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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1886)
r 0HE ? OMAHA DAILY BEE : SUNDAY , SEPTEMBER 10 , 1880.-TWELVE PAGES. THE PRIllIflVE RAILROADS. 8om Recollections of Bygone Trav elling , THE STORY OF HUDSON'S RISE. tiixlmrcrs Wlio Work for Fifty Cents n Dnj Knriiicr Greasers Who Took Their UCVCHKO or > tlio Companies Boston Globe- Hudson , N. Y. , was fieltlud in 1784 by a party of capitalists from Nantuekct , which was then a lar o whaling port , and up to the great fire of 181. ! was a llii'iving nnd prosperous city. From Nantuekct came the Folgers , the Collins and the Marcys. On the right bank of the Hudson , about thirty miles below Albany , in the township of Clnver- nck , was laid out Hudson , which in a few years after became n city. There were govern ! whdlc.ships owned there , and as early as 1SOO it had ? 5,000 Inhabitants , and when steamboats came in vogue on the North river or Hudson , it was re garded by some ns the head of naviga tion. About the year l&M , when it was at Its zenith of its prosperity it. felt like trying titles witli its wealthier city Al bany , who boasted ono of the oldest rail roads in the country. Everybody has Been the fao similes of the first railroad train on the Mohawk & Hudson railroad from Albany to Schcncctadj in which Thurlow Weed was one of tlio excursion ists. Ten years Inter or just a year or two before the great panic of 1837 , the people of the city of Hudson thought they could have a railroad as well as Al bany. They thought it would be a grand Idea to connect with the contemplated road the Western , and thus bring travel nnd freight from tlio east to the ulleciul head of navigation , Hudson on the Hudson - son river. So the capitalists of Hudson and along the contemplated line in Col umbia to WcstStoekbridge in Massa chusetts , formed a railroad company to bo known as the Hudson & lieru- nhirerailronl. _ ; From Hudson to _ Chat ham is seventeen miles. There it met the AVestern railroad and crossed It , and ran parallel to the Western road , which had then been surveyed. It ran from live rods to half a mile from the Western road from Chatham to the state lmet and then went south to West Stockbridge , Mass. . a distance of thirty-four miles. Clio road from Hudson to West Stock- bridge was completed about the year J8153 , and was a marvel of engineering. It cost about ! f320OOD. or not quite $10,000 a null ! . AVOliKIffO JTOR GO CENTS A DAY. Plenty of injn ( could then be found to work for three and four York shillings a day , that is thirty-seven and a halt and fifty cents a day. The men used to di" anil throw dirt on wheelbarrows , and later on ono-horsc carts and then dump it down the embankment. There were no digging machines that now do the work in one-twentieth or one-thirtieth of the time Sonic of the people along the lines were very much opposed to the enterprise. I hey saill that their stock would be run over and killed , that their barns and houses and fences would be tct on fire anil that the clothes that the busy housewives put on the lines after being washed on Mondays would bo ruined by smoke and soot. But when the capitalists paid them good prices Jfor their land they left the ranks ot the kick ers and became warm friends of the cor poration , .Often some thrifty farmer would put f 1,000 or $2,000 into stock and put on nira ; When the first trains were put on the road there were three locomotives , the Hudson , tlio Berkshire and the Columbia. They were queer looking little machines but were in use nearly a quarter of a century. The Hudson in the infancy of the road was a crack machine. The old coaches were in 1858 laid off on a switch in a car house at Hudson , and they had not bton used for nearly ton years. The locomotive hail only two four feet driv ers and n supporting tru.ck of four wheels under the big black Coring smokestack. There was a four wheeled tender. In later years there was a cab put up , but in the younger days of the engine , the engineer had to stand out in the weather and take his chances. The engine weighed about seven or eight tons only. On its side just under the bell , was the name "Hudson , " in brass block Jotters. The cars were on four wheeled trucks , and around the top was an iron railing , so that baggage anil parcels could bo carried on top without being jarred oil' . There