The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-22
PHILADELPHIA TO WTLELAMSPORT
WITH HALT,S BY THE WAY.

L.
WIN HALT'S BY THE WAY.
NORTHUMBERLAND MILTON w1LLIAMsPoRT
BLACK MARBLE-A Trout POND AND BREED
ING HoUsE-THE LUMBER TRADE-THE
''LooM M'-wILLIAMsPoRT OF THE PAST, THE
PRESENT, AND THE PROBABLE FUTURE
''pL1ER THE GREAT"-THR PEOPLE wEMEGr-
1HIIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.
Taking the Pennsylvania and Erie Railroad
at Sunbury, and crossing the North Branch,
the fist stop is made at
NORTHUMBERLAND,
pretty little town situated on a point of
and formed by the confluence of the North
and West Branches of the Susquehanna There
are number of fine churches here, and con-
siderable business is done. Passing Lewis
burg, our next stop is at
MILTON
the western terminus of the Catawissa Rail-
road, and the site of that companys fine car
works The town itself is by far the neatest
oleanest aud most orderly of any town of its
size in this section of the State Its situation
ON the high bluff of the West Branch, is per-
fectly enchanting, and its houses remind me
of what Dickens has said of one of the towns in
the Eastern States-namely, that they look as
though they were taken in in the evening and
set out again in the morning. 1t is the birth
place and former residence of the Hon.
James Pollock, the present Director of the
United States Mint in your city, and L have
no desire to indulge in adulation when l say
the Governor reverses the maxim, and is
as good prophet in his own country as out
of it-at least the Miltonians say SO, and I'm
willing to take their word for it.
4 A.. Il.
racter incidental to an agricultural district.
The surrounding country, on every side, is
most beautiful, and prosperity appears to be
an epidemic. In the town number of i'm
provements are being made, the principal one
of which is a new Opera House, a commo-
dious and imposing building.
From Milton up the valley the country is
rolling and mountainous, but there is nothing
of particular note until we reach the city of
wILL1AMsPoRT.
The situation of this inland city is not SO
favorable to the eye as many other places
along the West Branch of less note, and yet
there is such degree of activity and energy
about everything as to render the place
most agreeable to those who either visit it
as matter Of business or pleasure. The
ground upon which great portion of the
city is built has at one time been low and
swampy, but to-day the streets are as dry and
regular as those of Philadelphia. Most of
them are laid with the Nicolson wood
pavement, and passenger railroad
traverses the principal streets from
one end of the town to the other. On
the opposite side of the river from the city
are the Bald Eagle Mountains-most appro-
priately named, hope, although must con-
fess 1 haven't seen anything in the shape of
our glorious American bird in my travels
over them. These mountains are masses of
disjointed rocks, pitched helterskelter to-
gether and covered to their very tops
with trees of rather doubtful beauty.
Until recently these hills were not
supposed to be of any value, but
recently DR.. Hepburn of this place, in
conjunction with Mr.. j. D. Potts, of the
''Empire Line in your city, have opened q
quarry of the most beautiful black marble ]
have ever seem Through the kindness of
DR.. Hepburn l have visited this wonderful
quarry, which is situated in "Black Marble
or Mosquito valley, in the Bald Eagle Noun
tains, about four miles from the city. The
marble lies in thick layers or shelves on the
side of hill, and is easy of access. During
the time that your correspondent was on the
ground mass of the stone weighing about
five tons was lifted from its bed and tumbleG
down among the other great chunks that were
awaiting shipment. This stone is hard anG
durable, and is susceptible of the most bril-
liant polish. cubic foot of the stone
weighs 100 pounds Its discovery certainl,
opens new era in the history of this section
Passing on up the side of the mountain
over q road which no man would certainl,
desire to call smooth had an opportunit,
of seeing one of the trout-breeding estab
Iishments which have become so famous o
late years / desired the boy who acted a
choper0n to our party to tell me the name o
the place, that might give it to the reader
of The TELEGRAPH, but he assured me tina
the place hadn't no name;" therefor
can only say that the establishment belong
to Mr. Kean, of New York, and some of tn
citizens of Williamsport. Our first glance wa
at the lower and largest of a series of pond
built in the channel of crystalline noun
tain torrent, for the special accommodate
of the scaly delicacies. Here in the shade c
an overhanging tree were hundreds of trout
measuring from six inches to eighteen. Ful
ther ON we came to another pond, with fewe
fish in it, but are much larger than the las
Next to this was another pond, LITERAL
,,,;t fba Roh