The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-06-02

reaching Detroit OCer hair Centdry
agO-DetrOH as 1t then tc0s.
Some time since DR.. j. l.. Whiting,
who came to Detroit in February, 1917
Cover 81 years ago. read before the
State Medical Society at one of its
MEETINGS an account Of his trip to De.
troit. 1t forcibly illustrates the Difficult
ties of travelling in that early day aud
suggests a contrast with the ease with
which long journeys are now made
We give the main portions of the ad
dress:
On the 25th of November, 1916,
more than fifty years ago. might have
been seen on the banks of the Hudson
a disciple of Galen and Esculapius-
22 years of age, mounted on nice crop.
cared horse, bidding adieu to the home
of his childhood, and the friends and
scenes of his youth, and as he aud they
supposed, taking fual leave of each
other, be to seek his fortune among the
wilds and natives of the Territory Of
Michigan, journey of 500 miles or
more, to be performed in the dead of
winter, and alone. 1t required some
=" pluck" to perform it; but it was sue.
cessfully accomplished, though after
many heair.breadth escapes, through
food and field. On his way westward,
the young knight of the lancet ana pill
box was prevailed on by friend and
relative to stop at Auburn, New York,
where he formed partnership with an
established physician, aud staid there
for about two months, when compile of
acquaintance Of former days came
along-each with sleigh load of the
remnants of an old stock of goods which
had become unsaleable in the quaker
city of Hudson-aud invited l must
here adopt the personal pronoun, though
it may SAVIOR somewhat of egotism to
accompany them to the place of Try
original destination, Detroit. | bought
tandem harness, aud htching my
trusty Observation-Disclosures one OF
their trains, we proceeded on our way
westward aud in about four days we
reached Buffalo, then small village,
just rising Pbenix.like, from the ruins
of the couhasration which it suffered
from the vandalism of the British, dur.
ing the 4" second war of independence"
A few miles east of Buffalo we were
ove.taken by a young man who had
spent one year in the "City of the
Str ,iss,' who was travelling in cutter,
driving one horse and leading another
behind He proposed to me TO join
him and come through Canada, thereby
the distance some 200 miles,
and the time four or five days, and
which proposition | cheerfully accepted
Placing my horse ahead of his, we left
Buffalo on Tuesday morning about the
18th of February, 1917, aud proceeded
to Black Rock, intending to cross the
Niagara River into Canada at once
But the elements forbade The river
vas full OF ice aud the wind blowing
furiously from Lake Erie, and to cross
the angry current was simply impossi.
ple, and we were compelled to wait for
a change of wind until the following
Friday, when we got our horses on
board the only scow or fat there, and
thought we saw fair prospect of soon
invading the British dominions. But
while the scow was slowly floating in
he eddy, up the stream, the ferrymen
raised the sal which SO frightened the
horses that my friend Knapp's two
went overheard, in one of the coolest
days ever experienced. The men, of
course, jumped on to the bordage (shore
ice) and soon rescued the poor shiver.
ing animals, but leaving poor me and
my faithful Charley in the scow, liable
70 be struck at auy moment by cake
Of ice and whirled off into the current.
had been taught in my childhood by
;he venerable Jedediah Morse, that
;here was a ledge of rocks stretching
across that angry stream, s0me ~ miles
below, and recalling this fact to my
mind, l made gentle appeal, in a stem
tOrian voice, to the men on shore, to
O. make fast the painter" and thus pre-
vent my leaving them too unceremo-
uiously. Suffice it to say, was res
cued 4; and while exerting ourselves to
warm up the two halt.drowned aud
half-frozcn horses, small boat came
across from Fort Erie, bringing among
others, two of our we'll known and
highly respected citizens, viz Col. De
Garmo Jones, and the venerable Judge
Shubael Conant. They were acquaint.
ed with my companion du voyage, and
advised US TO abandon the idea of com.
lug through Canada, and to take the
route around the south shore of Lake
Erie, which we finally adopted. We
hen retraced our steps, passing through
Buffalo, and staid the first night at
uamburgh, eight miles east of that
embryo city. Here we tell in with DR..
David Long, one Of the first settlers of
Cleveland, and known to many Of the
older citizens of Detroit. with whom we