Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-12-17
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Re mau1scences OF . Trip From
PhiladeIphia 20 PtttsPurg Fifty
Years Ago.


PniIadeIphia 70 Pittsburg FIFTY |
Years Ago.
,coMMurIcArED.l
After the lapse Of half q century's
progress In material things, especially
in travelling facilities, 1t may be inter- |
esting TO some of your readers to glance |
At a brief history of the manner of
TRANSFORMATION fifty years ago, with the
latteudant inciden tails, personally expe
rienced by the writer, who, under the
MAGICAL influence Of the " Westward
lHo" fever, resolved to remove to some
Western locality with his family In
i a, arch of some El Dorado that might
result to his pecuniary advantage. In
Those days railroads had their begin
ming, and travelling had mostly to be
dome BY private conveyance or the
numbering stage coach, divested OF the
comforts Of the modern car, otherwise
on q canal boat, moving at the rate OF
three NJ lies an hour.
The Pennsylvania Railroad had just
! been opened TO Columbia for horse cars.
To facilitate the journey my family
and myself took passage on the cars
!, from Philadelphia to Columbia, thence
j by canal boat, in November, 1854, en-
route to Pittsburg. After . days de
IAY III Ju6 USdutitui OhOcSoA -
u Coatesville, we arrived at Columbia the
following day, and then began the mo-
:, notony and tedium of travel In those
= days, which can hardly be realized
!. NOW. After nights detention we
y made another movement ia boat to
Harrisburg, about twenty miles dis
liant, There we were obliged to remain
Q until the next day. Meanwhile We
r, visited the State House and other inter
3 estipg objects of the Capitol. In th'
N Senate chamber we were shown th'
y venerable chair then occupied by thu
W Sneaker when the Senate was In ses
y sion, and previously used by John Hau
g cock, President Of the Continental Con
Us eress. in revolutionary times, in tn
State House in Philadelphia, and sine
es returned to its original position. Unde
~ the inspiration Of the moment m,
r. wife, my little son and myself occupies
ne that grand old chair, feeling that 1t wa
u, one Of the relics OF the occasion whe
10 nv grand father, with others, immol
ny talized themselves by signing th
ny glorious Declaration of independents
lr- while members of the Continental Coz
lcress. After considerable delay th
,ot canal boat arrived, On which we too
le' passage for Pittsburg, having on boar
&C, a number of passengers west~ 81
MA bound, among whom were three vel
len agreeable gentlemen on their way
as Kentucky to embark in the ire
ng business. Our boarding being fnrnisht
I'll, on that line of boats belonging
80 Leitch & Co., we endeavored to viii
,,,, away the time as pleasantly as pos!
'iil BILE, travelling all night as well as
Ike day. Our sleeping was very comiol
'. able except when in the canal locks
us. ,l, the humping of the boat against
his walls somewhat disturbed our repot
an awakening the soundest sleepers;
ant tupQed on, however, every hour briI
ais, ing us slowly towards our destinatio
ock Time. that conquers all things, at leng
gnu brought us to Hollidaysbur AS
NY passed up the valley of the Junis
10 river the countenances OF the inha
ltants gave striking evidence OF
by prevalence of fever and ague, cor
and sponding to the malaria Of the press
OF day. all along the line of navigate
ar Here again we must temporarily char
out our mode of transportation, as b.
Win navigation was necessarily interrupt
und an d we we've furnished with cars
ball scale the Allegheny mountains
n OF ] ohnstown. Stationary engines "
the placed on the mountain peaks to or
10 the cars to the summit, but mere '
AnOtl0r O6JeuIiou Stuo ASo AnsAn6 AAS'
ious on the rails during the rain. we "
Obliged to return to Hollidaysburg
the await further developments.
orri- A stage WAS then provided, and
able were glad to avail ourselves of ev
d an facility to proceed, and after tedi
two nights travel, in a crammed stage, Q
the the mountains In q severe storm
1t a wind and snow we arrived next me
each lag at Johnstown. Here again as us
we changed to the canal boat for ri
the burg. Variety is said to be the 81
nted of life, which our recent experfe
long failed to verify. With very pleas
o the captain we moved forward at b
very speed, sometimes going ashore
this taking the tow path for change.
until We were much Interested in cross
Ith q the Allegheny river In an aqueduct
norm the boat. which was . new expertt
great to us ali. At length, after 30 m
> his vexatious delay and 80 many chan
we were safely mOored alongside
nedi- wharf in Pittsburg, and glad II
noon, ashore and plant our feet once nof'
rcise, terra frma.
had Such WAS travelling hall q cen'
had ago. A journey which required v
, and to accomplish then, can now Do
I that formed in few hours.
d not Progress is certainly the order OF
day, and the world moves, ~
r WAS rapidity OF travel, among many Q
some things plainly indicate. b. DAVl
Jail ST.. GEORGES. Dec 10th, 1854.
The -~e---
, too Dr. SAmng WnSo
which n WILL