.M ^^:M ■mr '^jf^i v-^jflflMwWPWfe^^ 4flHH^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Shelf ^.... UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. DESCRIPTIVE Readimq ILLUSTRflTEb 50 LflMTERH 5LIDE5 WILLIAM H. RAU PHILADELPHIA 1389 Descriptive Reading ON PHILADELPHIA EDMUND STIRLING ILLUSTRATED BY FIFTY LANTERN SLIDES •)EC 101890 Vi WILLIAM H. RAU PHILADELPHIA 1S90 \^^Ar~<^ . Copyright, 1890, by William H. Ran. ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. Old Swedes' Church. 2. First Gubernatorial Mansion. 3. Christ Church. 4. Franklin. 5. Carpenters' Hall. 6. The State-House. 7. Interior of this Building. 8. The Old Liberty Bell. 9. Landmark of the Kevolution. 10. The Old Zion Lutheran Church. 11. The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul 12. The Synagogue, Kodef Shalom. 13. The Girls' Normal School. 14. The University of Pennsylvania. 15. The First Library in America. 16. Kidgway Library. 17. The Same Old Office. 18. A Marble Palace, a Greek Temple. 19. The Academy of Fine Arts. 20. American Academy of Music. 21. Oldest Theater in America. 22. The Temple. 23. Union League. 24. First Eegiment, National Guard. 25. Post-office. 26. The Mint. 27. The Custom-House. 28. Old Merchants' Exchange. 29. Point Breeze. (175) 76 ILLUSTRATIONS. 30. Tlie Ship-yards of the Win. Cramp & Son's Ship and Engine Building Company. 31. The Drexel Building. 32. The Public Ledger. 33. Office in the Ledger Building. 34. Chestnut Street. 35. Market Street. 36. Broad Street. 37. Municipal Buildings. 38. The Lafayette. 39. Broad Street Station. 40. " New York and Chicogo Limited." 4L The German Hospital. 42. The Eastern Penitentiary. 43. The Water- Works. 44. Pumping-Station. 45. Girard Avenue. 46. Zoological Garden. 47. The Lion. 48. Mansion known as Solitude. 49. The Wissahickon. 50. " Over Kocky Beds, under Green Boughs." PHILADELPHIA Nearly a quarter of a century before William Penn was born the idea of the foundation of a city of brotherly love was striving for utterance in the mind of Sweden's great king, Gustavus Adolphus ; and, strange to say, the very tract of land which the illustrious Quaker determined upon for his colony was selected as a site. But Gustavus died before his idea took shape, and the terror of the Thirty Years' AYar absorbed all the interest of Continental Europe. Still, the little Swedish colony did not die out, but grew, and in a measure flourished, but could not rise to the dignity of a state. Traces of this little colony still remain. The lover of the old landmarks, who directs his steps to the district in the lower part of Philadelphia known as South wark, will find, hemmed in with shipping and junk-shops and noisy ware- houses and machine-shops, a quaint, old-fashioned little church still bearing the name of the I. Old Swedes' Church. — But the scene then was a dif- ferent one when the worshipers flocked to their little shrine. The majestic Delaware flowed by green meadows and gently sloping hills ; and stately forests of beech-trees stood around like guardian spirits. The march of improvement has dwarfed the once noble forest, and nothing of its grandeur remains but the churchyard, the little church-spire pointing heavenward among the trees, a mute symbol of the faith and worship of the pioneers of the commonwealth. Many an antiquated tombstone tells of the Petersens and the Andersons, who were a living power in their own little circle of thought and activity. (177) 178 PHILADELPHIA. Here, among others, rests Alexander Wilson, the ornithol- ogist, whose ruling passion, strong in death, made him desire to sleep in this silent, shady place, where the birds might sing upon his grave. Such was the place when Penn landed. He, too, like the great Swede, sought to found a colony for freedom of relig- ious thought. His city, too, was the product of a definite plan, a forethought purpose. It seemed as if Providence willed that the noble idea of Gustavus should not die but should receive its full embodiment through another people. The Philadelphia colony was popular from the very start, and a friendly interest sprang up between the original settlers and the newcomers. Before the second year six hun- dred houses stood complete, many of them of stone, with pointed roofs, balconies and porches. The governor, with just pride, wrote to England : " With the help of God and ray noble friends, I will show a province in seven years equal to any of her neighbors at forty," Penn had given orders that his own house should be pitched in the middle of the town, facing the harbor. 