Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-18
WEST VIRGINIA WAYS.
Oddities Noted by the Traveller Along the
Monongahela-BobB Burdette as Soldier
n~o. G,;n yUorl-

Monongahela-Bob Burdette as a Soldier
Where Oxen Still Work.
1FRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
NIoRGANTowN, W. VA, March 17.-A pleas
'A ant incident Defell Bob Burdette when he
Iectured here the other night His subject was.
as usual, "The Rise and Fall of the Mustache."
After he was through among those who sur
rounded him to shake hands was one Joseph
Reed, a well-known horse trader in this section
of the country. II drove Is miles over bad
road this evening to hear you," said Mr.. Reed.
with these whiskers perhaps you do not re-
call me. Well, enlisted in the service at the
time of the Rebellion in the Forty-seYenth Illi-
nois. We saw four years of hard work, and our
ranks were terribly thinned. From that day to
this have never met one of the members of
our regiment till this evening. And you are the
first man have seen since Appomattox." Then
Reed told his name. gave the number of his
company and something about their captain.
Burdette instantly recognized him as an old
messmate, although, as the horse trader had in
timated, years had made difference In his ap-
pearance. For more than an hour Mr.. Burdette
talked to the man. And greatly did they enjoy
| the repeating of "reminiscences.
Mr.. Reed tells that Burdette made good SOL
der. The boys never suspected him of being
humorist. And through all the service he was
quiet, unostentatious boy. His reserve
amounted to timidity on some occasions. al
though when in active service he was as brave
as the bravest. At that time Bob was too young
to be of a literary turn of mind, although now
it is strange that he does not refer more to war
matters in his lectures.
Sc
COME curious things mark the line that di-
vides West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
When you reach Waynesboro, in Greene county,
you are close to the borders. And in Greene
county you find the people strongly tinged with
West Virginia characteristics For instance,
oxen are still in use in Greene county. Per-
haps in no other part of Pennsylvania do you
find the steers still in active service. But oxen
are plenty in West Virginia and some of them
are quite popular in Greene county, They are
mainly used in hauling logs down to the stream.
But here in West Virginia find them used to
haul pipes down to the new Morgantown oil
| fields. 1t is about eight miles from Morgan
town to Mount Norrest the field of oil opera
tions, and along the road you may see any day
as many as 20 or 80 yoke of oxen.
1t is certainly an odd thought for Pittsburgers
that much of the freight which comes down on
the Monongahela river packets from the wilds
of West Virginia are hauled to the wharfs by
these oxen. What would the average newsboy
about the postoffice corner of Pittsburg think
If he could see an OK hauling wood through the
very far away from Pittsburg to see that very
spectacle. Oxen were last used in Pittsburg
believe, at the time of the horse epidemic some
II years ago, when they were hitched to the
street cars
PROF. l. q. WHITES suggestion for storage
reservoirs along Cheat river is not strictly
new one. 1t was made several years ago by
Colonel 7. P. Roberts. of Pittsburg. But I
found on0class of people who are violently
opposed to any such innovations. They are
the lumber men. For two or three years past
wonderful developments have been going on in
the lumber regions of the Cheat. Willis D.
Hulings Son, Of Oil City, have built large
mills at the mouth of the Cheat and have all
the lumber RATED down there during the open
season. Immense booms were built there to
take the place of those swept away by the
floods of two years ago. The forests of this
section of West Virginia are practically un-
touched yet and there is lumber enough there
for years to come. The great channel for
floating the logs is the Cheat. To close up
that stream with high dams for reservoirs
would effectually stop the shipping Of logs
There is really no other route for shipping logs
to the Monongahela but this one. But this
river is admirably adapted for storage pur-
poses.
Not more than ten miles above the Monon-
Gahela you will find a natural pool. 1t is
known as Beaver Hole. Passing through one
of the gaps Of the Laurel Hill Mountain, the
gorge widens out to a large body of water
perfectly followed out as though intended for
the purpose now propos sed. A mile and half
further north a gap again narrows the channel
to mere gorge. So well protected is the water
in this pool, and so still and quiet has nature
left it, that they tell me II never freezes over
in winter and in summer is always very cold.
The storage reservoir idea contemplates two
immense dams, one in each Of these mountain
gaps. Nature herself has followed out the
balance of these reservoirs.
THE first island up the NJ onongahela river is
exactly 100 miles from Pittsburg. Go up the
Allegheny river, or float down the Ohio, and
you will encounter islands every few miles. but
here is the Monongahela without break in it
for a stretch OF 100 miles. Granville is the
name of the solitary isle. And what an insig-
ni6cant island it is! Pilot Donaldson. of the
steamer Blaine, tells me that he remembers
field of corn growing on it Is or 20 years ago.
But now all that is left of the island is plot of
ground about as large as a town lot
Every freshet in the last ten years has taken
some of the island down toward Pittsburg, and
when the slackwater navigation was completed
as far up as Morgantown the fate of the little
island was settled. Ever since that most of it
has been submerged. and yesterday haystack
disappeared from view forever, leaving moth
ing but barren sandbank to look at. Pres
emily the pilots will point out to steamboat
passengers the site of the Monongahelas only
island.
CPEAKING of the Monongahela river packets,
reminds me of an incident that occurred the
other night as came down to Pittsburg.
Just about dusk drove of some 30 hogs was
brought on from one of the big distilleries up
about Gray's Landing. At the next landing
woman with three children came aboard. About
bedtime there was commotion both above and
below. The hogs evidently had not been given
their supper, and were setting up furious
souealing to indicate the pangs of hunger Off
in the ladies' cabin the children were giving
vent to similar noises. They wanted to see the
pigs, and their mother would not take them
down stairs. So between pigs and children it
looked very dubious whether passengers would
get any sleep or not. Half an hour passed and
nobody got to sleep. But relief came at last
The boat stopped at Gibson's great distillery
and off went the pigs. Three porters bore 81
lent messages from as many state rooms to the
woman. She growled little, but soon re-
sponded to the prayers of her petitioners
and took the children to the sec econd deck,
where they saw the pigs in great triumph.
Quiet reigned the balance of the night.
L. E. SToFIEL.