The Ligonier, PA "Echo" issue of 8 February 1893

Old-time Recollections. No. LXVII.

Mr. Editor: -- I will try in this number to close up what I have to write of the teaming, canalling and railroading business. And will yet say of that more direct southern route of Penn'a that Thaddeus Stevens, secured a charter in Gov. Jos. Ritner's time for a road on this route, and latter end of the thirties, there was much work done on it, near Gettysburg, but at that time there was high prejudice against him as he was "swing the Pa. politics from the Democrats into the Whig party, Gov. Bill Johnston being among the leaders. It was called "Stevenson's Tapeworm R.R.," to his extensive furnaces in south mountain. This was the route I told Dr. Pancoast they should take hold of, and make, but he said they could not yet subscribe for it. On the Bedford and Stoystown pike a mountain is very high, but not so on Somerset pike, as dry ridges are entered on soon after leaving Bedford of such easy ascent, and not much hill, and a fine open plain country mostly across the whole county. The trouble on this route would be the cave, and sidling hill mountains, but into both run, near the pike ravines, that a R.R. could be constructed without having very large tunnels. And in leaving, there are spurs of the mountain extending to the Juniata at the crossings, and from that place is a high ridge in the loop of this river, extending due westward six or eight miles that would afford an easy descent from the sidling hill mountain into the Bedford valley of the Juniata. From this valley eastward the Vanderbilts struck more directly for New York of course, and have five tunnels, on the way, but these with improved steam machinery, are not so difficult, as in former times when the work was manual, with pick, spade, shovel and drill, and that seemingly would be the proper route now, as work, on it was greatly advanced, and from the eastern body of the mountains, a branch could readily be extended to Gettysburg, York, Columbia, or even some distance south of the latter, as well as of the city of Lancaster, and Philadelphia reached somewhat south of the Penn'a R.R.

This route would seem at this day to have been the proper one to first construct a R.R. and not on the canal route and even now should be a R.R. made at the earliest day possible. This is and will be necessary, to be able to do a natural portion of the immense business going to New York, that has canal and two or three R.R.'s, and far north of a direct line from the great body of country west, to seaboard. It may be said Philadelphia does not afford a ship harbor equal to New York, but the Delaware river can be deepened, the same as the Mississippi was at New Orleans, that is twice the distance from the ocean that Philadelphia is, and ships readily sail on it up to the city drawing twenty feet of water. The old Gen. Jackson battle ground is seven miles below N.O. city and being down to visit this memorable place, where also is buried 12,000 of our soldiers of the late war, and boarding a large steamer to return, I noticed just in sight one of those large ocean ships coming and it passed the boat before half way up very quietly, but swiftly and no wheels of splashing and heaving of water waves being one of the great screw propellers, and swept along most beautifully.

Surely at this day, to abandon such an outfit and equipment of transportation, as the Pa. canal was, does appear great oversight or folly. It was truly a state improvement of magnificent proportions, good construction of slackwater, very many locks, and aqueducts constructed of finest dressed masonry, one leading into the city of Pittsburg, where were reservoirs to store boats for the city accommodation, also on Allegheny sidelocks to pass the boats down into Ohio river, that boats might have been towed to many points on the lower Ohio, without reshipment of goods and would have been very convenient and profitable. The improvement was not in existence only about twenty years, and hardly long enough, to be started fairly in business within the first ten years I remember, an experience I had in seeing the lively stroke of business doing. Robert and Richard Graham of Ligonier, had large lot of merchandise to bring from Johnstown. They with six horse team of stage horses, and our team of six, went to bring the goods. When we came, no bridge being yet built, the stony creek was too high to cross, and we had to wait there two or three days, one of the days, Mr. Robert Graham being along. He and I took a trip some twenty miles up into the mountain on freight cars, then the engineer had no close cab to protect from bad weather, but stood on platform at end of locomotive and regulated steam power by turning a ring on top of iron bolt. Where we stopped to return, we met Barney McCan who once lived with R. Graham, and he was so rejoiced to see us as if his friends had come from Ireland, and would have us get in passenger car to return, as one just then came along. They were then in the shape of stage coaches on the pike, but very much larger.

On a Saturday morning it was thought we could cross, and the ferryman rode leader of Graham's team, and I concluded to follow, with two horses left out, till return, but water being high and swift and a young animal, in front never having been in deep water jockeyed the leader down stream into a deepness, where all was well covered and some lookers on, said they were swimming, but they kept going and out and up a nice sloping bank good distance below. The merchant readily took the 100 bushels oats with remeasuring, and after loading in a hurry returned, and had the ferryman to ride my leader, and got through the deep water, rough bottom, of round loose stone, but very heavy pulling. The stage horse team stalled in middle, and they had to get windlass and ropes from canal and draw the wagon out. I hitched up the full team of six, and left at 11 o'clock, as I wanted to reach home before Sabbath; came three miles to foot of mountain, and fed and wanted dinner, but the woman was putting bread in oven, and had no time to cook, but gave me piece of loaf of rye bread, that I ate in course of afternoon, and was I thought the best I ever ate, my breakfast being very early. The steepest of the mountain ascent is just at the start, and a rather short curve to make requiring the saddle horse to do his best, and my big dun horse proved false there, as he often did, and I missed making the turn, and had to stop, before upsetting, and back the wagon and in a waste field turn round for a new trial, and before starting I gave my big horse a "dressing with wagon whip," and then petted him some, and he did nobly on the turn and all the way up the mountain. With any delay at that place, I surely was very impatient, as there was a tremendous heavy thunder storm coming up, and wanted over the steepest part, as a load of nearly three tons was most too heavy a load. It was dark before I got to top, as I had to give time, and not hurry, but I got to the hermitage, unhitched the horses, left the wagon and goods with the risk of having some goods stolen, before Monday, but nothing was disturbed. I got home and was eating supper, when the clock struck twelve, and mother said I came near breaking Sabbath. I told her I was glad to get home, if I had been some over time.

