The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-09-06
Washington Letter.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, J
PENSION OFFICE, WASHINGTON. d. O.,
August 70 1880

to give You a short description of my trip
here, and observations since / came here
/ left Tionesta at 200 p. M, and arrived in
Washington the next morning at 1880. At
Pittsburgh took the train on the Balti-
more DC Ohio road; my fare from Pitts
burgh here was nine dollars. 1 can not
describe the country as we came along as
it was worry dark; daylight made its first
appearance above Harper's Ferry near
Martinsburgh. The old town of Harper's
Ferry has improved but little since the
war. Old Virginia looks natural; 1 could
easily tell when daylight came that was
in Virginia. AS the train passed along /
could see on either side of the road large
plantations, waving fields of corn and
stacks of grain, hay and straw. AS a rule
in Virginia the houses are large and COM
Portable, while the barns and sheds are of
small dimension, often not large enough
to hold the stock, say nothing about the
crops The Baltimore g. Ohio railroad
runs along the Potomac River q long dis
tance. The river is very rough and rocky
as far down as the big falls, which is ex-
tremely rocky, the river from there down
to the chain bridge is not so rough; that
is about two miles above the city; from
that point to its mouth it is navigable for
steam and sail vessels. By the-way, along
with Col. Devices 1 took trip down the
Potomac last Sabbath on the steamer
"Mary Washington - we went down the
river to the mouth of Occoquon creek we
then went up the creek seven miles to the
falls. On our way down the river we
stopped at the old rebel city of Alexandria
and took on more passengers. We had on
board about four hundred, brass band and
all. We passed Ft. Washington, Mount
Vernon, and numbersof points of some
note the names of which cannot now re-
call. AS soon as the boat made her land
ing the passengers hurried to shore those
that did not have their basket along made
a straight line for the old and only hotel
in the town. for one was among those
that were anxious to get something to eat,
which 1 did and paid my little fifty cents
for, too. After dinner 1 took stroll up
the creek to see the falls which are very
rough. 1t would be quite sight to see
the falls when the water is high. Deco .
quon, which is a very dilapidated old
town, at one time has seen better days. I
saw the ruins of an old cotton factory that
was burned down by the Yankees on one
of their raids through that country. This
creek is the county line between Prince
William and Fairfax counties. This place
is about 81 xteen miles from Bull Run
battlefield; the citizens there told me they
heard the canonading while the battle was
going on. In conversation with them
| about the war they use the word cyan
kees," or "Yank." 1 did not forget to tell
them that L was one of those Yanks, and
did all L could 10 put the lights out for
some of them. At four O'Clock in the eve
ming we started back to Washington; ar
rived at the wharf at eight O'Clock, all safe
and sound. The round trip of eighty
miles cost me twenty-five cents; how is
that for a cheap trip? Quite contrast be-
tween this trip on the Potomac and the
one took with Sol. Fitzgeraids In De-
cember, 1862, from Fredericllsburgh bat
tle-feld to Washington, wounded and
sore; but that kind of service with me is
thing of the past. find that civil SER
vice is not marching through rain and
storm, with an old knapsack strapped on
your back.
Well have seen and been through the
public buildings in Washington once
more. The same paintings are on the
walls of the Capitol that were there twenty
years ago in our soldier days. in the left
wing of the Capitol stands the marble
statue of the Martyred Abraham Lincoln.
Let the loyal man or woman stand and
look at that image and think of his bitter
trials through the war, and the sad fate
just as peace was declared and the tears
will start. wish you could all see Wash
ington with its half hundred little parks,
circles, squares and reservations, and
these filled with the rarest trees, flowers
and blossoming plants. In nearly all the
squares and circles are statues or fount-
aims there are nearly hundred miles of
| concrete pavements, as smooth and noise
| less as your parlor floor, The streets and
avenues are from 100 to $50 feet wide; the
| grand public edifices are said to be finer
than anything in London. Washington,
in short, is simply grand and beautiful
park, filled with palaces, flowers, fomtt-
aims and statuary. You see more dis
tinguished men and women in every walk
of oflife-literature, politics, craftsmanship,
in one day here than you would in any
other city in the United States in one
year. The climate is delightful; the mar
kets are filled with all kinds Of fruit /;
peaches are worth forty cents bushel,
the largest, too, ever saw; grapes in
abundance watermelons-one is as much
as you want to carry-for ten cents, and
everything in that line accordingly. But
remember, if You think of coming here 1