Name/Title
AU Harris, Joseph Hastings - 1928-04-11 letter to FamilyEntry/Object ID
1990.1.178Context
Left home 9:25 P.M. Sun April 8, 28, mailed letters in Cols, registered at Hotel Jefferson. As porter took me to room # 466 I fumbled in my purse and told him I was just looking to see if I could find large enough piece and he laughed heartily. Retired at 11:00 but was restless, - too much Easter Calf perhaps. I had left call for 3:30 but awakened at 3:00, dressed, read a few minutes waiting for the call which came exactly at 3:30. I rang the elevator and the porter responded and said, "Was you the one left call at 3:30?" and I said, "Yes sir," and he said, "Well you done got ready mighty quick." I replied, "Well practice makes perfect." Lunched at Mills Rest. and boarded the Gotham Limited 4:12. The sleeping part of the train is all right but ours surely is a limited coach, old, dirty, upholstering is thread-bare. I happen to be seated directly over a flat wheel so if I could count fast enough I could calculate exactly how fast we are going. There are about 20 passengers in our coach. At Newark at 5. Dawn approaches as we run rapidly toward the sunrise. A light snow covers the ground. Now the hills appear. Now we cross the Muskingham River, and whirl around the curves. Now we come to Coshocton nestled back against the hills, pop. 11000. Now almost daylight. We follow the river which meanders between the two ranges of hills. There are three R.R. tracks. Some very fine farming country but wheat is badly frozen. The flat wheel churns me up and down like a fat man laughing. Now at Newcomerstown (pop 3500) but do not stop. Now at Port Washington. Hills are higher. There goes a bus but we soon pass it as our train is making about 50 mi per hr. Pass a large brick factory. Still follow the river. There is a sign, "Treat Yourself to the Best, Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco." A large tile factory. Now at Urichsville and Dennison, the home of Harry Bender. A lot of folks get on so coach is quite well filled. Considerable bluff just at my left. Only few miles to Vic's home, New Philadelphia. We turn East here toward the Ohio River. We have left the river and wind about among the hills. The territory looks like Southern Ohio. Into a tunnel. Now at Bowerston, a village. Now at Scio, seat of Scio College where Joe Shefler attended college. Now at Jewett, a village. Now at Cadiz Junct. only a few miles S. to Cadiz where several of our people were buried. Another tunnel of considerable length. There is an old fashioned covered top buggy drawn by a flea bitten gray horse. Union Port, a forsaken place but somebody's home. What toil it has taken to carve out such a road. Fair Play village. Soil appears to be thin and rough to farm, another tunnel. Broadacre village. Rocks, bluffs showing peculiar geological formation. Strata tipped in various directions. Hills still higher, considerably evergreen. Tunnel. Rough country. Tunnel.
A beautiful stream, pike 20 ft above and steep bluffs above pike. Now at Mingo Junction and Ohio River. Hills so high can't see tops. Coming into Steubenville 7:45. What peculiar places people will chose to live! Houses on top of hills, stuck against the bluffs, in the valley, etc., etc. Now in Steubenville station. Several get off and many get on. Train crowded so a man shares seat with me and I cease writing.
We cross the Ohio here and plunge into the rough territory of Penn., bridges, tunnels, hills, villages, etc. into Pittsburg. What would Washington say could he see Pittsburg now? My seatmate proved to be Thos. Hughes, a Welchman and teacher of voice in Steubenville, an affable gentleman. When I told him of Dan's work he nearly exploded with joy. I happened to have Dan's picture on that announcement at Westerville and you should have heard his expressions. I told him of Jas' and Richard's work and he said, "Tell the lads that if they get to Steubenville I have a wide bed for them and something to eat.
Now in Pittsburg station. Get train for Harrisburg in 15 mins. Lots of people on the go from Easter vacation. Many nationalities.
9:30 leaving Pittsburg, much better coach, have seat alone with pretty girl in seat before me. Bridges, bridges. A smoky place with dirt galore. Factories, mills, and more dirt. Another station and plenty of people getting on, but I am not disturbed. Difficult to be unselfish when you want to write. Now we face the Westinghouse Electric. Passing thru Wilkinsburg, now Braddock. Somebody's washing on the line within 20 ft of the train. More mills. Hills are bare, seemingly no soil at all. Now at Pitcairn. Train schedule averages 46 mi per hr from Pittsb. to Har. Water in stream is perfectly yellow. Now at Irwin. Lunched at Mills 3:40 so it is time to lunch on my three sandwiches 10:30. Now at Greensburg where Knapp used to preach. We now come into better farm community with villages dotting the landscape. A distance to the north is a beautiful town. Now start into the mts. Great curve with swift streams perhaps 50 ft below. Across the stream another R.R. and above that a long mt. range, very rocky. On right is almost perpendicular bluff. Train is passing on the other road. Now at Bolivar. Here a deserted mining village. We have crossed the river and in the distance the mt. range looms up. Enormous amount of waste land so far as surface is concerned. Many mines. Along the mt. side they have recently cut out a pike and have a fence all the way.
