After examining this interesting factory, we went to the Juniata foundry, belonging to Mr. Schöneberger. It was a holy-day, as the men were training in the militia. The militia system is neither popular in this country nor profitable: the militia are trained for two days in the year, of course they can learn very little; the manufacturers lose the work of their people, and the workmen lose their pay. Neither is the Pittsburgh militia uniformed nor armed. The only operation we witnessed to-day at the Juniata works, was the grinding of the cast smoothing-irons, which was done first by stone, and then by wooden wheels, turned by a horse-mill.
We afterwards visited Mr. Volz, and saw a domestic warehouse containing all home manufactured articles; a really interesting museum of western industry to strangers. All the fabrics of the city and vicinity are brought here and offered for sale on commission. The articles are chiefly cast and wrought iron wares, all the utensils necessary for cotton or woollen factories, dye-houses &c., and various sorts of pure white, white and blue mixed, or plain blue cotton stuffs, but no printed calico. Some of the woollen cloths were very fine, and sold for seven dollars a yard; they were made at Steubenville. A good lasting dye-stuff for wool is still to be desired. I saw here some newly-invented locks; fine steelware is not very abundant, and the cutlery business is still in its infancy.
Finally, we visited Mr. Eichbaum, seventy-six years old; he is a glass-cutter, father of the owner of a wire factory, and postmaster of the city. By his skill and industry he has amassed a very handsome fortune. He was formerly in Carlsruhe, and boasted much of the court of Baden, and particularly of the wife of the Margrave.
[CHAPTER XXV.]
Journey to Philadelphia, and second stay in that city.
On the 23d of May, at eight o’clock, we commenced our journey to Philadelphia, in the mail stage. I left Pittsburgh with much regret; it pleased me in every respect, and would have pleased me still more had I continued there longer. Two roads lead from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg, the northern and the southern, and as it was of no moment which I took, I chose the former, as this was travelled by the stage, which leaves Ramsay’s hotel. We rode fifty-six miles to Armagh, and changed horses but twice, at M‘Miller’s and New Alexandria. These changes are too distant to allow the horses to travel with rapidity, and they have in Pennsylvania a custom of watering the horses every three or four miles. The country is hilly; the road had been a turnpike, is still so called, and is furnished with toll-gates, where toll must be paid, but is in a dreadfully bad state. The traveller is jolted in a barbarous manner, and still makes but little progress; the heat and the dust of this day were almost intolerable. We met many travellers and emigrants from the east, going with their families and goods to the western states, to settle there. The western states appear to the inhabitants of the eastern and northern states, in the same light in which Europeans, and particularly the Germans, view the United States in general. They expect to find here the land of promise, where milk and honey flows, and are sometimes much disappointed; though many, however, derive great advantage from the change.
We passed through East Liberty, Wilkinsburgh, Murrysville, New Alexandria and Blairsville—all unimportant. The streams were the Loyalhanna and the Connamaughe, with high and rocky shores. Wooden bridges are thrown over these rivers, but are so bad that one of our leaders broke through two planks of one of them, and was extricated with much difficulty. In the evening we passed over the first of the chains of mountains, which cross this country from south-west to north-east, and divide the regions of the Mississippi from the Atlantic states. It was Chesnut-ridge, which is tolerably high. Beyond this we saw a still more mountainous region; the valleys we met with were in a state of cultivation. It was eleven o’clock at night before we reached Armagh, as the accident on the bridge had detained us some time. At two o’clock, A. M. we continued our journey.
We rode fifty-eight miles to Alexandria, through Ebensburg, Munster, Blair’s Gap, Hollydaysburg, and Williamsburg. A few miles beyond Armagh, we came to another of the parallel ridges, called Laurel hill. I ascended the mountain on foot; as the sun was just rising, the fresh and green dress of the trees, together with the fragrance of the blooming azaleas, made a very pleasing impression on me. These honeysuckles were in bloom on almost all the mountains which we passed this day; rose-coloured kalmias began to bloom; the rhododendrons had not yet commenced. The fragrance of the white acacias was often combined with that of the azaleas. The other trees which we saw on this mountain, were chesnut, walnut, and hickory trees, sumac, some large-leaved linden trees, large pines, maples, and planes; the two latter kinds, however, were found in greater numbers in the valleys. Amid these mountains, with their lovely prospects, and this splendid vegetation, the mind feels itself exalted, and the heart strengthened. This enjoyment, however, of the traveller, is somewhat diminished by the bad roads, which appear to be neglected, although the payment of toll is not forgotten.
After we descended Laurel hill, we rode several miles through a tolerably thick woods, and reached Ebensburg, where we changed horses for the first time. This is a small and handsomely situated place, of about three hundred inhabitants, appearing, however, rather to decrease than increase. Two miles from this place, lies a small and quite deserted village, called Beula, founded by Welchmen, who, however, dispersed, as they found it of no advantage to continue there. After leaving Ebensburg, and behind this place, we ascended the Alleghany mountains, the highest in this region. The highest point which we passed is called Blair’s Gap, and considered to be more than three thousand feet above the level of the sea. The turnpike, though neglected, is still well laid out, and the ascent of the mountain is by no means steep. These regions have a remarkable aspect, they consist of ridges, which adjoin each other, and are of a prismatic form; the ridge above is perfectly level, and only thirty paces broad. When standing in front of such a ridge, one mountain appears as high and long as the other, which adjoins it.