2. This First Gubernatorial Mansion stood, just before the incoming of the Centennial, surrounded by the menacing warehouses and factories, which seemed eager to devour it, in their greed for traffic and wealth. Like one whose glory had departed, it stood amongst strangers, bereft of its netting of orchards and trellises of vines. But, thanks to the generous spirit of one of Philadelpliia's benevolent citizens, it was not suffered to be wholly demolished, like so many time-honored landmarks which are so fast disappearing ; a portion of it was carefully removed to Fairmount Park, where it is once more in sylvan surroundings. Although William Penn was liberal-minded enough to have his city free to all honest and sober men, yet he naturally wished it to be governed accord- PHILADELPHIA. 179 ing to Quaker ideas and principles ; but the pressure of emi- gration and the popularity of the city brought many that were attached to the doctrine of the Church of England, and they too naturally desired to build a house to worship according to their way of thinking. As early as 1695 the Cliurchmen in the colony had what they called "a very fine church," which is believed to have been of brick, and seated five hundred people. As they grew in strength this little building became too small to accommodate their increase, and an order was sent to England for 30,000 bricks ; and a stately structure was begun and gradually pushed to completion. 3. Christ Church, as it is called, was begun in 1727, before Independence Hall, and finished in 1744, the steeple being added ten years later. The chime of eight bells was brought from England by a Captain Budden, who charged no freight on them ; and thereafter, whenever Captain Budden 's ship came into port, the bells rang a merry peal. This chime marked many an epoch in the history of the col- ony and of its struggle for independence. Bells were re- garded in those days as the fair spoil of a conquering army, to be used in the casting of cannon, so that in 1778, when the occupation of the city by the British was imminent, the chimes were taken down and removed to Allentown. They were replaced after the evacuation of Philadelphia by the British troops. Many memories cluster about the edifice. Here Washington w^orshiped when President of the United States. Here lie Robert Morris and many distinguished men and women of the first republican court. 4. Franklin. — In the churchyard, which is several squares from the building, lie the bodies of Franklin and his wife be- neath the plain marble slab bearing the simple inscription, "Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, 1790." The tomb is at 180 PHILADELPHIA. the northwest corner of the burial-ground, at the corner of Fifth and Arch Streets ; and about twenty years ago the vestry of Christ Church replaced the brick wall by an open iron railing, so that it can be seen and the inscription read by passers-by on Arch Street. Though in so humble a resting- place, this is the man at whose death not only America but the friends of liberty throughout the world hastened to do honor, and of whom Mirabeau said, in announcing his death to the French National Assembly : " He was the sage whom two worlds claim, the man whom the history of empires and the history of science alike contend for." The name of Franklin recalls Philadelphia's share in Colo- nial and Revolutionary history. It was in Philadelphia that the first Continental Congress assembled, September 4, 1774 ; and, fortunately, the very building in which the delegates met to deliberate upon the momentous question is still preserved — 5. Carpenters' Hall, the very temple of freedom. This venerable building, so hallowed by its uses in connection with the history of the country, was completed in 1771, and is the property of the oldest trade organization in Philadelphia, the Carpenters' Company, Avhich dates from 1724. The principles which the Quaker founder of the city incor- porated into his government were just such as prepared the minds of the citizens for the doctrines of the Declaration of Independence. " Obedience without liberty is slavery," said Penn. What place, therefore, could be more fit for the very forging of the armor for liberty ? Let us look for a moment at 6. The State- House, a building, as you see, bearing evidence of the liberality and public spirit of the times in which it was built. Its style was the architecture of the Augustan ages of Eng- land, and was accounted most beautiful, with its solid brick PHILADELPHIA. 