The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-09-01
OLD TIMES IN STARK COUNTY
John banners Papel Before the Pennsyl'
vania Society.

John banners Papei Before the Pennsyl-
vauia Society.
Last evening we received proof from
the Repository office OF an interesting
paper read by John Danner before the
Pennsylvania society OF Stark county,
August 20. IL came too late to put in the
hands of the printers until this morning,
when we are confronted with mass of
local matter III thg line OF current events; /;
hence we are unable to put this essay in
type for today's issue. Quite bit of the
ground covered by Mr.. Danner's interest
ing paper has been treated in a series of
essays to the News DEMOCRAT by l. 5,
CDR. Slusser). The following from Mr..
banners paper Is OF interest to new citiS
sens as well as old Pennsylvaniaus, show
ing what marvellous progress we have
IN ade in the line of locomotion. We
quote from Mr.. Danner:
my first trip to Baltimore and Phila-
delphia was in the spring Of 1845. We
took the stage to Steubenville. John Pc
ters, who yet lives in Canton, was one OF
the stage drivers on said line. From
Steubenville we took the boat to Pittsburg,
and when we got there we were pleased
to see handbills up, "Only ~ miles stag
ing" We took another boat at Pittsburg
up the Monongahela for Brownsville, aud
then we got the stages. Five four horse
coaches left with our boat passengers for
Cumberland, Md, which was the y miles
staging. Every coach was filed, but with
SIX relays of horses, making y miles to
each team, we made the coach ride in ten
hours. At Cumberland we struck the
Baltimore & Ohio railrad and l
then for the first time behed loco.
motive and train of cars. We only
made about eighteen miles an hour, and
thought We we're going wonderfully fast;
q few years later we could make twenty
i've miles an hour, but even that does not
satisfy us now. While stopping in BaluN
more also saw the first telegraph. After
completing my business in Philadelphia
started home via Harrisburg. We had
quite primitive railroad to Harrisburg,
making about sixteen mile an hour.
From there we took the canal packet for
Pittsburg, which was then the popular
road from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, On
board our boat was Prof. Mitchell the
eminent astronomer of Cincinnati, and as
the weather was pleasant and evenings
clear, he gave us free and entertaining
lectures on astronomy, on deck of the of
the boat each evening. Upon our arrival
in Piushurg on the evening of
April 10, 1S45, We found that they
had been having on that day the
greatest fire of modern times; the whole
city along the banks of the Monongahela
river and for several blocks back, lay in
ashes, the original Monongahela House,
here the present house of that name
End5, and the large covered bridge
'rOhs 10 oOuNu ElJlsbuTg, lucIuuSus Va
y way nome the next morning by stage.
! had with me a number Of extra slips of
the Pittsburg paDrrs giving an account Of
ttis great fire. l. took us over tWentyS
four hours 20 get home, but along the
whole route we carried the news of the
great fire. At that time there was no
means of sending messages faster than
we could travel. Wnsn l told some peo.
EIle of the telegraph l had 9een while in
Baltimore, many doubted and said
sooner or lat-r l would see that
I had been fooled. Ia a very few
years from that time the whole
county was filled with lines of telegraph
wire, and fire Of half the IN tgnitud 9 of
the then Pittsburg fire would be known
all over the nation in few honrs, and
now carried to distant lands across the
ocean in less than half the time it then
took TO carry the news from PlttsburS to
NJ assillon, whore then resided.
Our RAILROADS, telegraphs, telephones,
monographs and electric power and other
warderful invention and discoveries the
past few years makes us realize that we
are living in wonderful period OF the
worlds history. Every invention and
discovery which 10 made, and which is
utiliz cd to elevate our race, is in strict
accord with the spirit and teachings of
Gods Word; and all things which are
brought forth to infi lme the passions and
degrade and brutalizs our fellow men
emanate from the Powers of Darkness
and should be condemned by all good
men.