The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-25
DETROIT. Feb. 18th 1914

DEAR HERALD: | write you this letter
not with the idea Of relating anything mar
vellous, or telling you Of anything strange
or startling, but more in spirit OF friend
illness than anything else. Ieel, doubtless
like many of your readers, that it is always
more pleasant TO read a letter from one
known 10 Us, than from an entire stranger,
even If il contains nothing new.
In taking a map of the United States and
looking at the two little black specks that
mark Somerset and Detroit, the distance
appear. 10 he great but they are in reality
but twenty hours apart BY taking the
train at YOUR place at four o clock in the
morning, YOU reach Pittsburgh at ten.
Then by taking the 2;20 in the morning.
bva new and short route run by the Penn
sylvania Co, you can reach this place by
tour clock in the afternoon. You travel
on the Fort WAYNE road to Mansfield o.
then by the Toledo and Cold Water Il. r,
via Tifien and Toledo and thence by the
Canada Southern TO this city. Although
you have to change cars twice, II Is little
or no inconvenience, as the trains on the
different roads enter and start HON the
same depots.
Detroit is certainly one Of the most
beautiful of our American cities. Many
of its avenues are fully three times as wide
rs yOur broadest street, in TACT the contras;
IS so great, that Main street in your place
appears like mere alley in comparison
with these magnificent avenues. At this
time the streets are covered with several
inches of hard well frozen snow, and the
sleigbing Is elegant; No where in this
country do people enjoy this mode Of loco
motion mere thoroughly than here. Many
of the streets are miles in length and level
as floor. To see a hundred or NOR beau
tiful double seated sleighs. filed with
handsomely dressed ladies, wrapped up
snusly in the finest OF robes. such as YOU
scarcely ever see in the cities further south.
PASS up and down these splendid avenues
al the rate of a mile in three minutes IS as
exciting as it is novel. Although ! have
lived in the mountains all my lite and have
seen good sleighing for three months ai 4
stretch, / never saw runners brought into
such general use The omnibusses, hacks,
carriages, express wagons, milk carts and
all sorts of vehicles are placed on runners.
II is great luxury l can assure YOU, to
ride in . well covered, well cushioned car
rage placed on runners. Detr0i; like
iU1el Nitlcs las rs brIhS va OuctItTo ai'AA~Co
on one side Of the street and on the other
rows of little one and two story frame
houses. most Of which are said to have been
built in old French times. can mag
inc this city perfect garden of loveliness
in the early summer time. Nearly all the
residences of the more wealthy, of which
there are many hundreds, built in variety
Of elegant styles are surrounded on every
side BY yards from ten 10 thirty feet in
depth, in which are planiedt trees and beau
iiful flowers, with here and there piece
of s;atuarv in bronze or marble or gently
playing fountsin. From the top of city
hall, (but few cities can boast of 50 fine Il
one, view that exceeds in beauty any
thing that / eyer beheld is obtained. So
level is the country, you can see over the
entire city east, west, south or north. To
q casual observer it would seem like a city
of several hundred thousand inhabitants.
To the liberality and generosity of the gen
tleman who first laid out detroit great hon
or is due. Hopeing that have not tress
passed too much on your space, | remain
your friend lARAN.