Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-02-11
NO " And THEN.
1880 COMPARED WITH ITS HALF-CEN-
TURY BROTHER, 1880.

| 1SSU COMPahED WITH lis HALF-CEN-
TURY BROTHER, 1880.
| Correspondence of the Philadelphia Record
In the single department of travel
ling facilities, what vast change il
experienced Then merchants de
pended upon the Conestoga wagon
with its six stout horses, each with it
arch of bells, its feed box, tar pot anC
ugly-looking dog that trotted by {
chain between the hind wheels Al
along Market street they would STAND
to receive their freight, and when sup
piled would start out and over the
Market street bridge for the West Or
| the right shaft horse sat the teamster
dressed in his brownish hOmespun, and
under a peculiar broad-brim hat, and
welding a whip Of extensive lash
which enabled him to communicate
with each member of his team without
dismounting Out the old Lancaster
pickup the Alieghenies--over and
down again on the western side.
Week by week he would trudge along
making the roadside melodious with
the jingle of his bells.
Then we had a State Canal line,
with its snail-like motion-a slight ad-
vance upon the Conestoga. The boats
carried passengers as well as freight.
A trip to Allegheny occupied about
four days. If you wished to extend
your trip still further, you had to ap-
ply to the Ohio river boats. This had
no guarantee as to time. Sometimes
likely to stick now and then-and
sometimes stick cost you day or
two more. If your i'll fortune landed
you suddenly on dead Mans Shoal, "
or on shallow Bar and no welcome
steamer of lighter draft turned up to
help you out, you might content your
self until Heaven, in its kindness,
should send fresh supply of fluid to
float you on your journey. In the
meantime You might be called upon to
help at the windlass. Your consola-
tion would be, that the charge for the
trip would be the same, if it took all
Summer. People were not in such a
hurry then. Our last trip of this kind,
from Pittsburgh to Wellsville, 60
miles, took just two days and a half
To vary your trip, you could take a
Delaware boat to Baltimore by the
Delaware and Chesapeake canal, which
took a day Putting up there at a
botel for the night, you started in the
morning by rail for Cumberland.
From here you staged it over the great
National road across the mountains,
and arrived at Pittsburgh at the end
of about three days or over.
Then the Pennsylvania railroad
ended at Lancaster. No New York
and Erie no Lake Shore and West
ern no Baltimore and Ohio, and none
of that vast network of iron rails out
to Chicago, to Minneapolis. New Or
leans, Texas and the Pacific Coast
Chicago is scarcely so old as a halt
century, and Texas civilization was
scarcely thought of California ran
wild with savage Indians, and it was
not known that gold lay hidden there.
No telegraphs, nor telephones, nor
gas-light, nor street passenger cars,
nor great city park-and still more,
there were no political rings in our
city government. Our city was un-
der Wing rnle. Our best merchants
sat in the Council chamber-Wiliam
Morris, j. Price Wetherill, and more
OF that stamp. The best evidence Of
his honesty was in one fact, that, af:
ter serving half a lifetime in public
position, he died worth a couple Of
thousand dollars.
We have grown wonderfully in fifty
years; have learned much good and
bad. What a pity some security has
not been discovered by which Govern
ment could be carried on with less
corruption and less taxation. Is the
lesson yet to be learned? Shall we
yet be able to perfect our system ei
government by just civil service as
to escape threatening dangers in the
future