DEPARTURE FOR PHILADELPHIA.
Our Special Train -- On the Rail -- Eye-sores -- The
Quaker City -- The Pennsylvania Railroad -- Reminiscences
-- Excursions -- The New Public Buildings -- Mr. Childs
and "The Ledger" -- Mr. Simon Cameron -- Baltimore --
Arrival at Washington.
At 12.30 we landed at the Pennsylvania Terminus or Depôt, where our
special train was in readiness, consisting of several Pullman
palace-cars and the private car of President Roberts, and a staff of
smart, well-uniformed coloured waiters, and, as we found, with an
ample store of creature comforts. At the Depôt the experts examined
the whole system of transportation of freight, stowage, passenger
traffic, and baggage checking. As far as I could gather from Mr. Neale
and the Directors, who applied their minds to the subject, the
American system of checking luggage offers no advantages which would
recommend its introduction in England, although it may be, and is, no
doubt, exceedingly well suited to the United States, where passengers
may have to travel thousands of miles continuously over different
lines of railway with many breaks. It seemed to our London and
North-Western Directors that English travellers would not put up with
the delays which would be experienced in the transportation of their
baggage from the railway stations to the hotels, under the American
check system, and that they would prefer a short detention when the
train arrived, in order to pick out their own property and carry it
away with them bodily.
Presidents and vice-presidents of railways in this country are great
powers, and exercise vast influence, if not in the State, at least on
their own lines--aye, and farther too. On one occasion I was informed,
when inquiring into the functions of the several officers of a great
company, that one of them was charged especially with looking after
those interests of the railway which might be affected by
legislation--in other words, that he had to see lest the company
should suffer detriment from the views of persons who might be
returned to positions in which they might carry out theories dangerous
to their monopoly. The distance from New York to Philadelphia is
ninety miles, which, under ordinary circumstances, is traversed in two
hours and a half, or thereabouts; but our special was timed to do it
in considerably less. The train passes right through the streets of
Jersey City, which would be considered a large town in the old
country, and boasts of a population of nearly 90,000. As the bell of
the engine tolled, women and children skipped out of the way or ran
across the line, when they eluded the vigilance of the railway
officials who lowered ingenious barriers as the train approached. But
although they say "practice makes perfect," "killed by the cars" is a
very ordinary head-line in the American newspapers. The country
outside "Jersey City," which is like an ugly continuation of New York,
is flat and uninteresting, but the low land which the railroad
traverses is dotted by factories and industrial establishments of all
kinds. We were soon aware that we were carrying with us the plague of
hideous advertisements plastered upon walls, and even upon the natural
features of the country, which we had observed in the environs of New
York. From imperious commands to "smoke" somebody's "mixture" down to
wheedling supplications to "use" somebody else's "oil," the eye
encountered at every hundred yards on the hoardings, on the sides of
houses, on trees and palings, the mendacious advertisements of quack
doctors and sellers of patent or unpatent nostrums, frequently
illustrated by woodcuts set forth in glaring colours. So close to
Jersey City that we were scarcely aware that it was separated from it
by a few fields, we came to Newark, a great town of brick and wood
houses, chimneys, factories, and churches, containing more than
120,000 people, and as we ran through the streets we got glimpses of
some fine-looking buildings, of which we have nothing more to say.
Then came Elizabeth City, with many well-to-do houses and country
seats around, and some small mansions with patches of ground, which
would not be quite dignified with the name of "park" in England. "New
Brunswick," a manufacturing town of 20,000 people, thirty-two miles
from New York, was specially commended to our notice on account of
the College called Rutgers', and a few miles farther on we were told
that we were passing Princetown College, which is one of the most
celebrated institutions in the United States. "Trenton," the capital
of New Jersey, is famous for its potteries, but to us it was chiefly
attractive in connection with lunch, and we were whirled past the
State House, the Penitentiary, and Lunatic Asylum at a speed
unfavourable for the calm contemplation of the town which Washington
made historical by the defeat he inflicted on the unfortunate subjects
of the Grand Duke of Hesse, in the pay of King George. The conviction
is growing upon my mind that the party of travellers, of which I have
the honour of being one, is not likely to have much experience of
actual American railway life, or much knowledge of the ordinary
conditions in which people live in the United States. It is neither
our fault nor misfortune that we are so specially well taken care of;
but my recollection of what the traveller had to endure in crowded
railway cars in former days, and in the rush and scuffle at the
_tables d'hôte_ of the hotels, whilst it induces me to congratulate
myself and our friends on our exemption from such trials, is a
satisfactory demonstration that we are not likely to gain much insight
into the manners and customs of those who, like ourselves, are
wandering over the face of the Union.
