The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-08-22
A Lugubrious Picture Of wheeling
Fifteen Years Hence.
Editors of the Register:

k-uitOhs VI tHO .
High no! aw! aa-a-w ouch my
elbows! ugh! my knees is worse as,
my elbows! I'm sore all over" These
exc!amations escaped me as | arose
from my hard bed and stretched my
self. "Here Schneider! Schneider" /
called my dog; he would not move. l
pulled his tail, his tail came off; his
leg, off it came; his head, and it came
of; his body, and he all came off, and
there was no Schneider there. had
gone to sleep the night before in coal
bank under the hill, my ewes where's
the billw L had been underneath. The
hill had disappeared. The last Of it
was just moving off on dinkey-train.
They had taken the hill from over me
and left me in the cold air, which
awakened me. This was astounding;
the whole OF Wheeling hill gone in one
night. walked forth 10 investigate.
The streets were deserted. Coming
down Market street | say in it double
railroad track which took up the en-
tire street. OmiDous! thought !. |
walked two squares without meeting a
man, and upon every cross-slreet was
railroad track. Finally met meek
looking individual in leathern apron,
with a pick and shevel on his shoulder.
His face was very dirty; but he seemed
withal familiar accosted him;
Gould YOU tell me where the hill has
gone ?" what hill?' said he.
SWheeliug hill, to be sure, said |;
"when | went to sleep last night
it was there, and now it isn't MY
friend" said he confdentially, "if you've
been asleep since Wheeling hill started
away from there you've slept matter
OF ten wears" You don't say so y
said |, where is it?' "Over there where
the river used 10 be-" said he; the
boss hadn't room for his railroad tracks,
30 he had the hill moved over and the
river filled up, and now trains run over
hill and river" What are all these
railroad tracks doing here?' There is
now a double track on every street lin
town, and the boss is speaking of run.
ming a few through the middle Of the
SQUARES" The miserable man sat
down upon the curb stone and shed
copious tears into the gutter. Don t
| | know YOU, my iriend?' said / much
affected. Perhaps SO" said he:
Would you mind telling your name !?
said IL. That's what the boss Calls me,
said he. He turned the other side Of
his collar towards me, and read on the
paddock label, George" George
| J-J-J-J-George! why, how are you,
old fellow when l went to sleep you
was boss of this town. yourself; who ls
boss now?' ash !" said he, putting his
finger to his lips, and | "Sh'd." His
appearance filled me with wouder. He
was the same chunky, chubby little ras-
cal he used TO be, a trife fuller in the
waist, perhaps, but whence this apron
and these tools, and whence that brass
collar! Come" said he, "Ill show you
around. We've changed little since
YOU went to sleep" Il should rather
think YOU had" On coming to Union
street we were confronted by an I'M
mense circular building. extending
from Union to Quincy and from Fifth
to Main streets. The houses which
had been familiar to me in that locality
had been supplanted by the monster
building, over the door of which | read,
B. IL O., Machine shops. 81 thought
they were going to remove the shops
to Bellair," said l. BLESS you, no,
said he, they have them all here. They
have just swung the town on pivot, so
that they can turn it around and
run a train off of any given street to
the main line. This is where the work is
done" The building was of wonder
full height, and its circular top tapered
off like minaret, the point Of which
would have been lost to view In the
distant ether, had it not been surmount-
ed by a gigantic figure. This was the
figure of a man. The point OF the roof
was placed lie the pit of the stomach,
and he was balanced thereon with his
arms and legs out-spread. The tails OF
his claw .hammer-coat were erect soas 10
catch the breeze and serve as weather,
cock. That's a statue OF the Bose,
said George. An idea struck me. l
[ was beginning to see a GUNNER OF
light through all this wondrous mys-
tery That massive brow, bland smile,
and undulating figure, and those be-
humanity outs,retched hands were un-
mistakable. We entered the building. 1t
was hollow and without partitions. just
within the door there was a huge ma
chine |. like a coffee mill, with great
levers stretching out on 2very side, and
to each lever was attached troup oil
wretched looking people, among whom
| teariully recognized, many old friends
con it was pitiiul-near whole city
full" At the head Of the great troup
was one whom had last seen wrapped
in the folds OF official prosperity ana
sitting in conclave of the city fathers.
All were now Juggling and sweating at
the levers, while within easy reaching
distance stood him whom had FORM
erly known as Jnowg, whose image
was upon the top of the building: Ever
and anon would he lay his hand upon
his white shirt bosom, smile sweet'y,
and touch some poor devil with the
cracker Of his long whip. George tod
me that all the citizens, male and ie-
male, took turns at the levers. AS ne
spoke his eyes filled and his face pucker,
eli he looked around for a gutter, put
finding none, swallowed his salt grief.
In the centre of the spacious structure
in which we stood was throne, and on
tho throne reciined, in tie position most