Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/609

Rh small towns, and arrived at Blairsville in the evening. Here is where some of the people showed hospitality—offering to give our men supper if we waited; but the captain of the boat would not consent to it. We halted about twenty minutes, and then left again.

Wednesday, July 19, 1848.—This morning we arrived at Johnstown, where the good citizens invited us to take breakfast, after which we took the cars and had a most pleasant ride through the most picturesque part of Pennsylvania; passed over ten inclined planes—up five and down five, all within about forty miles of road, to overcome the height of 2,570 feet of the Allegheny mountain, 1,398 being on the eastern and 1,172 feet on the western side of the mountain.

The Allegheny and Portage Railroad crosses what is called Blair's Gap Summit, passed through a tunnel of nearly nine hundred feet in length, through the mountains. We sweep around the curve over the viaduct at Horseshoe Bend in the shape of a semicircular arch of eighty feet span over the Conemaugh river, which cost nearly $55,000; passed over several other smaller viaducts, besides a number of culverts.

On the Summit, the citizens had a fine dinner prepared for a company of the Second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, which started from this immediate neighborhood and is expected to arrive every moment. As we passed they greeted us with three hearty cheers. We, of course, responded to the cheer, and at the same time told them that we were very sorry that we couldn't stop and take dinner with them, at which remark they took a hearty laugh; passed on and arrived at Hollidaysburg about 4 o'clock, ; looked back on the magnificent scene, on range after range of mountains, woods over woods, rising in grand array in gay and theatrical pride before us. The citizens received us with hearty cheers, and offered us supper if we would stay, but our officers would not consent to the generous request.

Hollidaysburg is a lively little town in boating season in transferring merchandise from boats to cars to carry over the