Passing a very small Bristol, the train brought us in sight of
Philadelphia, where we were safely handed over to a number of
gentlemen who were awaiting our arrival with most hospitable intent,
and thence we were driven to the Continental Hotel. In the drive
through the streets between the railway terminus and the hotel, our
friends were very much struck by the fine appearance of the town,
which was far superior to New York in the cleanliness of the streets,
and quite rivalled the Empire City in the display in the shop-windows
and the gay appearance of the large establishments in the main
thoroughfares. At the Continental Hotel there was the usual crowd in
the hall, before whom we had to defile on our way to our rooms, after
the necessary process of inscription in the hotel registry. Then after
a short interval for repose we made an excursion through the city, and
drove out to the beautiful grounds of Fairmount Park, "the largest in
any city in the world," in which stands all that remains of the
buildings of the Great Exhibition. If I were writing a guide-book I
might give some details, out of many with which our friends favoured
us, respecting the World's Fair and the Quaker City, but I am rather
inclined to make this a narrative of what we did. Marvellous as are
most of the great cities in the States, in relation to their recent
origin and extension, Philadelphia, which has a respectable antiquity,
is entitled to a high place amongst the wondrous works of American
man. In an old book which I came across, describing the colonies and
settlements as they were 200 years ago, an anonymous writer, under the
date of 1682, says:--"Philadelphia, our intended metropolis, is to be
two miles long, and a mile broad. At each end it lies upon a
navigable river. Besides the High Street that runs in the middle from
river to river, and which is 100 feet broad, it has eight streets laid
out to run the same course which are 50 feet broad. Besides Broad
Street, which crosses the town in the middle, which is 100 feet broad,
there are twenty streets that run the same course, also 50 feet broad.
The names of these are to be taken from the things that spontaneously
grow in this country, such as the Vine, the Mulberry, the Chestnut,
Walnut, Filbert, and the like." And there, sure enough, they were
inscribed on the corners of the houses as they are to be seen at this
day.
At the Continental Hotel, which must be classed among the number, not
very large, of first-class hotels in the Old and New World, we found
the dining saloons, halls, passages, and the street in front
illuminated by the electric light, which will probably come into use
in similar establishments in London in a generation or two; and in the
room in which we dined two electric burners were doing the work which
ten gas chandeliers each with ten burners were wont to do, as was
apparent from their neglected splendour.
The Pennsylvania Railway authorities, represented by Mr. G. B.
Roberts, Mr. F. Thomson, and others, did all that lay in their power
(and that was great) to enable us to turn our visit to the best
account. But it was trying, after all our efforts, to leave so much
unseen, and yet be obliged to confess that our powers were taxed by
trying to see too much. And the same remarks apply to our journey
throughout, which, as my readers will see if they care to read, was
performed under high pressure almost from the beginning to the end.
There was something more than an exhibition of mere courtesy towards
brother directors in the attention paid by the representatives of the
great American railway company to the party. They had reason to show
attention to Mr. Crosfield, the Auditor, for he had rendered them
substantial service, I was told--and I need not say it was not Mr.