were no doors in the end of the cars , but entrance was through a door in the side. The scats extended nearly across the carwith aisles between. Passengers sat facing each other , and four could sit very comforta bly side by side. There were six scats across tint car , three facing tlio engine , and three the end of the train. There were generally two and sometimes three of tin ; cars attached to the engine. Kach car would seat twenty-four persons. The conductor would walk around the car on tlie outside and collect his fare through the window in summer. In tlio winter he would got into tlio car and col lect his fare , and then got out and shin ! into the other car. There wore no .stoves in the cars , , ind in the winter people u.srul to find that warm bricks aim old-fash ioned wooden and tin foot stoves were very handy accompaniments on a jour ney to Weal Stookuriilgo. The brakes were very much like those on a larni lumber wagon. The Indus for a long time lett Hudson at 8 u , in and 3 p. in. They loft West Stoekbridge at the same hours to make the trip of thirty-four miles. The freight trains loft Hudson early in tlie morning ami went to West Stockbriilgo in five hours , where llui hands would get their dinner and then turn around and como back , arriv ing at Hudson about/ 0 o'clock in the evening , if they had good luck. was a curiosity. First an eight inch tim ber about twenty feet long waa laid down and then another parallel. Across these were laid the tics and then along the ties were hcvy : oaken joists about about four by ioiu ; or r.lx and on these wore nailed iron strips like heavy wugon tires. Then the road was ballasted with dirt , and except in thu spring of the year when the frost was coming out of the ground , the trauk was comparatively smooth , and the suimtion of riding nlon i was quite agreeable. The station at the river was not visited by the locomotives. They wore kept at the upper station because of a Heavy grade of about 1UO feet to the mile , The locomotives could hardly go up this grade of thotr own accord , So the com pany bought about forty largo Pennsyl vania horses , and these were used to draw ui the freight and passenger oars. About four hor.ies used to draw the cars np'in about liftccn minutes. Then the engine was hitched on , and after a great deal of fussing and ceremony the train would start , andfiom Hfty to 100 persons would watch the train as it stavted ofi for Wc.-.t Stoekbriilgo with thirty or forty DassctiRors. The train used to manage to keen algng .pretty well on time , unless it had happened that some farmer had become indignant because his cows or pigs had boon killed by the engine. In tnai case ho would hitch up and drive in to see the mpcrintcndont of the road and cltoet a settlement. HI : oit.uir. , It sometimes hapi/enud that they could not agree. Then , if there was a grade 11 With a small payment down , and tlie balance on the easiest possible terms. It is what has long been known as the "Sheeley Farm , " and a'most joins Walnut Hill. It has all the advantages , such as churches , schools , Belt Line , et , , enjoyed by that and other additions in North Omaha , There is not a poor lot in Grammarcy Park and no other property in the city can compare with it either for beauty of location , prices or terms. IT very lot slopss gradually ; no grading being requred : to make any lot as fine a home as could be desired , You have your choice at $500. A charier has been granted for the extension of the Work on which will be begun in the next 60 days. You are sure to double your money in the next six months by purchasing lots in Grammarcy park now , while they are cheap , All Tliese Beautiful Lots For Sale ByQ All Thee [ BeautiM Lots For Sale By All These BoaitM Lots For Sale By ' t > S ? a < \Jt & I \iv & l. L Gar , Sli fs , iag firound "CHIP more or less heavy in the vicinity , he would steal thither in the dead of night and put soft soap or lard on tiic track. When tlie wheels of the little seven toner would strike the lubricated track the wheels would .spin around and the train would come to n dead stop. Then the train would bacK oil' quite a piece and the engineer and firemen would shovel dirt and sand on the track , then they would put on all the steam they could got. ana if the track had not been greased over 100 feet the train would not be de tained more than ten or fifteen minutes. Sometimes , though , if the grade was very steep and the farmer had had lots of grease ou soap , the tram would bo de layed an hour or more. This , was the cause of considerable profanity , and sometimes a civil suit would bo brought against the "greaser. " But thq company did not always prove the ollcnso to the satisfaction of the court and jury , and they would have to pay costs. Then they would hand over a good round price for tlie stock that had boon killed , and there would bo no more greasing for some time , unless it was done by vagrant boys out of pure cusedness. THE ENOINEEltS used to be looked upon as superior bo- ings. The conductors , too , were great men in their way.and they used to handle a great deal of money. Captain Haglov , when he first went into the service of tlio road , used to have a salary of $ 10 a month and tlio engineers from $3 > to $10. The other hands , such as station agents , firemen , switchtcnders.atfiom $12 to $18 a month. Many of the passengers of the road used to remember old Captain Hag- ley's peculiarities and quaintncss of speech. When asked what the faro was from Hudson to Chatham ho would reply , "Well , 1 shall have to tax you six shil " cents ) . It lings" ( equal to seventy-live was always "I shall have to tax you so much. " From Hudson to West Stock bridge tlie faro was ! ? l.r > 0 , wh'ch in those days was pretty high as things went. At the end of the trip , when the old captain went Into the treasurer's otUco to settle he would have a shot bag half full of Spanisli sixpences , shillings und quarters , and a largo sprinkling of the old-fash ioned red cent nearly as largo as a silver half-dollar. There was more .Spanish than American silver in those days , and when it was not worn it was handsomely coined , VHIJUTIVE PKEIGUT OAR ? , Tlio freight car. * weni four-wheeled af fairs. Tluiy had a swinging door that was fastened with a peg anil staple The cars were pa-intcd slate-colored and pink. Six cars were an ordinary freight train , and only when the road was In good con dition could the little machine Columbia take nine freight cars up and down the grades and around- the curves. JJut in tno winter then it was that they could not kcop down the accumulation of freight. In wintry mouth * it was as much as the little teakettle could do to kcop going , and the cars were never ex pected to bo ot\timo , When the western railroad began to beef of some importance and the Hudson & Berkshire had passed through tlio winter of bankruptcy it was sold to the Western railroad and is now the Boston & Albany railroad , Hudson branch. It is a very valuable piece of road , both for freight and passengers The Uttlu machines have totally disappeared and the engines now are sixty and siivonty-ton machines from the great works of the eastern states. Some two or three years afterward the Housutouic Uailroad company began to build their road from Bridgeport to the st&to lino. Tim appliances tor building the road were only a little better than those of the Hudson & Berkshire railroad. But the inhabitants along the line con gratulated themselves on the new enter prise that would obviate the necessity ot carting the produce across the eastern part of the state of New York to the Hudson river and thcnco to Now York. Before that along the Columbia turnpike from Great Barrlngton to Hudson , N , Y. , long lines of farmer's teams might bo found in the fall carrying butchered pork , cheese , butler , grain , eta. , to the North river towns and steamboats. About 1SH the road watt completed and the locomotives were a litUo heavier and a more modern type than the Hudson and Berkshire. The lirst machines were the New York w.th Jour-feet drivers , and this was furnished with "a cowcatcher. The machine with the four-wheeled tender weighed about eleven tons. An improve ment was placed on _ fie frame of the locomotive consisting of large splint brooms ( irmly fastened in holes which were about an inch : .bovo the track in order to clear tlie snow from the track. There was also a cab built on this engine. Then there was the little two-driver en gine Albany , that very much resembled the Hudson of the Hudson and Boston road , was put on. Two larger machines followed , the Litchlield and Berkshire. Tliese had tenders with six wheels , and they weighed twelve tons. These ran the passenger engines. Then came the Housatoiiic and Pequonnock , and after wards , in about 1845 , the Antelope and Reindeer , twin locomotives of about six teen tons , weio put on for the nasacnger train service. THE F1KST EXCUIISION" TRAIN. Shortly after the road was completed the company gave a passenger excursion , and there were about seventy-five pas- smigers on the train. A Mrs. Bishop was killeil by ono of tlio rails piercing tlio floor of the car. The terrible accident cast a gloom across the excursion party , and some of them predicted the downfall of railroads onaccountof such accidents. After this accident each engineer carried on his engine a bagpf spines and a largo sledge hammer , and when a defective rail was discovered , known as a "snake head , " the engineer would got down and nail it fast , and leave word at the first station to have men go and ballast the track. Forty years ago there was no such thing known as an express train. They stopped at all stations , and they never went at a rate of speed greater than fifteen miles an hour.incliiding stoppages. The Western railroad had a hard stint to get its road over tlie Green mountain range in Berkshire county. On the heavy grades at Ualton and Washington for a great many years it was necessary to have an engine to help push the passenger and freight trains tip the grade. It was put through about the year 1811 , and at onoo it began to bo regarded as one of the most import ant roads in the country. At that time thcro was not probably more than 500 miles of railroad in the country. The western road in 1813 adopted the llrst eight-wheeled passenger car that was put on the Now England roads , Chicago was then a thriving little city of 0,250 in habitants. Thcro was then no big rail road center where nearly two dozen roads congregate. It tooK from two weeks to a mouth to get there. In all the west there was not over fifty miles of railroad , although all the largo cities began to talk of them. The Catskill & Canajohario was in op eration about the year 1835. The cars and locomotives were of the smallest and most primitive character. The freight cars were simply open wagons , and ttie freight was , in rainy weather , covered with tarpaulins. There was but little traffic or travel. The man in a Now Eng land village who had been to Boston nnd Now York on the cars was a man to be looked up to as ono of the fast men of the place ho honored with his residence. Should there bo as great improvements in the next half century as in the last , this country will bo a wonderful place to live in. In a Doubt fill State. Texas Sittings : Lawyer "Aro you einclot" Female witness "No. " "Then you are a married woman ? " "No , " "So you are n widow ? " "No. " "But , my dear madam or miss , you must belong to ono of these classes , As what shall I put you down ? " " 1 am an engaged woman. " Herr Richini , ono of the "mimics" of the Vienna opea house , still appears in pantomiimo at the &go of eighty. Ho has been for more than forty years a member of that theatre , HE SOLD glS WIFE- From ( /u French of Guy hi Mii'tptsjuitt Ity C. E. n'ajycNcr. A peculiar case wr.s on trial before the court of Assizes of the Lower Sienc. Caesar Isador Bruniont mf , Prosper Napoleon Cornu haiijbcen siunmoifcd "to' answer the charge of ( trying to drown by immersion Mine. Imuuont , tlie lawful wife of the first nameU prisoner. The two accused were seated side by side on tlio bench. O-'hey were both peasants ; the first one , small , fat and with short arms , short legs , and a round rod head planted directly on his back , also round and and short , without any appearance of neck. Ho was a raiser of pork and lived jii Cachville , near Criquctor. The oUior. Cornu , was his opposite in appearance , thin , with long arms , long legs , , and a head sot awry on his shoulders. Ho had also a horrible squint in one cvo. A blue blouse as long as n shirt fell to his knees , his yellow hair was cut ghprt , and ho had a dirty , worn-out look that was positively frightful. They had , nicknamed him the "Curate , " because h6 imitated to perfec tion the chants of the church. This ac complishment drew to his cafe , for ho was a wine-seller" Criquctot , a great number of clients , who much preferred the mass of Cornu to the mass ot the good priest. Mine , Brumont was scaled upon the witness bench. She was tall and thin and seemed half asleep , so motionless did oho sit , with her hands