Mts. are higher. Now at the brink of the river. Now at the far-famed Johnstown. An auto is coming down the mt. I wonder the thing does not run away. Some foreigners in seat back of me. Smoke, mts. On a very heavy grade and the engine is groaning under it. Still ascending the stream, bluffs on either side, much of the scant timber is dead thru making a desolate view. I suppose here is the big dam that once broke loose. A traction car comes tearing around the mt. but I can't see the track. We are passing a train load of coal. Our train makes only 3 stops between Pittsb. and Har. (245 mi). They are Greensburg, Johnstown, & Altoona. It is 131 mi from Altoona to Har. Now at Gallitzin, the highest point on the line. Now making Horseshoe Bend. We meet freight with one engine ahead and two pushing. Now we are coasting. With the horseshoe is a large lake, the water supply for city of Altoona. A long freight is winding down on other side of the curve. There are two lakes at different levels. The strata of the rock is an interesting study. A mighty upheaval sometime. Now we look down upon Altoona. I wonder how we shall get down there. Now at Altoona. Buildings and everything look black. Quite a change in passengers again. This is where Dr. Hough did a fine piece of work in the pastorate. Here come the ice cream & paper boys. Now for a 131 mi run. Pullman porter comes through. He is so black he shines. This is the third conductor. Engine is saying "watch me go." We make the run 131 mi in 2 hrs 44 min. We seem to be running between two long ranges of mts. Much of the one to the right appears to be white stones. Here an old log house. Now jagged rocks with peculiar strata. A big fat man across the aisle nearly fills the seat and shakes up and down as if laughing.
Here are great quarries of lime stone. Nearly all of the strata are tilted about same angle. Long tunnel. Two beautiful ranges to left one much higher than the other. We are following the Juniata River, a beautiful little stream. Now at Petersburg. At brink of river. I wonder what they do when water is high. Range at left is crowned with jagged rock and the side literally covered with loose rock of every conceivable shape. Now at Huntingdon in a pretty valley. Thus far I wonder where people raise enough to live on, there is so little real farm land. The ranges continue, some so raised that it looks as though man had tried to do it that way. Here is a quarry of glass sand. Here are ridges running N. & S. almost entirely stone. Just ahead the ranges, one so close that there is barely room for the river and R.R. tracks between.
The valley widens now altho the ranges continue in the distance. Now McVeytown. Some nice wheat in the distance. On right, if train were standing you could put your hand out against the perpendicular bluff. Still we follow the river. Just across the river is a high range consisting almost entirely of loose stone. The pike follows the river brink and the stones on the other side come down to the pike. Several machines are passing. Now at Mifflin. A great range lies just ahead and looks like one would have to tunnel but when we get to it the train just turned to the left (I supposed it would go to right) and soon we cut through instead of tunnel. We come to another range and it does the same trick. If it keeps this up we will land in Columbus after while. The R.R. tries to keep its ground in good shape. Now there is a long range to the right that is all forest with many evergreen trees.
Pass Duncannon. River is wide here. Soon into Harrisburg. Here is a remarkable peak of solid rock stratified. Now we approach Har. The Susquehanna bridge is one mi wide here and we cross on what is said to be the longest concrete bridge in the world. Train due 3:31 and just at 3:30 land up stairs, look up town. See the dome of the Cap. bldg. and also sign Penn-Harris Hotel. I register. I asked the clerk if he knew that the city was named for me? He was very genial. Got the cheapest but very splendid little room for $2.50. I called Prof Baish and learned that the O.C. Glee Club would entertain in the high school and that he would call for me about 7:30. I got lunch and went to the State House. A gorgeous bldg. costing $13,000,000. The State library and museum, bldg and all is very complete. Mr. Baish comes and he takes me to his home, introduces his wife and we go to the high school, James & Philip Charles pass me in the St. Philip recognized me so they turned back and we had a pleasant visit together. Good entertainment. Chat James a few moments and Baish takes me to hotel.
Tues morning the telephone rang and to my surprise it was 7:30 and Dr Frank was calling me. We had a great meeting with the Reformed Commission, taking dinner together. We closed about 4:00 and I went to see Prof Baish and strolled about the State House and down to the river. Dr Frank and Bishop came to hotel and Dr took Bishop and me to a fine steak dinner. We then took a walk and came back to hotel spent a little while chatting and then went to the train 10:06. I could not get berth on same train with the other men so they put me on first section of the American. It is the best train on the road. I have lower berth and no one above me. It is on S. side of train. There is about 2/3 moon so I raise the blind and lie there looking at the stars and mountains. I am awake when making the horseshoe bend and noted the headlights on the trains. Now on glide down the grade to Johnstown. I snooze and awake again at Pittsburgh and note the lights high on the bluffs and hills. I am awake again as we cross the Ohio at Steubenville. The water sparkles in the light. At 6:15 I get up and dress ready to have a nice little ride alone in my compartment. Now we pass Newark and I look into Rev. Wright's back door. We get into Cols, 7:50 or 22 min. ahead of time. Get a 22c/ lunch at Mills Rest. and arrive home 9:15, finding folk well as usual.
J. H. Harris
