Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-05-12
CENTENNIAL OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The Ways and Highways of the
Quaker City Useful siipts for
Visitors Preparations for the
WORLDS Fair.
PHILADELPHIA, May 5, /

PHILADELPHIA. May 5. 1876.
To the E01itors Of tie Journal.
The long ia lked-of Worlds Expo
sition will open on Wednesday next.
Arriving a week ago, by the train
from Baltimore. stranger in the
Quaker City, your correspondent land
ed at the depot on Broad (F0urteeDtb)
street, without any very definite notion
as to what hotels were in the city or
which particular one he wanted to go
to. Having thereupon in turn listened
to the soft allurements OF an army of
hackmen and gazed upon the wilder
ness of street-cars cODgregated on
Broad street, lie felt himself in strait
between two evils. and somewhat at.
loss, but finally concluded to steer
clear of The syren-song Scylla, even
if thereby he should seem to temEt Il
worse fate by falling into Chalybdis.
The result justified the choice, for
though there was some loss Of time
and extra distances Travelled by reason
of ignorance of the street-car routes
aud to locations of hotels, vet it was
satisfaction afterw ards to know tina
the hackmen had demanded several
times the proper rate of compensation
and had failed to obtain.
A great many disreputable hackmen
have come here in anticipation of the
Centennial and are read to swindIe or
rob the unwary, as may be found most
convenient. Within the past week the
resident hackmen and iverymen OF
the city have organized, however, for
the protection of themselves and the
Centennial visitors against the ire
sponslble newcomers. All the regulars
Will carry passenger and one piece
OF baggage to any part of the city for
fifty cents and they will be distin-
gulshed bya society uniform. A corps
of uniformed men with light and
handsome open oarryalls has also gone
to work, which carry passengers with
| out baggage to any of the principal
| POINTS of interest FOR a uniform price
of twenty-five cents. Those visitors,
however, who prefer the street cars
| will do well to take those running
up Fifteenth street and on arriving at
Chestnut street 70 change to
| those running down Chestnut, which
| carry one before the doors
of the Continental, the Girard, the
American. the CoIonnade, la Pierre,
| the Washington, st. Stephens, etc. ,
all being principal hotels of the first or
second order. Those of the first-clas
| charge 81 so TO So per day; the Amer
ican Cat which I see many Southern
names registeredD charges but So, and
there are a number of reputable
houses charging as low as So or even
| less. The general postofice is also on
| Chestnut below Fifth-half a block
from Independence Hall.
In regard to board in private houses,
i a long list of opportunities from which
choices may be made at prices rang
ing from those of the second rate
hotels to 81 day, is advertised every
morning III the Public Ledger Il
making selection of a domicii it may
perhaps be we'll 10 bear III mind tina
where an advertisement reals FIRST
class board" ETC., the declaration
amounts only to an expression of the
| advertisers opinion, and that while
| those who respond are tolerably Ger
tain to f" 4 the price demanded, at any
rate, ''tirst-class," good fare and hom,
comforts are quite as likely to b,
found IL houses whose occupants more
n0destly leave the quality Of accom-
modati0ns to be judged by inspection
or after experience.
The full list of arrivals at the prin
cipal hotels will be found daily in tht
| North American and il Forney's Press
G: eat additions have been made O.
late to the facilities for accommodate
ing visitors to the Centennial; many
! blocks of new hotels have been built
d very large proportion of-the cit,ze Us
have decided to throw opea theil
houses, and the committees having the
matter in charge are now satisfied tha'
the resources of the city in this direc
ton are equal to any demand that Cal
be made upon them. Measures have
also been taken to prevent unreason
able rates being charged for accommo
dations.
If the visitor stops at a Chesnu
street hotel, he will naturally take
walk down that street, next morning
to that ''cradle of Liberty" Iudepend
ence Hall, between Fifth and Sixth
st: eets. where he will stand in the hal
of the fathers, where, in the first years
of the revolutionary struggles, the
Continental Congress held It's assem-
biie,; will gaze upon the portraits o.
the old heroes which adorn its walk
AID turn away with a strange feeling
of awe, as from the presence of the
names of the mighty immortals
Then he will look at the museum in an
/ adjoining room, of all sorts of queer
relics of the men and women of the
ancient time, and in presence of such
evidences, not of their indomitable
| spirit alone, but also of their fancies
and toibles, be brought perhaps to
feel something of personal sympathy
and nearness to their former posses
sOrs as individuals. We can admire,
but must admire at a distance, an
individual of whom is recorded only
grand and unselfish actions, but it is
not until we can learn of some weak
point in his nature that we are able
| to find him place Ill our heart of
| hearts. Perhaps that fact may be
| melancholy to contemplate. but it ie
fact. Q After finishing the museum
the pi grim to the shrine of his coun-
try will proceed to the south hall and
see the bell that first proclaimed lib
| erty throughout the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof" when heralding
the adoption in Congress of the i'm
mortal declaration, and perhaps he will
try to-split eff on the sly memorial
spill. ter from the wire bound timbers
Oh Tue Olu OOiIfy DIS uduy LHOuSauOS
of his countrymen have done before
him; but he had better not. And then
he will saunter down Chestnut street
to the post office.
If the thing next proposed be visit
to the great Exposition, it will be most
convenient for stranger to step at
once from the post. office door into one
of those cars bearing the legend
Chestnut and Walnut" which will
convey him direct to the main entrance
to the Centennial grounds.
Should it be desired, however, first
to take look about the city, Ii skele
ton map should be first fixed in the
memory, as follows:
The Delaware river flows south
wardIy along the eastern boundary of
the city, and the street following it
along the wharf front is Delaware ave-
nue., running due north and south.
TIE next street IRON the river is Front
or FIRST street, and the remainder of
the numbered streets extend in regular
order 10 the western extremity of the
city. This order, it will be noticed, is