crossed upon her Knees and her eyes fixed and vacant The judge continued his interrogations : "So , you say , Mine. Brumont , they came to your house and threw you into a barrel full of water. Get up and tell us the facts in detail. " Mine. Brumont rose , looking as high as a mast , with the llaps of her headdress Hying like sails , and began her story in a drawling voice : ' * ! was shelling beans when they en tered,1' said she , "and 1 said to myself , 'What is the matter1 They arj3 not nat ural ; they look wicked. ' 'J hey watched me crossways , for you know , your Honor , Cornu squints. I did not like to see them together , for tlie - are no great things in each other's society. "Isaid to them , 'Wluit do you want ? ' And when they did not reply I was sure that some deviltry was afoot. " Hero the prisoner lirumont interrupted the witness , crying oat ; "I was drunk , your honor , drunk as a lord. " Then Cornu turned to his companioln and said in a deep voice like the notes of an organ "Say we wore both drunk and you will not lie. " "What do you say ? " asked the judge sternly , "that you were drunk ? " "No use to ask ( hat question , your honor , " said Brumout. "Everybody could'sco ' that , " said Cor- nu. nu."Continue , Mme. Brumont , " said the judge to the victim , . "Then Brumout Bald to mo , 'Do ' yon want to earn a hundred sous. ' 'Yes,1 , I said , for you see n hundred sous is not nicked up under a horse's foot everyday. Then he said , 'Open your eye and do what 1 tell you. ' Ami he went out and got a barrel that stood under the gutter nt the corner of the ) iouso , When ho had emptied it ho brought it into my kitchen nnd put it in the middle of the floor. 'Now,1 Baldr bo , , 'go and bring enough water to fill it , ' "I went to the spring with two buckets nnd I brought water for an hour , for you see this barrel was as big as a boiler , save your iionor , Monsieur lo Judgo. All this time Brumont and Cdrnu were drinking will come. ' I paid no attention to him , for I saw ho was drank. When the bar rel was oven full I said : 'There , it is done.1 Then Cornn cave mo the hun dred sous ; it was nat Brumont but Cornu who gave them to "me. Brumont then said : 'Do you want ta earn another hun dred sous ? ' Of course I said yes. You see I am not used -to getting presents like that. 'Then take oil your skirt and sabots'said ho. 'What1 said I. 'Yes , ' ho said. Well , you sec , a hundred sons is a hundred sous , so I thought. I took oil'my cap , my sucquo , my skirt and my sabots. Then Brumont said'We : ' are good boys'and Cornu added , 'Yes , wo ni-ecpodboys. ' "Tlicy both tnen'-.got'-up'amltrie'urtti stand straight , but thfty were too drunk , save your honor. Monsieur lo Judge ; and I said to myself , 'What arc they plot ting1 ! Then Brumont said : 'That's all right. ' And Cornu said : "That's all right , ' And they took me Brumont by the head and Cornu by tlie heels as they would a sheet from the wash. I screamed and yelled , and Brumont cried , 'Hush , wretch ! ' They raised me up in their arms and throw 'me into the barrel of water. My blood stopped running I was frozen to the bone. "Then Brumont said , 'Is that all ? ' And Cornu answered , 'Yes , that's all. ' 'But. ' said Brumont , 'the head is not in ; that counts. ' 'Put the head in , then'said Cornu ; and Brumont pushed down my head until I was nearly drowned ; the water ran in my eyes and cars until I thought I already saw paradise. He pushed mo under once more and I disappeared , when ho got frightened and pulled mo out. 'Go , dry yourself , ' he Sid , and I ran for my life to the house of Monsieur tlio Cure , who loaned mo n skirt of his servant's , foryousco 1 was un presentable. Thenwith Monsiur Chicot , the gatekeeper , 1 went to Criquotot for a gendarme to go with mo to the house. "There we found Brumont and Cornu as drunk as two rams. Brumont was yelling. 