Crosfield who gave me the information--on one occasion, when they were
engaged in a financial operation in London, by testifying to the
satisfactory condition of their affairs and accounts. They got their
money forthwith. Whatever may be the length and capital of other great
railways in the States, our experience, I may say at once, was that in
the excellence of the permanent way and carriages, punctuality and
speed, the Pennsylvania was not excelled, if closely approached, by
any. It is a great corporation. The four general divisions (of which
each is subdivided, to the discomfiture somewhat of students of
time-tables) of the line comprise 1845 miles, and it is stated that
the Company is engaged in extensive absorptions and acquisitions, and
that many little lines will be "bolted," and I hope digested, in due
course. Their capital is too serious and complicated a matter for me
to deal with, but I believe we wise men from the East were convinced
that it is as sound as the ground on which the line runs, though I
shall not forget the look of incredulity with which one of the
gentlemen in the train with us heard the answer to his question
respecting the capital of the London and North-Western. "A hundred
millions! Dollars, of course, you mean?" "No, sir, a hundred millions
sterling." After a while incredulity gave place to respectful
admiration. "Five hundred million dollars. Well! that's a big pile,
I'll allow." The appearance of Philadelphia caused a most agreeable
surprise to the party, and Chestnut Street was voted to excel Broadway
in the elegance and magnificence of the shops, although it cannot
boast--nor, as far as I know, can any city in the world--of such a
colossal store as Stewart's. We especially admired the Park and the
Girard Bridge, one of the grandest and most beautiful in existence;
but the object which challenged the admiration of the visitors more
than anything they had seen so far was the vast pile in which the
public departments are to find their gorgeous home, the effect of
which will, some of us think, be spoiled rather than enhanced by the
portentous clock-tower which is to be raised to a height that shall
dwarf all known steeples, campaniles or towers in the two hemispheres
by many gratifying feet.
To strangers, interesting and attractive, with many fine buildings and
noble public institutions to show, Philadelphia is connected with the
most important events in the early life of the Republic, and possesses
for an American larger and more numerous souvenirs of the fathers of
the Union and of their labours than any other place on the Continent.
From some points in the park there is a good _coup d'oeil_ to be
obtained of the monuments, churches, and undulating sea of roofs
between the Schuylkill and the Delaware. The Girard Bridge, on the
way, is one of the finest in the world. On every side there was much
to admire, but the sun was blazing and fierce--unusually so--and at
last we sought the shades of the Continental. There was none very soon
after our arrival, for the hotel was, as I have said, illuminated by
electricity. I could not recognise the place in which I had once stood
in a time of wild excitement. "Sumter was to be relieved!" A throng of
men discussing the news that was destined to lead to such stupendous
results, so dense I could not make my way to the office where there
was now only a crowd of some dozen people waiting to see "this Duke
and the Britishers." The clerk, or one of those gentlemen in the
office who control the destinies of travellers and visitors to hotels
in the States, remembered the time well. He had served in a
Pennsylvania regiment (not one of those which went away from McDowell
the morning of Bull Run), and had been lieutenant, if not captain, and
now, like many of his comrades in higher places, he was engaged in
civil pursuits. Many interviews, and to bed.
_April 29th._--The Duke was carried off at an early hour to begin the
work of the day, into which was to be crammed many inspections and
sights. These tell on the tourists somewhat; for as we are handed
over, day after day, from one important body of ever kind and
indefatigable guides and hosts, we are, of course, paying with our
persons, whereas, for those on whom we descend there is but a few
hours' hard labour, and then comes repose to them and "good-bye" to
us. There is an eminently respectable air about Philadelphia; the
shops in the main streets are attractive and beautiful; the citizens
look prosperous; the vehicles are soberly luxurious, and the horses
sleek. The Auditor, who belongs to the Society of which the founder of
the State and city was the great ornament and chief, finds himself at
home among many "Friends," and albeit they do not generally affect the
attire of the sect, and the broad-brimmed hats, upright collars,
single-breasted coats, and knee-breeches of sober hue, of the men, and
the coal-scuttle bonnets, square, plain collars, and straight-cut
cloth dresses of the women, have given place to garments of modern
fashion, the good people called Quakers still form a numerous and
influential community. We were told, and I believe truly, that there
are more house-proprietors--that is, more people who own the houses
they live in--in the population than in any city of the Union; and I
was struck by the immense number of dwellings of moderate dimensions,
all trim and nice, freshly painted, with flowers in the windows, and
little gardens of which we caught glimpses in our early drives through
the clean, neat, well-ordered streets. There was a lunch or breakfast
at the house of General and President Roberts to fortify the party for
a minute inspection of the terminus of the Pennsylvania Railroad at
Fifteenth and Filbert Street, where all the arrangements for
freighting and unloading the trains and for the great passenger
traffic were explained and closely examined, and then they were
conducted to the Elevated Road, and found a special train of Pullman
palace-cars waiting to convey them to West Philadelphia; and a
distinguished company of railway and other potentialities--Mr. G. A.
