The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-05-06
Locaa Corresponaenee.
JoHNsTowN, May s, 1869.


Mr.. EditOr-Your former correspondent,
"Tip." has expressed to me desire of with
drawing from the campaign of writing for
your paper, and wished me to take his place
As will have some leisure now, will try
my hand 1T letter once week.
Tip" said something about big window
last week, but neither he or your typesetter
mixed 1t up so that no one could tell what
church was meant. / do know that "T'p,"
was mixed some last week. Poor fellow!
he has had good deal of trouble of late.
and l think it is no wonder that be would
be cloudy in his statement about the big
window. Upon inquiry | learn that the
windo~ to which he referred was the front
window of st. Joseph's German Catholic
church. 1t will be placed just above the
door, or entrance, and is twenty eight feet
high and eight feet wide. There is not a
thousand feet of lumber in the window. bat
it took thousand feet of rough boards to
make it. There was good deal of waste
in the lumber, owing to the carved work.
This church, when complsted. will be the
largest edifice of the kind IN Johnstown. 1t
Is one hundred and twenty feet long by sixty
feet wide, and will be thirty-three feet high,
ABOVE The mason work. to the cave, and tie
apex of the -oOf will be thirty feet above that.
Well. as announced in the papers, there
was an examination of teachers in Johns
town last Thursday and one in Conemaugh
last Friday, and as l was present at both of
them, and stood an examination, / know
something about them. In Jch1stown there
was about forty teachers examined, and it
is admitted on all hands that. if grammar is
excepted, it was the poorest examination
ever held here-that is, the answers of the
teachers was the poorest. Still, it did not
appear to make much difference, as the
worst ones. including myself, got schools.
do not wish to be understood as saying that
the teachers could not answer the questions
asksd-I only say that they did not.
missed questions myself that should have
answered. The day was dull and the teach
ers seemed to partake of the features of the
weather. From the examination the audi
ence learned that Gen. Burgoyne surrender
ed in Me1ico-that there are eighteen States
in this Union-that Pennsylvania was set
tied in 1S62-that Siberia was in Africa,
and q very warm country at that-that the
Atlantic ocean lies west OF Australia, and
so-forth. The teachers that held State and
professional certificates, and strangers as
we'll as our own, all seemed about alike, SO
that no one could laugh at the rest.
In Conemaugh borough the answers were
. little better, but not as good as the super
intendent desired. 1 feel assured that the
teachers can do better, but as they get
schools at any rate, it does not make any
differ whether they answer well or not.
cannot recall the names Of the teachers
of Johnstown borough. In Conemaugh the
teachers are: Jacob A. Harold, John W.
Trabert. Mr. Wallace, of Pittsburgh, and
Miss Mary Griffin. All the schools COM
mence to-day.
The weather is quite wet and cold here,
4 20 - IL l.
ed. A large quantity of rain fell during the
last few days and the waters are quite swol-
len.
believe that Hon. Geo. Taylor, President
Judge Of this district Was here lately, look
ing after suitable place for q building to
hold our courts in but I am not certain that
anything has been decided OF. There vii,
be both trouble and expense about establish
ing the district court that was not thought
of before the bill was asked for. If once
established, though, the court will answer a
good purpose.
! took walk, with some others, on last
Sunday to the Fifth and Sixth Wards. across
the iron bridge, which is free on that day,
and l was astonished to witness the improve
ments on that side Of the river. The au-
thorities are laying water-pipsS along every
street. Water street is filled up with cinders
to the foot of Yoder hill. and not less than
fifty houses have been put up on that side
since last fall, when | was last over The
filling up of Water street is good improve
ment, as it used to overflow with water or
ice every time the river rose. The iron
bridge is solid structure about hundred
yards long and is All ornament to the psople
going by.
l see bills or posters up about town offer.
ing one hundred dollars reward for the re-
covery of some six hundred dollars which a
citizen Of Philadelphia lost in our town
last week.
There has been a considerable influx Of
teachers into our two boroughs this Spring
from other places, on the principle, l sup
pose, that a change of pasture is good for
sheep, Il is not for want OF native talents,
for there is some we'll educated teachers in
Johnstown. But must close.
Yours till next week. Ron Roy.