth anu
I'll he;ng little wider than re-
ssOnetnbIo aflev. The streets LAID out
80 modern times, however, are
IL - more beautiful, and almost all
W. finely and substantially paved,
ah;ogv with powders or rock. a few,
Int very few, so far as we saw, are
laid with the Nicholson pavement,
Many of the sidewalks are shamefully
narrow, but the walks are generally
even, smoth and very solid, being OF
stone. AS to the cleanliness of the
place, We cannot speak In unqualified
praise Indeed, some of them are alb
solutely filthy, and the inhabitants re-
marked that they had never seen 1t SO
filthy.
Chestnut Street is tho Broadway"
! of Philadelphia-What Fourth Street
Is to Cincinnati - the fashionable
promenade for the ladies in the after
noon. The buildings on Chestnut
are, in general, spacious, massive and
elegant. Among the most noted IS
Independence Hall, place halloWed
in the memory of every patriotic clt!-
zen. Not of the most splendid archl-
tecture-not the most attractive In
outward appearances, but massive
and enduring, the walls being four feet
, thick. and constructed in the most
substantial manner. But the thrill
, ing memories that cluster around 1t
draws within her portals Thousands
r o.: citizens annually, who come to
4 stand in the sacred precincts where
were laid the foundations-Wide and
deep as her OWE, comparatively-ofthIs
r mighty Republic of which we are so
E Justly proud. There is also the U. 5:
D Treasury building, formerly occupied
! by the United States Bank, Of which
=. Nicholas Biddle was tho mighty chief.
! | Here, too, are the United States Mint
f the Continental Hotel, and Girard
s House. The former one of the most
n spacious and most perfectly arranged
! and finished hotels in the whole
world magnificent block of marble
: fronts, facing three store-rooms Of
Q more than ordiDary width, $50 fee
4 deep aud five stories high, with q deer
cellar. This was built by a young
man named Howell, who inherited {
g vast fortune; also whole square 0!
e magnificent buildings, the legacy o.
: Stephen Girard to the city. These
! were formally the fashionable resi-
: dences Of the city, but now metamor
0 phosed, by the memorable demand o.
8 trade. into business houses chiefly
!. The Ledger Buildings are also or
! this. street, and form, perhaps, tht
- most deliberately and expensively fin
e ished newspaper establishment in thu
. world, the ceiling of 1.-THE counting
t room being panneled with mahogany
There are many other building
worthy Of note, but too numerous t,
mention In o short letter.
The conductor of street car vol
unteered to US the information tina
y Broad Street, We think he called it
c was the finest street in the world, bu
!. lit no more compares with E1cleC
;, Street in Cleveland, Canal Street
New Orleans, or with Fifth Avenue
IS New York, than star of the sixth
& pSsGn ii day. 1t has tk tie mgPPll6d eJJ
= great lengths of reasonable Widtl
Le but is shabbily paved and indiffer
re emily built up.
Is The churches Of Philadelphia ar
a. among the finest, most spacious AM
: elegant on the continent. but the
possess a uniformity Of style that rem
sc ders them monotonOus. Indeed tn
v passion for uniformity seems to haY
9. been chronic with the architects 0
es Philadelphia. and you find Who'll
o. squares of residences, each the ia
OF simile Of the other, aud all pOssesse
70 with the inevitable white windoI
y shutters of the second and thir
a stories. White windoW sills an
u window caps seem to have been anoth
J. er ridiosyncrasy of Ithe Philadelphi
D. ats, and at least seventy FIVE out G
every one hundred houses posses
them.
A neS. church of vast proportion
e is being built on Broad Street, th
1T foundations of which are laid. ]
IL will be. constructed of solid granite
ed the blocks of which are prepared i
y. New Hampshire, fitted and number
ne ed, SO that they may be put togethe
ng as silently and as readily as were tn
material of thej'' Temple under til
ee skillful supervision Of Solomon an
the Hirams A magnificent cathedrs
II is also II, process of building in th
III lower part Of the city, which viii b
as spacious and elegant as any In tn
I'd country. The SPLENDID buildings i
I'd the city are exceedingly numerous, G
ID can be seen from the cupalo of Indt
he pendence Hall. The great points {
attraction in Philadelphia are Indt
hit pendence Hall, the. Navy Yard, he
o. Cemeteries, the Eastern Penitentiar.
l." the Mint, Girard College, and Fail
IL mont Park. The Navy Yard is
al stupendous affair, and it is interestin
be and suggestive to witness the ex
e. of the employees when the bell sound
let five o'clock. They work only eigh
ic. hours, and number from 1900
ng 800. Every man at the first tap lay
a aside his tools and Iushes for the gat
and tho crowd appears equal to
at small army. A mammoth steamer
be on the docks, on which work is pre-
m crossing rapidly. In the yard al
lie some fifteen or twenty fifteen inc
ze guns, which appear as perfect NOR
,e, sters. 1t would take a week to ez
Re anime all the euriosities about tn
at Navy Yard, aand would occupy a
OF your columns to describe them.
w The great point of attraction In th
city is Independence Hall, with a
- the interesting relies there epcour
:. tered. Of these the most notable
s' the old bell that was used to proclaim
n Liberty throughout the land, an
1t, to all the inha bitants thereof, on tn