181 walls with marble trimmings, its urns, arched doorways with projecting keystones, and heavy wainscoting. From an historical point of view, it may be of interest to know that the State-House was erected under the supervision of, and upon plans presented by, Alexander Hamilton, Speaker of the House of Kepresentatives of the Assembly of the Province, between 1732 and 1747, the tower and Avings being built at a considerably later date. AYe are told that it was a place of gathering for the elite of Philadelphia. The " upper ten " was wont to congregate in its spacious vestibules and corridors, or to promenade in the winding walks of its beautifully laid out garden. But it is the 7. Interior of this Building which is more sacred to the heart of every American. Lst us look at that hall where words were uttered which shook the world. It has been restored, as much as possible, to the condition it was in at the time the second Congress met, when the Declaration of Independence was signed. There are the chairs on which they sat ; there is the very table upon which the second Magna Charta was laid ; and in imagination we can see them as they boldly step forward to affix their names to that document which was to them either the passport to liberty or the war- rant of death. Uj^on the walls are the portraits of the projenitors of our freedom, that faithful band of signers who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to the maintenance of the principle that all men are born free and equal. In the adjoining room (the museum) may be found many a relic of those times, but we can only linger now before one which is suspended in the hall under the steeple. This is the object of highest interest to every visitor, — 182 PHILADELPHFA. 8. The Old Liberty Bell, which emphasized with its vibrations the glorious words of Independence, as they were uttered by John Nixon from the State-House steps. Like the people whose sentiments it so loudly and clearly uttered to the world, the old bell, now silent, must needs pass tlirough the fiery trial ere its voice could sound forth the words which awakened the new spirit of the world, — freedom. It was brought over in 1752, but on its trial it was cracked by a blow from the clapper, being too brittle. It was recast twice in the land of freedom, and here imbibed the air of liberty. The old bell shared in the exile of the city's chimes at the time of the British occupation, but was restored to its position in 1778. A new bell took its place in 1828 ; but the old Liberty Bell, with its prophetic inscription, became a ven- erated object, and was only rung on occasions of public im- portance. It was cracked July 8, 1835, while tolling the knell of Chief Justice Marshall, and was silenced finally, by the spreading of the break, on Washington's Birthday, 1843. Let us pass to another g. Landmark of the Revolution.— On the principal street of Germantown (now a portion of the city) stands, some distance back from the road, a venerable-looking house, built several years before the Revolution by Benjamin Chew, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. The house was the scene of an event in the Battle of Germantown, on the fourth of October, 1777. On the main street of Germantown was stationed the line of the British. General Sullivan, of the American Army, made what he thought to be a ftivorable attack on the British pickets ; but he merely forced them onto the main division, which, finding itself closely pressed, retreated to the old Chew mansion. A surrender w^as demanded, but the answer was a volley of musketry from the windows of the house. Our feeble American cannon were unable to make an i!n])ression PHILADELPHIA. 183 upon the solid walls of the house ; and, as the destructive fire kept pouring from the windows, the Americans were compelled to retire. The noise of the battle reached the ears of Corn- wallis at Philadelphia, and a march was made for the relief of the British. Washington, seeing that the day was against him, retreated in time to save his troops from Cornwallis. The curious visitor may still see the cannon-balls embedded in the walls of the house. The early Philadelphians, who flocked to the colony after Penn made it so popular, were content to live at first in a rather humble way. Some, who no doubt had been accustomed to luxury in the old country, were satisfied to live for a while in rude huts, and even in caves. But the rude dwellings soon gave place to more pretentious buildings. With increase of worldly prosperity, our ancestors began to look for more stately edifices wherein to worship God, the author of their temporal blessings. Let us glance at but one of these old-time temples, which also carries with it memories of Revolutionary times. 