Childs; Vice-Presidents Cassatt, Kneass, and Strickland; Mr. Dubarry,
President of the Philadelphia and Erie Company; a number of
directors--Messrs. Morris, Felton, Biddle, Shortridge, Cummins, Welsh,
&c.--of the main line; Mr. Hinckley, President of the Philadelphia,
Wilmington, and Baltimore Company; Mr. Griscom, of the International
Navigation Company; Mr. Drexel, and many others, to do them honour.
The drawing-rooms of the cars were ornamented with bouquets of the
most lovely flowers; it is a never-failing and always welcome
compliment, and Americans rival Parisians in the love, skill, and
taste they display in the arrangement of these floral triumphs. The
party visited Greenwich Point and Girard Point, and I saw with alarm
some stupendous elevators in the distance, for the sun was exceedingly
powerful, and we had already been called upon to witness the storage
of corn _non sine pulvere_, at the terminus, but our kindly guardians
were not imperative, and an outside view was all that was demanded of
us. Passing under the Market Street bridge by the west bank of the
river, and crossing to the east side by the line to the Delaware, we
found a steamer waiting for us, in which we embarked, and were treated
to a very pleasant excursion along the front of the city by water, to
Port Richmond and to the freight station, where more elevators menaced
us, but were appeased by external worship. The railway cognoscenti
declared that all the details of the railroad management, and the
sheds, warehouses, &c., were excellent, and this they did before the
lunch (No. 2) which awaited the party at the offices of the
Pennsylvania Railway in Fourth Street, whereof certain terrapin
arrangements elicited expressions of much approval. After lunch, the
party were led off, with re-invigorated powers, to visit Independence
Hall, calling on Mayor Mr. King, at his office _en route_. Here there
were more introductions, and Mr. Mayor, a bland and genial gentleman,
made pretty little speeches to his visitors--"welcomed them as well on
account of their distinction among the governing influences of their
country, as for their useful mission in effecting an interchange of
ideas in connection with improvements in transportation of products
and diffusion of commerce." (Not a word of protective duties, Mr.
Mayor!) From the Mayor's presence to Independence Hall was but a short
way, and after we had inspected the building and its contents (_vide_
Guide-Books), we were taken on to "_The Ledger_" Office, which is one
of the sights of Philadelphia, as Mr. Childs is one of the
institutions which his friends would desire to be immortal if that
were possible, and the Duke and his friends were received with much
courtesy by the learned, urbane, and energetic gentleman, who, having
built up a fortune as well as one of the finest newspaper offices in
the world, devotes the former to most worthy and liberal objects, and
directs in the latter a journal of the highest reputation for literary
excellence and political honesty.
Bibliopolery and bibliomania are rather rampagious in America. Were
not Caxton and Wynkyn de Worde ancestors of English born in America as
well as of English born in England? And who shall say Shakespeare is
not the common property of the Anglo-Saxon race wherever they are
found? As to that "_quae regio in terris_," &c. When I was in New York
the other day, I was shown the outside of a house on the borders of
the Central Park, filling an entire block from Seventieth to
Seventy-first Street, and of the interior I heard such an account from
"Uncle Sam" that I felt burglarious proclivities, which were
restrained possibly by physical feebleness and the chastening
reflection that I could not dispose of my plunder without the
certainty of detection. It was the Lenox Library, containing priceless
early Bibles, Shakespeares, and the like, in addition to treasures of
art and _belles lettres_ of the highest order, guarded by a one-headed
Cerberus who would not let us in when we sought admission later in the
year, for the same reason that London clubs are closed in the autumn.
