Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-08-10
THE ExCURsIONISTS.

bclclOhte Udtchmdn, beng a member
of the Bellefonte excursion party to
this place, on his return home writes
down his trip us follows:
To CLEARFIELD.-lf any of the
thousands Of readers of the JVatchmaa
want TO have a pleasant time for few ~
days, let him take trip over tc
Clearfeld. If you live on this side
the right side-of Tyrone, get aboard
of either conductor Haupt's or Ste,
vens's train, on the Bald Eagle Valley
r., r., and you'll find as accommoda
ting and gentlemanly conductors
brakemen and baggage masters az
ever popularized a railroad. Rid,
out over the mountains on either
Twins or Meadvlle's train-the latter
won't blow the hair off your head
with swiftness-and you'll find Just
the same kind Of wholc.soucd, warm
hearted, brave men in charge Of cars
brakes and baggage and no difference
which train You make, you will be
behind as deserving, hard working,
Jolly tiremen, and as efficient, trusty,
accomplished engineers-whether il
be Russell on Haupts, Dinges ON
Stevcns's, Jack Lathans on Twins,
or Duke Fox and Ben Marshall on
Meadville's, as ever sboveled coal into
the furnuce, or pulled a lever and
turned a steam test on an engine.
1t don't take long after leaving the
Bald Eagle Valley r. r., over which
almost everybody has already passed
to reach Clearfeld AT the Intersec.
ton, four miles east Of Tyrone, you
start up the mountain-up heavy
grades, round sharp curves, over dcep
ravines, across big fills, still going up,
up, looking down as you 90 at the
little houses and hily farms of the
hard worked, heavy taxed, poorly
paid farmers Of the upper Bald Eagle
gazing down into dark forests, and
deep ravines widening and growing
until they blend into beautiful little
valleys hundreds upon hundreds OF
feet below. On up, and the engine,
heated and thirsty, stops for water at
the lonely little station of Mt. Pleasant,
and then up, up, up again, over the
summit, through the barren brush OF
the Allegheny and down past Sandy
Ridge with its brick kilns, and scat.
tered houses, past Powelton with It's
coal banks, and its toiling, taxed
miners, on down to Osceola, a bright
busy little town, whore the fire, on
last Saturday week, sent up in
smoke and scattered asnos, some
three hundred thousand dollars worth
of property, mills, machinery, lumber
&c, in a couple Of hours; on again to
Philipsburg-a bustling, business,
thriving town, that expects, at some
not far distant day, to be county
seat, and have its Judge and Jury, It's
Court House and Jail, just as other
county seats have. 1t will be long
while, however, till this happens
Here you halt for some minutes, and
if you look round, you will see on
every hand evidences of thrift, indus
try and enterprise. You will find az
good Democrats, and as radical Rad
icals, as any place in the State can
produce. And if you had time to 90
around you would see some as biz
mills, as fine houses, and as enterpris.
ing and prosperous people, as any
town Of the size in the State
can boast of But you can't wait
The engine bell taps and off you start.
Out through the suburbs of town,
past the junction on the branch road
that brings down daily, scores Of tons
of coal for the main line to carry 10
the eastern markets. On out into the
grass farms and stump patches OF
Clearfield, over as good road bed
as you have ever Travelled, and YOU
soon hear the brakosman call "Bluo
Ball. You look, and there is no
ball-red, white, blue, green, or any
other color in sight-nothing but a
field or two and water tank. Oh
again into the woods, past acre after
acre Of timber land, the ruins of old
saw mills. few farms, and any
amount Of stumps, and you are al
Wallaceton, a smart little town with
about forty houses, and about Eve
times that many inhabitants, named
ailer-that is, the town, not the in
habitants-lIon. VIM A. Wallace, OF
Clcarfcld. Another start and you
see the same kind of country; woods
here, fields there, hills here, hollows
there, rocks, stumps. little creeks aud
dry gulchcs, jumbled together in in
describabe confusion Bigler is the
next station, named in honor of Ex
Governor Bigler, Of Clearfcld, and
considerably like Wallaceton, only not
so much so in the number of its house.
and inhabitants On again and you
soon bring up at blacksmith shop, q
cross roads, two houses, stable and
three or four cows, aud you arc at
Woodland On again, and ifyou car
see IL, it will be Leonard, if you can
see it, il will be Leonard anyhow, foi
that's the name of the station Still
on, through tho woods and round The
hills, across few fields, past any
amount of grazing cattle, over the
bridge that spans Clearfield creek-a
very high, very long aud very expen
sivo bridge-down TO the river, up Q
little ways, and you are at
CLEARFIELD.
You want for dinner if you ride OF
Twins train, and if on Meadville'
it will be supper you will banker
after most Into the bus, then, an,
up to the Mansion House
where we were cared for, and such ,
meal as you will get-such an appo
titc as you will have-suph a bed al
YOU will find. Well. there is no ust
Of talking about them-the other ho
tells in Clearfold are good, VIC know
have clever landlords aud attontiv,
servants, good "grub' and inviting
beds, but there is none of them tha
beats the Mansion House The Shaw
may equal it, but can do no moro
You won't stay long until you fnC
cut you are in a good place find on
that YOU have "lt down among