Smyrna times., 1892-08-24
ON TO ericsson.

! OCt many Wu6u ItdV6IlluB III LnlS
country, became religiously- minded
and espoused the Catholic faith, re.
nOuncing all his brilliant prospects.
CaptiVated with natures beauty in
this region, he settled there, and
founded with his princely fortune
Catholic churches and schools. He
lived here pure and blameless life,
and died in the 7O's.
CressOn, the famous mountain re-
sort, deserves all the praise it has re-
ceived and more. The beauty of the
grounds, the 6ne hotel, the mineral
springs, all add to its fame.
ON To. PITTsBURG.
We now leave the Juniata, with its
melodious, softly flowing Indian names.
far behind, indeed, properly speaking,
we left the little Juniata, before reach
ing Altoona, aud the Juniata itself,
does not come near US. The country
is full of coal mines, coke furnaces and
iron and steel manufactures, so that
going through by night, one might
imagine volcano in eruption. We
enter the COuemaugh Valley at South
Fork and leave it at Blairsville, a dis
tance of some so miles. The Cone
maugh Valley, interesting by pictur-
esqueness, is doubly so by reason of
the disastrous JOhnstown food, caused
by the breaking of dam at South
Fork, and heavy rains, the Conemaugh
River overlooking its banks and caus-
ing the death of over 5000 persons.
But the general reader is familiar with
this terrible disaster, and we will pass
over it. JohnstOwn is now a bustling
little town of over 1000 inhabitants,
having among its industries the Cam
bria Iron and Steel Company, one of
the largest in the country.
At Packsaddle, point near Blairs-
vile, the exit to the COnemaugh Val
ley, a most remarkable freak of nature
occurs. The railroad here straddles
the mountain side just like an old
pack saddle, in following the trend of
the mountain. The traveller looks
down at the Conemaugh from a steep
height, and up at the mountains that
tower above him. The spot is awe-in-
spring indeed.
At Blairsville we leave the interest
ing Couemaugh Valley and River far
behind, striking for Pittsburg. The
land gets lower as we go forward, while
there are many interesting little points
on the route of BraddOck's expedition
very closely followed by the railroad of
to-day.
Homestead, the place of the recent
murderous strike, can he seen from the
railroad. Out of a population Of15,OOO
only S32 voted at the last election, the
rest of the males being foreigners.
This fact alone explains the lawless-
ness of the strike. Natural gas wells
can be seen as far as 65 miles from
Pittsburg. The supply, however, is
giving out.
BraddOck, a station, two or three
miles from Pittsburg, is said to mark
the spot of General Braddock's death
and the fate of his unlucky command.
Pittsburg is situated at the junction
Of the Ohio and the MOnOngahela
rivers and would be admired for the
mountainous bluffs along the river,
were it not for the vile smoke that sat
urates everything. Mt. Washington
is the principal eminenee. The Besse-
mer Steel Works, the Iron Works, the
railroad shops, and thousand other
things all attest TO Pittsburg's great
ness as manufacturing city. The
scene at night, from one of the bridges
is full of most wondrOus brilliance.
The dark side Of the life Of our great
cities, was only too we'll illustrated by
an arrest which witnessed during my
stay there. 1t seemed that a party of
young toughs, their ages ranging be-
tween 10 and 10, had stolen a horse
and cart, and were making off when
the police discovered them. These
waits fought like wild beasts, using
teeth and nails, and fOamed at the
mouth in their wild rage. There was
nothing human in the scene it looked
like q contest with wild animals.
When they were placed in the patrol
wagon and driven of, the oaths they
used in cursing the police froze ones
blood. One tough even threatened
the life of the policemen when he
should get free. The scene was sim
ply boiling over of one of the black
pits Of sin in the city.
The river at Pittsburg for fully half
a mile, was lined with fat-bottomed,
almost square boats of the Mississippi
type. They remind one of before. the
war days. They are either side-wheel
or stern-wheel steamers. A stern
wheel steamer is one where the pad
dies are placed at the stern instead of
on the side. In appearance, they look
more like the revolving part Of q squir.
rel box than anything else. Tue
steamers, while very awkward in ap-
80 IL -.