I dare say I could have obtained admission to the Lenox Hospital close
at hand had I been duly qualified. Here in Philadelphia Mr. Childs has
a library which, _tout vu_, is a credit to his taste and his industry,
and which is rich in the autographic letters of English and American
authors and MSS. In a small pamphletette from Robinson's 'Epitome of
Literature' there is a very pleasant account of some of the treasures
of the collection, and Mr. Childs is as liberal as the day in the
display of them to all who desire to see them.
From "_The Ledger_" Office _en route_ once more. There was still the
new City Hall to inspect--a day's work in itself. A short drive
brought us to the stupendous mass; Mr. Perkins, President of the
Commission, and Mr. McArthur, the architect, received the Duke and his
friends, and led them over some portion of the vast erection. It would
be impossible, without a series of photographs, to give an idea of the
"New Public Buildings," as they are called, which are described as "an
immense architectural pile," occupying an area of four and a half
acres under one roof, in a square of 428 feet, which with the
projections for convenience and architectural effect are extended on
the flanks to 470 feet from east to west, and 486½ feet from north to
south. It is of the Renaissance, "modified and adapted," as the
architect states, "to the varied and extensive requirements" of the
great American municipality. I am sorry to say that amongst these is
included the necessity for a clock-tower or campanile so out-Heroding
Herod in its enormous altitude and ungainly bulk as to give in the
architectural drawing an idea of comparative meanness to the bold
elevation of the building below. It would seem as if the people of
Philadelphia were bent upon emulating the Tower of Babel, or at all
events of thrusting up towards heaven a shaft of stone which should be
far nearer to it than anything hitherto erected by the hand of man;
for this clock-tower is to be reared to such a height, that the centre
of the clock-face shall be 361 feet above the level of the pavement.
The diameter of the face of the clock is in proportion--20 feet--and
even that will not be too much for time-keeping in such an elevated
position. Those who revel in such details ought really to get the
account of the contractor's work, of the 46,000,000 of bricks, and the
476,000 cubic feet of marble, and of the excavations and tonnage of
iron used up already in this building, which is to contain the city
offices, the law offices of the State, the military headquarters, and
in fact everything State and municipal that requires a local
habitation and a name for administrative and executive purposes. The
reasons for such a creation were well set forth in the oration of Mr.
Benjamin Brewster, on the occasion of the laying of the corner stone
seven years ago. It causes one to think what "posterity" means when it
is used as a phrase to express the people who live after us according
to the orator's position, as we read that amongst those whose names
posterity will not willingly let die are "Rittenhouse and Bush,
Godfrey and Bartram." British posterity very probably would hear of
the extinction of these respected memories without a pang--American
posterity is called upon to keep them alive for ever. But tall
buildings are appropriately inaugurated by tall talk. Penn and
Franklin, it must be admitted, notwithstanding the somewhat narrow
view of the character of the Great Quaker taken by very eminent
historians in this country, were certainly men deserving well of
their fellows, and to be remembered always on the American Continent,
and on those portions of the earth where English is the language and
English ideas are found; but why should the others "be passed down
through time linked with Solon, Lycurgus, Pythagoras, Archimedes,
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the crowned monarchs of human
thought"?
There was still a visit to be paid to the Academy of Fine Arts, and I
can answer for myself at least when I say it was, though it came last,
the most agreeable incident in the long day's work. It is an
institution of which the promoters may boast with every reason, and
which must in time develop the taste and skill of native artists, of
which its walls already exhibit creditable specimens.
One little incident of the visit was amusing. In one of the rooms, by
way of a surprise to the Duke, and to give a local colour to the place
in his eyes, there was in waiting, amidst a group of lady pupils and
students of the sculpture models, a full-dressed Highlander. He was
all alive, too, and made his bow very nicely, but he was exceedingly
disconcerted when the Duke exclaimed, "He has got on his plaid over
the wrong shoulder." The Highlander, amid the laughter which followed
the remark, merely said in good American, "I'm not a Scotchman nor a
Highlander at all." I believe there are many in the kilted regiments
at home who might make a similar confession. He had been evidently
dressed after a photograph, and the plaid reversed.
