The Ligonier, PA "Echo" issue of 14 December 1892:

Old-time Recollections, No. LXIV.

Mr. Editor: -- I have already mentioned pretty extensively the wagon industry from the valley, by the most enterprising and extensive farmers, and also mentioned the regular advance and improvement of the wagons from carrying two tons burthen, to be large and strong to carry four and five tons over the mountain; as well as the appliance of the patent locking machine to wagon and stage, and now to all manner of wheels in motion. And now I will mention as the first I ever heard of, was my grandfather's cousin Elisha McCurdy, as being the first wagoner, and first preacher from the valley. This must have been in the latter part of the last century, and many years before the turnpike was made, as after commencing an education for the ministry with old gent Rev. G. Hill and finishing with Rev. Dr. McMillen of Cannonsburg. He was preaching at the first of present century. When his brethren in the ministry chided him for speaking of wagoning, told him to call it transporting merchandise, no he would reply I term it correctly and am not ashamed that I have wagoned to eastern cities; and in his day there were few to equal him, as preacher in revival times in the church.

I will now need only to describe the wagons, and the rigging out of a team of six horses, sometimes only five. Of the regular teams on the road, were mostly matched in color as in size, and trained by skillful drivers to work well together, never knew what they called stalling, unless on bad roads unable to pull through. Hardly ever saw a false horse in a team, one of that kind was given away. To bear ahead to best advantage and haul easy, the bed was sprung low in middle, and high at each end, and to level up this curve, was a loose board fit on top dressed to point at each end, bows were made long in middle to be raised for a high top load until no curve was on top; loading heavy goods this was not necessary. Bows stood over front and back, and stretched and supported in that position with ridge-pole and the tow linen cover with ropes at each end as "draw string in wide hem" drew the cover over each end tightly, and without creases to catch or admit of any wet entering on the goods inside the wagon. The feed trough in which all the feeding, of four to five bushels oats, or bushel ears corn, to take place of bushel oats, in cold nights, was done in, as the quarter of hay also, in this feed trough five to six feet long, simply and securely fastened on the tongue of wagon, with stout irons riveted on each end with rings, also on these irons, of each end, on which to hinge the trough during the day, by hooking on chains fastened on upper headrail of three feet in length, to hold it in place securely, in which the wagoner's beds were carried, when wagon load too full to be inside, also the tongue jack halter chains, and water buckets, of cedar wood iron bale and hoops, as large as a half bushel. This feed trough was about one foot deep and wide at bottom but flaired wider at top, well straped with iron straps to strengthen, and to prevent horses from biting or nibbling on it.

For the winter's snows and ice, the patent locks or rubbers were not of much use, and you had to fall back on lock chain and rufflock, also cutter, an iron contrivance to place under the wheel on other side to cut into snow or ice to prevent the rufflock from throwing wagon round and off the road in icy times. Being thus fairly equipped for the highway, you were prepared to start out and into the risky business, and see much country, and learn of people of the world. There was always a man in the cities to find you loading, and pack it into the wagon ver completely, loading heaviest behind, and never suffering baled goods to touch the cover, as they would draw wet, and damage the goods, but not so with boxes. For this service you had to pay a dollar. You had to give a receipt to the merchant of receiving all the named items of the load in good order, and obligated to deliver them to Pittsburg in so many days, in like good order, and for any damage and loss you were accountable, not often any loss happened. The most risky thing to bring over mountains in winter, was the large tierces or pipes of sperm oil, worth a dollar or more per gallon, and by sliding off the pike in winter and scattering, and spilling a load down the mountain side, would cost a fortune to pay for it. I never brought but one load of it, and was glad when I delivered it safely in Pittsburg.

I was with a young man once nearly going over with a load of this kind, where his load would have surely been a total loss. Also was with a young man near Somerset county the name of Stall I think, that had box stolen out of his wagon, only a few miles out of Baltimore, that cost him $200, and it was supposed the man of Baltimore that followed out and stole it, expected it was one worth $1,000 that the man of Pittsburg had loaded at the same place and time. I never lost anything, either but trifling by damage, nor by sick horses, except one I paid $30, got it to strengthen team on bad roads to Pittsburg and was too good in it as I fed it too high, and not being used too high feed, it foundered and had to leave it by way, and afterwards pay a man a dollar to shoot, and haul it out, also paid a man a dollar in Pittsburg to cure the founder, but did no good. Many of the old teamsters that had followed the road a long time, as a business, were sorry to leave and take up something else for a living, as well many of the landlords, to see their lively trade leaving them, as also stage men and drivers, and would sometimes say somebody should buy a vial of quicksilver and throw into the dams of the canal, to "tear them up and let out the water." I did not know then but it would, and when attending medical lectures afterwards, I asked Prof. Backe, a nephew of Dr. Franklin. He said, no more than a piece of iron.

I am glad indeed to see those excellent letters of young Keffer. They are the kind to make a paper interesting and instructive, and when I remember that he is a grandson of the old gent Esq. John Clark once our schoolmaster in the valley, who being elected Prothonotary moved to Greensburg, after losing his first wife and part of his family with consumption, married for second wife a sister of Governor Porter and spent his days there, also with Esq. James B. Oliver of West Newton, said to be the best penman that had ever written in Greensburg records.

A NEIGHBOR