10. The Old Zion Lutheran Church, now no more, which formerly stood at Fourth and Cherry Streets, calls back the olden days. One incident connected with this church is worthy of remembrance. It was within its walls, on the twenty- second day of February, 1800, that the first Washington Birthday was celebrated. A procession marched into its spacious aisles and listened to an oration delivered in honor of the Father of his Country. The character of the churches is said to be an indication of the social condition of the people. We expect to find beautiful architecture amongst an art- loving people ; and the finest examples will be found, not in the public buildings, but in the houses dedicated to the service of God. II. The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, on 184 PHILADELPHIA. Logan Square, whose construction cost over a million dollars, is very imposing in its architecture. It is in the Roman- Corinthian style, adorned with frescoes representing the Na- tivity, the Adoration of the Magi, the Crucifixion and the Assumption. There are also figures of the Apostles and Evan- gelists. The edifice was dedicated November 20, 1864, and at that time and for a long time afterward was considered one of the most, if not the most, imposing sacred buildings in the United States. For many years it was somewhat bare of interior decoration ; but the present Archbishop has given the matter much attention, and among the additions which have been made are a stately high altar of white marble, and several beautiful side altars, in the niches reserved for them in the aisles. We may turn from this temple to that of another and more ancient faith — that to which all Christians look with reverence as the origin and root of their own — and contemplate the Eastern grandeur of 12. The Synagogue, Rodef Shalom. — It is constructed of light sandstone, decorated with stone of other colors, in the Saracenic style of architecture; and the tower, which stands at the corner of Broad and Mount Vernon Streets, is 125 feet high. Just below, oddly contrasted with the other, rises the Gothic spire of the North Broad Street Presbyterian Church, and beyond is the observatory of the Boys' Central High School. Philadelphia is justly proud of her free schools. Their his- tory dates from the beginning of the century, and their record has been one of steady progress, until now the schools number nearly five hundred, the pupils over one hundred thousand, and the teachers over twenty-four hundred. While the High School is in the true sense a training college for teachers, its graduates, as a rule, adopt the other ])rofessions, and it is to PHILADELPHIA. 185 13. The Girls' Normal School that the city looks for its force of teachers. This building is a much more modern structure than the boys' school. It is of green stone, with facings of sand- stone, and presents a fine appearance from the opposite side of the broad avenue (Spring Garden Street) in which Ic stands. In addition to its work of preparing young women for the work of teaching, it embodies in its course the studies of a high school. The present building has long outgrown the demands upon its space, about fourteen hundred pupils being accommodated within its walls. Though not a part of its regular public school system, 14. The University of Pennsylvania is the crowning glory of Philadelphia's educational work. This venerable institution dates back to 1749, from an academy and charity school founded by Benjamin Franklin, as he expressed it, " upon which posterity would erect a seminary more extensive and suitable to future circumstances." Twenty-four well- known citizens were the trustees, and in a few months two thousand pounds sterling were subscribed. Its success was as- sured from the first ; students came from different cities, and the school was incorporated in 1755. Dr. William Shippen, who had privately been instructing pupils in anatomy as early as 1762, suggested the medical department, which is the oldest and, perhaps, the most famous in the United States ; and the law department began in 1790. The University has outgrown its location three times. At first it stood at Fourth and Arch Streets ; in 1800 it removed to Ninth and Chestnut Streets. The purchase, by the Government, of the ground for a post- office obliged its removal again. Now we have the cluster of beautiful buildings, of serpentine and sandstone, the central pile having been formally opened June 4, 1874. A magnifi- cent hospital — a fitting adjunct to the medical schools — and a 186 PHILADELPHIA. noble public library are among the auxiliary buildings be- longing to the University. Benjamin Franklin was not only closely identified with the inception of the University, but was the founder of another great educational iustitution, — 15. The First Library in America. — The idea of a pub= lie library came to him in this wise : He was the president of a sort of social-science club of Philadelphia, called the " Junto Club." Each of the members owned books, which of course were borrowed by the others. Franklin suggested the plan of putting them all together to constitute a club library: the idea was adopted, and out of this begin uing in 1781 grew the great Philadelphia Library. The present building on Locust Street, to which the library was removed in 1880, is an architectural copy of the old structure on Fifth Street (on a part of the site now occupied by the Drexel building), which had been the home of the company for nearly a century. 