In development of public spirit and wealth, in the beautiful park, the
public buildings, the scientific and literary societies, and
commercial activity, the city possesses an indefeasible title to be
considered the real capital of the State of Pennsylvania.
_April 30th._--After three separate heads had popped in at my bedroom
this morning and popped back again, seeing that it was "tubbing" time,
at 8 A.M. I bolted the door and proceeded to finish my business.
Desperate attempts to get in--knock! knock! knock! "You can't come in!
I'm undressed!" "Only for a minute!" "I tell you I'm undressed." A
card was pushed under the door. Presently I go to the spot, and find
on the card in pencil, "S. Cameron, Harrisburg, Pa." It was my old
friend, the venerable ex-Senator of Pennsylvania, Mr. Lincoln's first
War Secretary, Simon Cameron! I hurried down-stairs to the office. Mr.
Cameron was not staying in the Hotel. After a time it was ascertained
that he was quartered at the Girard House, nearly opposite, but he was
not in, and I had to go away without seeing him.
At 10.30 we bade good-bye to Philadelphia and many friends, and
departed in a special train for Baltimore (98 miles) by the
Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railway on our way to
Washington. In Mr. Hinckley, the President of the line, who
accompanied us and told us he was about to be boa-constrictored by the
P. R. R., we found a delightful companion, and a most agreeable guide;
a man of wit and travel, full of observation and anecdote; a
sportsman, a naturalist, as well as a railway president; conversant
with prairie and Indian life, abounding in anecdote concerning beasts,
birds, devil-fish, grizzlies, buffaloes, Red men, as well as the
newest devices and dodges of civilised life in the dreadful forms of
oleomargarine, butterine, glucose, and the like. Just imagine the
atrocity of filling bee-hives with glucose, and selling them as
charged with bee-made honey! Fancy, again, the ingenuity of providing
the industrious little hymenoptera with artificial hives, with cells
and all complete, made out of gutta-percha or papier-mâché, or the
like, so that the bee is free to expend all his energy in storing up
honey at once, and need not bestow a thought upon making wax, or
gathering the materials for it!
The line of railway to Baltimore passes through a populous,
unattractive country, which seemed exceedingly prosperous. On our way
we passed the oldest city in the State, which, though it bears the
name of Chester, was founded by the Swedes about the time of our Civil
War, shortly before the raising of the standard by Charles I. It is
now remarkable for the ship-building yards of a gentleman of Irish
origin, named Roach, and the Swedes have all vanished. A little
farther on is the Brandywine River, on which, in 1777, was fought the
battle which the Americans have somehow persuaded themselves was a
victory. The stones set up to mark "Mason and Dixon's Line" are near
Newark, close to Maryland, and the special was stopped to enable us to
visit them. Mr. Hinckley told us some very interesting facts connected
with the original survey, the dispute between Lord Baltimore and the
colony of Pennsylvania concerning their boundaries, the verification
of the original survey by the Special Commissioners, and knocked
several ignorant delusions on the head.
There was but one expression of feeling at our departure--one of
regret; into our short stay in Baltimore, which we reached in a couple
of hours, there was compressed so much cordiality and hospitable
intent that we were beggared even in thanks. There was a drive with
Mayor Latrobe through the city and Druid Park, following an excursion
down the harbour and Fort M'Henry in a steamer, visits to elevators
and wharfs and landing-piers, and lunches without speechmaking, all to
be got through ere the special resumed the run to Washington, of which
the Capitol loomed in sight just as the last rays of the sun shot up
from behind the ridge which I remember white with the tents of the
army of the Union. The long drive to Rigg's House--a magnificent
creation of the last few years--was a succession of surprises; new
streets, splendid mansions, smooth pavements, electric lights, private
carriages, an animated crowd of well-dressed, pleasant-looking people
in Pennsylvania Avenue, reminiscences of Paris and New Vienna all
around us, instead of mud and closed shutters, gloom, and "John
Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave" sounding out of patriotic
cellars, horses tethered to every tree, orderlies galloping, patrols
marching, and the noise of never-ending convoys of warlike stores. It
was indeed a happy change. _Si sic omnia, si sic semper!_