The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-08-25
TO BUFFALO AND RETURN.

The f. +. ", or No. 4. 1t was few
minutes late pulling out that morning,
but Henry johnson was on the engine
and it goes without saying that we soon
made up the lost time. What Garrison
is to the turf johnson is to the railroad.
During our visit North we saw great
many magnificent coaches, but saw no
train of the same length that in its con-
venient and luxurant appointments ex-
celed. the T. +. V. So much for the
conveyance.
We saw nothing Of special interest to
our readers between this point and
Washington; and the latter place was
unusually quiet and lacking in excite
lnent. Congress adjourned and the Bl
lou Theatre closed for the season. Too
late for one show, too soon for the other
But we spent Sunday there and heard
remarkably fine sermon preached to
remarkably small congregation. Crowds
can only be seen at the sea-shore or
watering places Monday morning we
took up the journey to Buffalo and were
surprised to find the distance SO great;
Just about twice as far to Buffalo as it is
to New York City. The route we Sc
lected was over the Pennsylvania Cen-
trail from Washington to Philadelphia,
thence over the Lehigh Valley division
of the Philadelphia and Reading, pass
Ing through Bethlehem, Allentown,
Wilkesbarre. Sayre and other progress
sive towns in Pennsylvania, and Elinira.
Lancaster, Corning, Hornellsyiile and
other places of interest in New York.
The pleasure of the journey was great
ly enhanced by the scarcity of cinders
and dust. The Lehigh Valley people
use nothing but hard coal on their en-
gines and the road beds are kept in such
shape as to render them almost free
from dust. We venture to predict that
the g. & o. will adopt the hard coal
feature before great while. It's not in
the habit of leaving anything undone
that contributes to the comfort OF its
travellers There is some charming
scenery along the Lehigh and Susque-
hannah rivers; the first sight of Wilkes
barre from point about twenty-five
miles this side, near Glenn Summit, is
enhancing. Mauch Chunk is a thriving
| town of considerable magnitude chiselled
out of the bluff that overhangs the Lee
high. Don't tell us any more that Cliffs
ton Forge can never be made pretty
place. 1t can and will be.
Our train was delayed by the strikers
some time which put us into Buffalo
near midnight. We could, therefore, see
little Of the Queen City of the Lakes till
next morning. Tuesday came and we
saw untold evidences of prosperity
Buffalo is IA great city. We had never
conceived that it's beauty and magnitude
were half so great. Some seventeen
different trunk line railroad systems
penetrate this big town. The Lehigh
Valley clone has 600 miles of track with>
in the limits of the city. Add to this the
various steamer lines that have taken
possession of the inland seas, and you
have some idea of Buffalo's opportuni>
ties; and she's making use of them. Go
through her elevators, her warehouses
with the proof of gigantic effort. Her
homes are magnificent. Delaware ave-
nue. is bordered along both sides for
miles by the most palatial residences;
and they have a delightfully."- inviting
appearance, with their deep, shaded
lawns, all unenclosed
Upon our arrival we found but three
of the members of the Executive Com
mittee of the Southern Interstate Immi-
Sration Bureau present-Hon. M. Il.
Bryan, of Nashville, Tenn; Hon. g. w.
B. Hale, of Rocky Mount, Va, and the
writer. These, however, had proxies
representing the absent fourteen and a
satisfactory business meeting was held.
Ex-Congressman Wharton G. Green,
Col. A. @. Halliday, Rev. DIR. J. J. Hall,
Hons. j. HI. Broughton, Julius Lewis
and J. w. Ashley. all of North Carolina,
and the Hon. John T. Patrick, Secre'
!, tary of the S. l. l. Bureau and Superin-
tendent of the Southern Exhibit at Buf-
) falo
The party was we'll received and hand
solnely entertained. Mayor Charles f.
Bishop, who, by the way, succeeded
Grover Cleveland, and his right>hand
man, Hon. Geo. M. Robinson, Manager
of the Buffalo International Exposition
took us into their care and keeping and
left nothing undone that could in any
way contribute to our pleasure.
On Tuesday we spent the most of oul
time at Niagara Falls. which is about a
half hours run from Buffalo. To at
tempt to describe the Falls would be
folly Suffice it to say that no one who
has not stood by the mighty torrent
and beheld it with his own eyes has any
conception of the sublime beauty or
majestic force of the cataract. 60, and
see for yourself. After we had stood
gazing in awe for long while and had
visited Goat Island and the Three Sis
ters,r some of us crossed over to the
Canada side and remained for short
while outside of Uncle Sans bailiwick
The falls by actual measurement we
found to be 161 feet on the Canadian
! side and 165 on the American. 1t is no
doubt higher on this side on account
/ of the Mckinley Bill. Yankee ingenuity
/ is still at work, and is now preparing to
put harness on this mighty torrent and
utilize its power. A tunnel twenty five
feet in diameter and five miles in length,
running from the surface of the wafer
below the falls parallel with the stream
and near it's bank, is now just about
completed. By admitting the water to
| this at different openings it is proposed
| to run numberless turbine wheels, which
in turn will put in motion as many cleo
tric motors whose energy will be trans
rnitted by wire and distributed where
desired. Large Touring mills and an
immense silver plating establishment
are already operated in this manner.
The Buffalo Exposition is a grand af-