A NEIGHBOR.

The Ligonier, PA "Echo" issue of 22 February 1893

Old-time Recollections. No. LXVIII.

Mr. Editor: -- Six to eight years of this noted trip to Johnstown, when I was a medical student with Dr. E.P. Emerson, of Blairsville, was truly the most lively times on canal, and the trade came in from a very extensive region, south and north even from Mt. Pleasant, and from Indiana and beyond. A very pleasant pastime for the young folks, was walking parties to Alum Bank, a high elevation above town where several miles of canal was in view, with great amount of boats passing, east and west with their large head lights shining magnificently, to the delight of all seeing it. These were the highest and best business days Blairsville ever saw, and truly the canal was what called the town into existence, and one of the best towns in the two counties and still maintains its good character. About sixteen years after, soon after the death of Mr. Emerson, when I came there to practice medicine, and the P.R.R. had been in operation a few years and the canal business was dying out the town was comparatively a dead town for business enterprise. Although the canal had become strong and firmly settled and no break for escape of water, as was troublesome for a time when first made, the great trouble was a debt of forty millions resting on the state from the construction, and think the P.R.R. only paid ten or twelve million to become possessor of the concern. The canal was made in time of Democratic ascendancy, but I think, was well approved by all people, but it may have been the management that was disapproved in the way of political favoritism. And I now cannot say what party, or whether either in particular, was to be blamed for its final destruction and total abandonment. There was a tremendous whirl in State politics in 1836 when Joseph Ritner was elected governor, and Thadeus Stevens the "power behind the throne" - and indeed might say on into the forties when General Harrison was elected president. The old "great commoner" Stevens was about sweeping nearly everybody into the Whig party George Wm. Johnston among the first and for awhile, Jos. Moorehead, Robt. Graham, then young men active in politics, "both good on the stump" expected the old gent, the governor's father would also go but he was not quite reached, although he had gone down to Harrisburg to see "what Bill was about," and was well feasted and wined, things the old squire enjoyed much. Robert Graham could only get him to say that man Stevens was a perfect gentleman. The father "could do nothing with Billie." He was now gone into the whig notion and would let him go. I would say the esquire Johnston's family of Kingston were rated high mentally and physically, and the most brilliant member among them was Joseph. It was said he prepared the Governor's state papers before he published them, also their cousins the Canaans and Armstrongs of Greensburg rated eminently high mentally in law and literature.

During governor Ritner's administration Stevens was at the head of a railroad wave but I am not sure where it was to start nor exactly its route or destination, but there was much excavation done on it, by Gettysburg and if it was to have been on the southern side of the state, it would surely have been the proper road, and the canal need not have broken up and disbanded. If the facilities for doing business had remained to this day and the section system of boating been more fully established what better in commerce could have been asked for. What was on hands at the closing out of canal business might have been enlarged and otherwise improved and with the canal making facilities to connect with the Ohio river. These boats could have been towed by steam tugs to almost any point on the Allegheny river. And at the portage R.R. exchange run onto wheels over the Allegheny mountains and the same at Columbia unless there might be a water canal constructed to leave Susquehanna river further down and swing around all the way to Philadelphia. I would also say here that the best route for southern railroad might be much south of the present Pennsylvania railroad and right up through all the oldest country and first improved and thickly settled throughout and much deprived until this day. Truly it would seem wiser than running up north among the mountains where not needed at all and where canal existed. Before the days of railroading, goods were brought out for western merchants by wagons through Pennsylvania to Pittsburg. Merchants purchasing goods at New York had them shipped to Philadelphia and Baltimore, as soon as ice would permit to be loaded on wagons for Pittsburg, but at the same time Philadelphia did a heavy wholesale business. I think she would yet equal New York if fully prepared for the business of transportation.

Finely Pennsylvania people should take pride in seeing Philadelphia prospering. It is decidedly a better city than New York. There are many excellent men in New York, but perhaps does not reach the number of Philadelphia. The latter place never endured the "mock auctions" that the former did, for a long time, and perhaps does yet, of which the writer and a southern medical student got a small bite at in 1849. This equipment for Pennsylvania interests in commerce will appear more and more every year and equal in tact and engineering skill and invention to the ship canal, and also the ship railroad across the central America narrows of such magnificent enterprise in the past few years. I am not informed of present progress. The same enterprise in principal, was well written up, not many years ago by Dr. Frank Cowen, of a water way to ocean by joining head waters of Youghiogheny to those of Potomac as a thing readily accomplished, and there may be men now living who will see it an accomplished fact.

A NEIGHBOR