The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-08-03
From Rochester to Troy.

We left our adopted home in Roches-
ter, N. Y, July 9th, via that best con-
structed, best conducted railroad in the
world the New York Central, with its
four tracks of steel rails all the way from
Rochester to Albany, 229 miles. To a
large class of your readers description
of this route will be uninteresting, and as
dull as tale twice told 1t is the grand
highway to Niagara Falls, which wonder
OF the world many of your readers have
doubtlessly visited But there are other
readers who have not "clo21e" this great
thoroughfare who will be interested while
| am telling them that in this distance of
229 miles one passes through twenty nine
towns and cities Of all sizes, with popu-
lations varying from 1000 to 90963-a
city for about every eight miles. From
tins statement one can form some idea of
the density of the population cf the En-
plre State. This idea Of denseness of pop
ulation is further enhanced by the assur-
ance that the interspaees Of these numer-
Gus cities are occupied by farms of sizes
from two to two hundred acres-a two
hundred acre farm always spoken of as a
veyy large farm.
The four-track railroad runs right
alongside the celebrated Erie canal, whose
measurements are seventy feet wide and
seven feet deep and 300 miles long, and
extends from Buffalo to Albany. On its
bosom float hundreds. of canal boats, car
rying eight to 10000 bushels of grain
If one will keep his eyes open, while he
is surprised by meeting or passing pas
senger and freight trains of interminable
lengths every few minutes, he is no less
surprised that these great big canal boats,
almost as large as small ships, follow and
pass each other in such numbers as to
suggest, in some places, the possibility of
one S walking as on a bridge of boats
And all this day and night, and, alas
Sunday too. What must the freig ghtage
and the tonnage be?
AS the voyager flies along, averaging a
speed of thirty miles an hour, and, if be-
hind time, sixty miles an hour, he passes
through many cities with which are asso-
clated some peculiar interests few only
Of which will mention.
The city of Syracuse, with a popula-
ton of 1000, midway between Buffalo
and Albany, near Lake Onondaga, is the
largest salt market in the country, send
ing out annually nine millions of bushels
OF salt, made .in large way by solar
evaporation. This evaporation is effected
IN this way, viz: Literally acres of shall
low tanks are filled with the salt water.
and each tank is covered by movable
roofs, which can be slipped off when the
sun is shining, and instantly replaced
when rain is threatened. To the stranger
1t is great wonder, as he sees acres of
what appear to him to be low chicken
coops sitting upon the ground, to be told
they are salt-vats for making salt by So
lar evaporation. This is soon explained.
as he sees these roofs slipped off or indeed
carloads and boat-loads of the pure i'm
maculate salt glittering in b1Ik in the
sunlight.
The Home of the Isms
Oneida is the head-centre of the famous
Communistic Society called the Oneida
Commune, which, strange to say, as fes-
terng sore on the body polite is permit
TED to canker and stink in the nostrils of
all conservative people. 1t is, or was,
until recently the only full-blown, thor
GGughly organized Free-Love Society in
the country. 1t is composed Of some 800
Inen and women, holding all things-men
ana women as well-in common, marriage
nnengous,l y prohibited, yet their existence
"lnked at and allowed, by the outside