16. Ridgway Library. — lu the year 1869 the Phila- delphia Library Company was tendered the extraordinary bequest of one million dollars by the will of Dr. James Rush. There were certain instructions in the will which led to much reluctance on the part of the venerable corporation to accept the gift, and it was not until 1878 that the stock- holders took that action. In the mean time Dr. Rush's execu- tors had proceeded with the erection of the massive granite building at Broad and Christian Streets, which was conveyed to the company May 6th, 1878, as the Ridgway Branch of the Philadelphia Library. It is calculated to contain 400,000 volumes, and has a frontage of 220 feet and a depth of 105 feet. There is another name which will always be associated PHILADELPHIA. 187 with Philadelphia, — that of Stephen Girard, the merchant prince. What Franklin did for its intellectual growth was nobly supplemented by Girard's contribution to the material development of the city and its commerce. Girard was a man of sterling merit, generous when distress appealed to him, and even noble and self-sacrificing when suffering came to his notice. Yet there was nothing sentimental about him. Day after day he came to his office, 17. The Same Old Office which we now picture to you. Year after year he worked and toiled, until his fortune became colossal for that day. In everything he was governed by the principle that work was worth so much, and represented a certain value. His clerks and his servants received a just compensation and nothing more. He was said to be selfish and " close," but in no way could a man more conscien- tiously have shown true nobility of character than he did by his services in the City Hospital during the plague of 1793. An historian of the city says : " All the world knows of the great institution which bears his name, and which he estab- lished for the education of the poor ; but few know that he took in hand Bush Hill Hospital, in the midst of its unlimited disorder and filth, and day by day traveled to it on foot and waited upon its inmates, serving in every office, even the lowest and most loathsome." This, too, was at a time when clergymen and physicians had forsaken their charges and fled the city. In all likelihood, had Girard seen fit to establish the orphan school before his death, we may be assured he would have provided the plain, comfortable home which his will sets fortti ; but the trustees have built 18. A Marble Palace, a Greek Temple, supported by thirty-four grand pillars, each of which cost thirteen thousand 186 PHILADELPHIA. dollars. But who regrets the outlay ? The design of the main building is of the richest Corinthian style. The super- structure rests upon a base consisting of eleven steps, extend- ing around the whole edifice. The exterior of the cella, or body of the building, is 111 feet wide and 169 feet long. The columns supjDort a portico with architraves 21 feet wide, and are 50 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. It is arched through- out with marble, and the roof and floor are mosaic marble. The weight of the roof is said to be 970 tons. The great doors in front are 16 feet wide and 32 feet high. In the south vestibule, in a sarcophagus, rest the ashes of Stephen Girard, surmounted by a marble statue, said to be an excel- lent likeness. This beautiful temple now merely forms the central structure, around which a dozen or more buildings are clustered. The course of study is of a practical character, including manual training ; and there is provision for upwards of fourteen hundred pupils. The college regularly began its work in 1848. We have seen how science and learning have been honored in the various institutions in Philadelphia. We shall now glance at a few of the places where the Muses have found favor. ig. The Academy of Fine Arts will bear compar- ison with any institution of the kind in the country, not only as to its habitation but with respect to its history. Since 1805 it has labored to cultivate the fine arts here, and the artists who are proud to claim it as their alma mater are in themselves the best evidences of the work it has done. The building is a fine specimen of the Byzantine style of architect- ure, having been erected in 1872, and stands on Broad Street a square north of the City Hall. It is of ornamental brick, terra-cotta and stone work, and a striking feature of the front fayade is a colossal marble statue of the goddess Ceres, PHILADELPHIA. 