Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-03-16
CORRESPONDENCE.
Our Philadelphia Correspondent.
PHILADELPHIA, March IL, 1872.

| weather Uhristians,n was pleasant |
change especially as its need was so keen |
ly felt, less however in the city than in the |
country, unless it be tu lay the dust which |
of late the high winds have been sending |
into our eyes and lungs much to our dis |
comfort and disgust. The rain we feel cer-
tain announced the approach to spring. |
which we have had little of, although the |
first month of that pleasant season is near
ly half gone. The frost coming ouLof the !
ground, and the fall of rain combined rem
der pcdestrianism rather unpleasant Ne
yer has our city been iu such fearfully
dirty condition. and justly does it create
the fear of epidemic. as it is well known
that dread enemy of mankind, the Asiatic
Cholera, is always preceded by that more
loathsomc one of -pox-although less
/ iatal-which our cty,as is well-known, and
| our sister cities and towns have been hav
ing the past winter. Knowing all this, is
it any wonder our people are alarmed, and
that they call upon the authorities that be,
as far as in their power, to protect them by
prompt and efficient sanitary measures Z
Time was when our city was known Tor its
cleanliness, now none are much hlthler
Some time ago our State Legislature
thank God they adjourn soon after which
the city and State can breathe freer and be
safe,) passed an act creating the City Lev
erage Utilization Company with extraordi-
nary powers, and which were to keep all
streets and alleys well cleaned and broom
cd, and Hlth removed for certain cOnsid-
Grafton, doing away entirely with the old
wa, and were to use the deposit 50 obtain
ed as manure and topsoil. All looking
very nice on paper, but it seems to have
cost them al their available funds to get
their charter, and so January and February
pass. and no effort made to comply with
In rprt .tC Of a -
the last named month had nearly expired,
when the force of public opinion and the
widespread dissatisfaction compelled them
to make an attempt upon some few spots
in few of the streets in the centre OF the
business part Of the city. As conse-
quencc, as | said before, we've had fihg
mud and been compelled to breath filth
and sec our way through flying clouds Of
il. They We're not 50 slow III another part
of the contract, for hardly had the month
Of March been ushered in, before they were
on hand with nice little item OF Dill
amounting to about $4,000, for cleaning
about five miles of streets and not touching
the many hundreds in the rest of the city.
II is estimated that according to the pres
ent rate of cleaning, they will reach Frank
ford or the suburbs about the time Of the
Centennial Celebration, and the crossings
at the centre Of the city will have to be
Oudged for the occasion. They met q
quiotus from Controller Hancock, who re-
fused to sign their voucher, and so pre-
vented the fraud, saying he thought a CON
tract required fulilment in all its parts,
and was not willing TO pay for work not
done.
The past week has been one Of especial
interest to rs as n City, as a State, and as
Il Nation. The first decided steps have
been taken here within the past four days
towards the great Centennial Celebration
of the Declaration of our National indie
pendcnce, by the meeting Of the Commits
soners appointed by the different States,
charged with the preparations for that
great event. 1t is mcte and right that
Philadelphia should he chosen as the place
to hold our great exposition. AS General
Parsons, of Texas said at the Park, in Il
speech, Boston boastcd of the cradle of
liberty Philadelphia holds the manger.
This is the Bethlehem of Freedom. Here
where the spilit Of liberty was born it is
proper that we should erect her temple.n -
Another speaking for Pennsylvania, said,
"ln Philadelphia Peun's treaty with the
Indians was made it was here that the
First Congress met that the Declaration
Of Independence was drafted; that the
great Sanitary Fair was held and that nu-
merous other great enterprises were inaug-
ter cities by the choice having fallen to our
lot is rapidly subsding, and everything
promises fair to the success of the greatest
celebration of the greatest nation in tho
world | am not bDasting. No true
American can help feeling proud when he
reviews in his mind the great change the
past century has made-sce Us then weak
and struggling, throwing oil the bonds OF
our foreign bondage Now see us a
mighty nation TO whom all others are will
ling to pay court The proudcst boast OF
my life, when | think thereon, is Il am an
American ~ and am constrained to cX-
claim God bless my own my native
= land !"
The site chosen at Fairmount Park,
which, by the by, is the finest natural
park in the country, is all that could be
desired. l doubt very much whether,
= within such accessible reach, the cities who
} have been so jealous of our good fortune
| could have found room TO entertain the ma
tion upon that eventtul day. When the
. Commissioners met but TWO States had
, failed to appoint Commissioners-one oi
} them, the great State of Illinois, has done
so since, leaving only Missouri, which lat
ter, we hope, may soon follow the good eX-
/ ample set her by Illinois.
My space warns me to close, or | would
1 like to speak OF the fine appearance of the
Commission as body of men, as l saw
them on their way to select the site at the
park, and also many other things connected
= Herewith.
BY way Of conclusion, or lastly, ms the
clergy say, ! must speak of the destructive
fire we had upon the evening of the 4th
inst. One of the finest granite structures
of the city, the building Of DIR, Jayne's,
d Chestnut above 2nd, was destroyed. To
look at it one would almost involuutarily
= eXclaim, show could that burn ~ Still il
i did, although provided with every facility,
. within itself for eXtinguishing fire. The
ruins were visited by tens of thousands. II
was very cold n light and the view remind
ed one of those of Niagara in winter, and
- of the curious formations Of ice in and
e about the White Mountains, as the water
= running of of and out of the building frozt
u in such beautiful and strange formations.
: Here we had another evidence of the great
y superiority of the paid over the voluntary