'It ' is not true , 1 tell you ; there was at least a cubic metre ; it's not riLhtl' And Cornu was yelling in reply , 'Four bucketsful will not make hall a cubic metro ! ' 'Then tlie gendarme put his hands on their shoulders , and that's all.1' She sat down. The people laughed , the jurors looked at each other stupidly , while the judfjo said , "Cornu. you seem to have been tno instigator of this out rage ; what have you to say ? " Cornu got up and said , "Save your honor , I was drunk. " The judge gravely replied , "I know it ; go on. ' "Well , I'm going to. You see , Bru mont came to my house about 8 o'clock in tlio morning and ordered a tip of brandy. Ono lor you , Cornu , said he , Then 1 sat down and drank with him for politeness. "I offered him ono , and ho another to me , and so wo wont on tip for tip , until by 12 o'clock wo both had a roof on. Then Brumont began to cry. That softened mo , and I nskcd ; him what was the matter : He said : 'I must have n 1,000 francs by Thursday. ' At this I stiffened up again ; yon understand , your honor. Suddenly no cried , 'I wll 1 sell you my wifol1 I was drunk , and I am a widowor-rthat touched mo. I didn't know his wife , but n woman is a woman : you know that , your honor. So I asKed him how much ho would sell her for. Ho thought a moment , or he seemed to think ; for you know when ono Is drunk things are not very cloar. Then ho re plied : ' 1 will soil her by thocmbiometro. ' That did not astonish me in the least , for I was as drunk as be , and selling by the cubio metre is my business. So 1 said : 'That's nil rightj'only the price remained to bo fixed. 'How much a metre ? ' I asked. 'Two thousand francs , ' ho re plied , I made a jump Hks a rabbit ; then I reflected that a woman couldn't weigh more than thirty metres , but all the same I said : 'It is too dear.1 'I won't take any less , ' said he : 'I would lose by It. ' You understand that ono is not it pork-mer chant for nothing they know their busi ness ; and this seller of grease might be a rascal I must sco what I bought. "Then I said , 'She Is not now , she fs second-hand , so I will not give you 8,000 francsj I will giro you 1,000 francs a cubic metro ; not another sou ; will that do1 ? 'Yes , ' ho said , and wo wont out arm in arm. for ou know v/o n > ut help each other in this life , "Suddenly I stopped. 'How can you measure her by the litre unjos.s you liquidize her11 ? asked. "Then ha explained his idea , not with out trouble , for ho was. very drunk. ! will take a barrel,1 eald he , 'and fill U even full : I wilt then put her in it , and all tlie water that runs out will be her meas ure.1 'Yes , ' said I , 'but how will you get up this water that runs out ? "Then h'o lbok at > ineD s if I were a chitterlincr , arid exrilnino'dlhat the barrel buckets would bo a'Ciibic nictrol .Ho was not stupid if ho was drunk- the old ras cal ! ' 'Well , wo went to his house , and I looked upon my bargain. For a beautiful woman it was not a bad one , but she was not a beautiful woman ; every body can see that. Look there , and see for your self , your honor. But I said to myself I must do'it , pretty or ugly ; a bargain's a a bargain ; and when I saw how thin she was I knew see wouldn't measure ! 500 litres. She has told you of the operation. I even lot her keep ou her clothing , to my loss , and when wo measured the water , your honor , it was not four buck- otsfiil , ha ! ha ! ha ! " The witness laughed so loud that a gendarme had to ship him on the back. When quiet was restored he continued : "Brumont declared that it would do ; that it wasn't enough/ yelled , and he yelled- ; ! thumped , and he knocked and this would have gene on until judgment day , for wo wore both drunk , if the gendarme hadn't ' como and carried us off to prison. I demand damages ! " Brumont acknowledged that the story was true , and the jury retired in great consternation to deliberate. In two hours they returned with a verdict of ac- quital , accompanied with severe remarks upon the majesty of marriage and the limitations of business transactions , but Cornu got no damages , SOIMR Idiotic A sail has recently been tried in Marlon county , LouiKana , in which Tliaddous Robinson was plaintiff and Catherine Queally was defendant. Nine years ago , says the Mobcrly Monitor , Dave Board- man stole a mare from Kobimon and sold her to a man named Blair , who said her to Mrs. Qncally. The thief was caught , tried , convicted , and served a term in the penitentiary. The animal , however , was not found , and Mrs. Queally remained In quiet possession for a number of years. Robinson eventually found where his mare was and brought suit to recover her. How the suit re sulted wo are not advised , but the case reminds us of some others. In 1848 a Mrs. Gatewood , in Boone county , Georgia , lost a .sheep bell , the price of which was ! > 7 } cents. Her neighbor , Coleman Reid , found