John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, Page 19

[John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, page 19. Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source. This is my rough transcription. Extra paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.]

[continued] begin the ascent of the Alleghanies. Heree is "Sir Johns run" - a station -- frog station, I should suggest. Things woke in the dark, romantic, perhaps my own fancy.

Passenger tells a story of a Frenchman's description of what he termed "Une terrebale railroad mistake," whereat several hundred people were killed. The Cuban gentleman's denunciation of American trains also: "Hell wagons."

Here before me sits a young man who has not travelled much, & is very anxious, He can't fix himself in his seat, & evidently never before saw ten o'clock at night without being snug in bed. Let's see what & who he is.

Mr. I. J. Bowman, relation of Geo. Bowman of the "Union" -- comes from Schuylkill Co. Penn. on way to Cleveland O. to get in use for Uncle. Daddy dead. Mama married. Sister at School, etc. going to seek fortune. He will find it after [a] while, now a little green . . . Told him never . . . Ohio, with other good advice.

There I see a mountain dimly in the dusk. I know it is not far, because if distant, it would move nearly as fast as we, but does not.

Ah! [T]here is Cumberland in distance. 


[John Milton Binckley (1831-1878).
Sir Johns Run = in Morgan County, (now West) Virginia.]