The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-11-26
Thurlow Weed.

While talking with Thurlow Weed
about the political situation, my eyes
fell upon steel engraving of Lafayette
on the wall with letter in French on
the broad margin, written by the daugh-
ter Of the great champion of liberty. It
thanked Mr.. Weed in warm terms for his
polite attentions to her father "when in
America recently" and expressed the
most earnest interest in the future pro-
gress of the republic.
$50 you knew Lafayette p asked.
"Oh, yes,' the old gentleman said, his
face lighting up, ''I knew him well-in-
timately, in fact. travelled considerably
with him while he was here. That was
in-in what year was it ?-I forget"
''In 1924" I suggested.
eyes," he went on, che was IS, I
should think, and I was about q. I was
invited down here and accompanied the
General and his suite to Albany. We
went on the steamboat Chancellor Kent
It was summer time, and we were three
days going to Albany. The boat stopped
at all the villages along the river, and
everywhere an ovation awaited the great
deliverer. There were flags and speeches
and dinners, and every expression of
Joy. An event of lifetime-that was.
AS we moved quietly along from point to
point, Lafayette sat on the promenade
deck viewing the beautiful scenery and
responding to the welcoming shouts of
crowds along the shore. Lafayette was
very large man, man OF colossal pro-
portions and of majectic demeanor. He
was larger than am, and am over six
feet, even now, in my old age"
'sHow did the company amuse them
selves during the three days?"
''Most of the time was spent by the
veterans in telling stories of the revolu
ton. There were more than dozen rev.
olutionary officers there; and they have
all been dead these forty years. One of
these was, I remember, Col. Nick Fish,
father of Gov. Fish. He had served near
the person of Washington, and he was
good story teller. He told great many
amusing anecdotes, showing that all
hands had good deal of fun even when
the army was ragged and barefoot in the
Jerseys, and it wasn't certain where they
were going to get their next dinner.
ssAnd here is a picture, said Mr.. Weed,
rising and feeling along the wall for it,
that interests one about as much as that
of Lafayette
He laid his hand on framed copy of
the familiar silhouette of the first rail-
road train that ever ran in this country
from Albany to Schenectady, in 1881.
Then he carefully measured off dis
tance from one end, and pointing with
his finger said, 81 am right there-do
you see me in that car? was greatly in
terested in the experiment, and when l
sat there I foresaw some of the greatness
to which the railroad system has since
grown in this land. The train made very
good time that day, too, surprising every
body"
Mr.. Weed resumed his easy chair and
said: ssThe first steamboat, too. / reckon
I may be the only man living that saw
Fulton's steamboat, the Clermont, make
it's first trip in 1907. was a boy of 10,
and lived at Catskill Suddenly every
body heard that the very next day boat
was coming up the river from New York
against wind and tide. All were incredu-
lous, but determined to see what 1t
amounted to, and early in the morning
started off, with two other youngsters,
for Catskil landing. Arrived there we
thought we could get better view from
an island in the river; SO hiding IN the
bushes, we took of our clothes (boys'
clothes didn't amount to much in those
days, tied them on plank, and swain
over to the island, pushing it ahead OF
us. I don't know when I have talked or
thought of this before. Once on the
island we put on our clothes again and
waited, fishing with pinhooks from log
with not very much success. By and by
we saw a strange smoke down the river,
and presently up it came, wheeling and
putting and splashing along like some
wild animal. There were no paddle
boxes, and the wheels were visible,
and the engine and boiler set up
on deck, exposed to the elements. 1t
went about four or five miles an hour,
and passed within twenty rods of us on
the island. It was well calculated to in
spire awe, for it burnt pine wood, and
poured fire from its smoke-stack like an
active volcano. q
ssThe progress of this country must be
astonishing to you, Mr.. Weed p
"More than I can tell you. passed
through the site Of the present city of
Syracuse when it was an impenetrable
swamp-nct house or vestige OF q
house-its only inhabitants snakes and
owls and toads. I first came to New
York in 1908, as cabin-boy on sloop.
Between the city hall and Broadway was
the Bridewell- the city Jail. There were
some crooked roads in the suburbs, be-
tween Chamb bers and Canal streets, but
above that there were only farms and
pastures, with an occasional garden.
Where Canal street is a stream flowed
down to the North river, and Broadway
crossed it by rude wooden bridge.
This city to-day seems to me like an
other world. - N. Y. Cor. Indianapolis
Journal.