Mysteries of Washington City, during Several Months of the Session of the 28th Congress — John Shaqi
Mysteries of Washington City, during Several Months of the Session of the 28th CongressAtwater, Caleb
History
Mysteries of Washington City, during Several Months of the Session of the 28th Congress
Atwater, Caleb
United States. Congress (28th, 1st session : 1843-1844); Washington (D.C.)
Having determined to return to Washington city, I wrote to the
innkeeper of the Mansion house hotel at Philadelphia, to have my room
warm for me at 11 o’clock, P. M. and entering the evening cars at
Jersey city in the evening, we were carried across the State of New
Jersey, and crossing the Delaware with some difficulty, on account of
the ice in the river, I arrived at Philadelphia, and was in a good
warm bed, in a warm room, before eleven o’clock at night, at Horter’s
Mansion house, corner of 11th and Market streets, Philadelphia.--The
ride across the State of New Jersey, in a bright moonlight night,
was as agreeable as it could be, we being able to see each town as
we passed through it. The cars were well warmed by stoves; we were
not too much crowded to be comfortable, and we had agreeable company
enough to render our journey pleasant. Lodging at Philadelphia, next
morning after breakfast I entered the cars for Baltimore, and arrived
at Washington city exactly twenty-five hours after I had left New York.
This last day’s ride was perhaps on the second day of February. The
different degrees of temperature in the atmosphere during the month
of January, was seen in the thickness of the ice in the North, the
Delaware, in the Susquehanna and the Potomac rivers. In the North river
the ice was fourteen inches in thickness, in the Delaware ten inches,
and eight inches in the Susquehanna, but not more than six inches in
the Potomac. The city of New York, located on an island that lies
high, and is exposed to every breath of air that moves in any direction
over the land or the water, is colder than its latitude would seem to
indicate. The current in the river and in the Sound, owing to a tide
of from seven to eleven feet in height, rising and falling every few
hours, prevents any very great inconvenience to ships, either entering
into or leaving the harbor in the coldest winter weather.
I was no more fatigued by my journey, than if I had been sitting in my
room at the Broadstreet hotel. The passage money between Washington
city and New York, is only ten dollars and fifty cents, yet, for
handling trunks, for refreshments on the way, and tavern bills, added
to car fare, we may safely say that it costs the passenger fifteen
dollars between Washington city and New York.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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