it , or came into possession of it some way a very honorable man , as she was a ro- spectuble woman. But the discovery of where the bell was occiuionud some neighborhood gossip , ami finally a scandal. The neighborhood took up the quarrel , and finally u suit was instituted. It grew gradually until Mrs. Gatewood ami her three securities were bankrupted. Unionism Reid and his tVfo brothers lost all their property , and besides that Reid mot James Arnold , one of Mrs. Gate- woo'd's securities , on the road and cut him up savagely , The costs of the suit , including attorneys' ' fees , were said to have been about $18,000 , In Montgomery county , GeorgiaIsliam Talbot was sued for the recovery of a bull calf said to bo worth $0.25. Talbot was wealthy * and so were his friends. They defended his suit , which went through the magistrate's court , and cir cuit court , and tno supreme court several times. The costs alone were something over $8,000. , In Boone county two neighbors had a colt , each very similarly marked. Ono of the colts was caught in a grapevine and hung. Before itvas discovered tlio liogH bail mutilated the hind legs so badly that they couldnot bo distinguished. 'Ath'o dapis , ran together in tbo same * forest and the sur viving colt wn ? first with ono and th.cn with , the pUfor , a dispute arose about tUa ovvnerslilp" . Over 200 witnesses were subpicnacd. No ouo of them estimated the vuhio of cither colt at more than $ lti. Before the case was concluded it cost A DAI'S VISIT TO BERGAMO , Ono of the Most Interesting Places Id Italy , A BEAUTIFUL CITY ON A HILL , The Opera , tlio 1li'iiiliMn | Mnsp , anil the Animal Kali A ( irnnil OKI Church- Operatic I'erftu'inniioe. HKKGAMO , August 31. [ Correspond ence of the HIK ] Yestorthiy we arrived hero at llWa. : ! in. , having como up from Milan , principally for the opern , the roiiulom mass at tlio Santa Maria Mag- giore , and the annual "licra , " or fair The average traveler overlooks Bergamo , as a small town of little interest or 1m- portanoo , when in reality thcro are fo\v places in Italy that oiler more varied at tractions , both of nature and of art , than tins "city on a hill. " lir.UUAMO is most picturesquely situated , and l.i really "a city within a city , " the old or "high town , " with Us irregular wnlkninl quaint gates , being on the summit of tlio steep , and the now or "Lower Bergamo" circling the base of the hill and gradu ally creeping out of its modern confines to spread itself on the beautiful plains and valleys before it. A magnillcunt background of mountains finishes as lovely a picture as one would euro to sec , and the feelinir of enchantment that 0110 succumbs to at the tir.st glimpse of llergamo and its environs is in no wise impelled upon entering the gates of the city proper. The exuberant growth of foliano of all kinds immediately attracts one's attention , and the great love of- the Italians for llowers anil plants is shown , at every turn. The windows of all the houses , from the palace or villa to the peasant's lint , nre filled with flowering green , and long masses of delicate ivies and rose brandies hang from the balco nies , softening the oftentimes cold aspect of the light stone or brick houses , \Vo drove through beautiful shaded streets to the open smiares and market places , where the gaily decorated tents and booths , wretched brass bands and ani mated groups of peasants told of the cel ebration of run r.viu SKASON. The "Hera" usually lasts from the 20th or 2."tth of August to' the lOlh of Septem ber , and at Verona , Brescia , I'arduu , Henramo , etc. , is especially important as nn opera season. At noon"wo drove out of Lower Bergamo and up the well kupt hill road to Tin : OID T < nvw. Beautiful groves , lawns a"nd founrutna gave one tlio idea of a lung continued garden , and a lilting termination to it was the half-ruined , iv\-covered g.itu , through which wo passed into "uh Bergamo. " The contrast in nrelntooturu and structure between the two parta of tlie eity is naturally verv great , and1 as one winds through the narrow , uneven streets ot the hill town.cateliinggliinpses of grim old towers , cool , picturesque loggias , worn shrines and fountains of traditional tntons , interest in the antique supersedes all else for the moment. An immense monument to Garibaldi stands in the arched court of the ancient town hall , while the campanile or bell towonof , the hitler casts its shadow over the grand , old church of Santa Maria Mnsigiorc , onu of tliu richest and most interesting ofctho small cathedrals of Italy. 1'arts ot" it are said to have been built thousand years ago , and on the walls are at least ninu immense pieces of goblin-tapestry. . Only 'tvvoror thrfeo havo.jire qKVijd thiiir qn < % - ' " " 'inal rich""coloring , forj tile others worU washed during the invasion of Napolnou I. , in ISO ! ) , and have faded greatly. .Na poleon also carried away the MAGNIFICENT HIGH ALTAIC CKO38. so exquisitely carved in gold a ml'si I TO c and ornamented with precious stones , the whole valued nt DUO.OOO franca. If ! was rot.urncdliowover . , and occupies itn former 'position. Tlio wood carviug o the choir stalls around the high altar is considered the lincst work of its kind in. Italy , and represents , with the delicacy of etching , the "Creation and Fall. o Man. " The monuments to Donizetti ami. his old master , Mayer , arc in the south transept of the church. The baptistry is a gem , built of the finest marble and ornamented with rich mosaics and- rare alabaster columns. We next visituil tho. new white marble Duomo , in thusanio piazza. It is costly , but not pleasing. Then we drove rather out of town to lunch at a curious little inn , ccfabratud for the magnificent view it commands ; The house was built on the extreme edgu of a high boulilor , and being consldonilify above Bergamo , overlooks tne city , tlla beautiful valley ( laid out like a park witlt mulberry trees and grapevine yards ) , thu Swiss Italian Alps in the distance o > i one side , and the domes and piiiiiuuLns of Milan on the other. Until o'clock ; we spent the time at the Carrara mu seum , where they have a splendid collco- tion Jof old paintings. Luiiii , Corregio , Titian , Tintoretto and many other mas ters of the old Italian school are well represented , as well as .some of the famous Dutch painters , such as UubmiH , VamJyek , Holbein und Jorduen , At-1:15 the mass for the peace of the soul of I'onchiclli commenced nt the Santa Marhi Mn gloro , and seldom , I think , has liner Dickie been U.r.rd than that given there. A full orchestra and two organs ucconi- panied j. large choir and a chorus ot ono liuinlc' . The tenor hud a voice that many an operatic aspirant might envy. The mass given vras Poncliiulli's favorite. ' Wo returned to the Hotel d1 Italia r.ud dined in the garden , and of course tried tlio "special" dish of Ucrgamo called "polenta con uccclli. " It is a niuldinj * made of line chestnut Hour and cuvoroif with tiny birds , which are fastened , by pairs , on sticks the size of matches. The birds are cooked witli claws and lio.uls on , and the Italians look upon the head' ) as the daintiest bit of thulr repast , Th < i opera "Giocondiv" commenced at 810i ; and was one of the finest pcrformanqu.3 wo had over Imard. THK OI'KIIA. 1IOII.SH is said to ho second in si/.o to tlio Seal a of Milan , and every place wan occupied last night. The ladies in tlio fivu tiers of boxr-a were in full dross , as were also many in the parquet , The nart of , GJoconda was taken by Paulina Rossini , a young- Hun garian gir ) , about twenty-live , who has1 been kinging very Miccusufiiliy in Spain and Sicily , Her splomliil dramatic so prano showed to thu best advantage In the passionate vole she assumed , und , though thii opera had already been snug five or six times , she received vcln-mont applause throughout. Tlio contralto hail not only an unusually line voice , but , like Rossini , was a finished nctresc , TliM tenor , mezzo-soprano and baritone iq : all young , but sang with taste and case , especially the baritone , who divided tiw honors of thu evening with Giocoiulu , U'lio miso-cruceno was very rich , and thr opera is to be repeated BOVOIJ or ufchq times before tlio "liera1' ' is over. On out way back to the hotel we stopped in the fair grounds and watched the gaily dressed peasants. The women wear a black mshnicrc shawl , gracefully draped , over head and shoulders , instead of tlicj lace veil , and their ne.cK kerchiefs are much more brilliant in color than thoMj of the peasants around Milan. Many of the men woarkneo-brcecluisof corduroy , with a short , round jacket like that of the Spanish loafer , and a little bright fuatbtu' stuck in one bide of the tlppud-baok hut. MllllAM ClUSli ,