189 dug up at Megara, Greece, and presented to the Academy by Commodore Patterson. The galleries are commodious and well appointed, and within the building the art schools have every facility. These are conducted upon a broad and liberal principle, all the advantages of the Academy being given gratuitously to pupils showing artistic capacity. Through the munificence of the late Joseph E. Temple, a patron of the fine arts, the Academy is open on certain days free to the public; and the corporation controls a fund with which it is enabled to purchase works of art shown at the annual exhibi- tions to enrich the already fine permanent collection. From the house devoted to the muse of painting let us go to that of music. We are told that the great singers regard it a great luxury to sing in the 20. America-n Academy of Music, this fine building being a triuraj)h of acoustic construction. It is not very imposing from without, being of brick, with brown-stone trim- mings; but it surpasses any other opera house in the country for its chaste interior decoration, as well as the wealth of its stage property. The auditorium seats 2900 persons comfort- ably, and has standing-room, occasionally utilized, for 600 more. It may be interesting to know that the first opera in the Acad- emy was in 1857, in which Gazzaniga sang in "II Trovatore." The Prince of Wales, during his visit to this country, graced the Academy with his presence, and was received by an im- mense throng of people. Many a gifted man of Europe and our own land has poured forth words of eloquence and truth from the spacious stage, it being used as much as a lecture- hall as for musical and dramatic purposes. The huge cary- atides which support the arched pediments over the proce- nium boxes have also been the silent witnesses of many a great gathering relating to the social, political and religious life of the people. 190 PHILADELPHIA. For a Quaker city, Philadelphia can claim a steady patron- age of the dramatic muse from a very early date, having what is believed to be the 21. Oldest Theater in America. — As early as 1749 a piece entitled " Fair Pembert," by Nicholas Rowe, was put upon the boards and received with much favor. It was pre- sented in a large room over a storehouse. The first actual theater did not go up until 1759. The mimic stage, of course, met with some very positive opposition, and even bills were gotten up in the Pennsylvania Legislature for the suppression of theatrical performances; but Robert Morris, Gen. Wayne and other liberal-minded men carried the day with their ar- guments, and the theater continued to flourish. The Walnut, of which a view is shown, is famous from the fact that here Edwin Forrest made his first appearance as Young Norval, in 1820, at the age of fourteen years, and here also he closed his dramatic career in 1871. The stage has since vibrated to the tread of many a great tragedian and comedian. The social proclivities of " the City of Brotherly Love " were early evinced, among other ways, by the fact that the first Masonic lodge in America flourished here. From a very humble beginning, the fraternity has grown to an astonishing strength, and it now occupies one of the most imposing mod- ern buildings in the world. 22. The Temple, which was dedicated in 1873, is a specimen of the pure Norman type of architecture, notably elaborate and bold, and is principally of Cape Ann and Fox Island granite. The grand tower is elevated 250 feet, resting upon foundations 31 feet below the sidewalk. The porch, or doorway, is one of the most elaborate works of the kind extant. In its interior arrangement the Temple aims to present a per- petual object-lesson, illustrating in their purity the several PHILADELPHIA. 191 types of architecture. The buildiug forms the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and of the capitular and Templar orders of Freemasonry within the jurisdiction. Philadelphia has justly earned the title of "the City of Homes," and it can hardly be expected that club-life should develop to the same extent that it has in New York and other cities ; but of late years the tendency has grown in a remarkable degree, and the 23. Union League, the Philadelphia, Rittenhouse and Art Clubs are notable institutions of their kind. The first of these, a view of which is shown, inhabits one of the finest of modern club-houses; and membership in it is so much prized that applicants are content to wait sometimes for years for vacancies to occur. The League was originally a political organization, having its birth at the outbreak of the Rebellion. Some idea of the character of its work may be had when it is known that it sent into the field nine regiments, two battalions and a troop of cavalry, all armed and equipped at the expense of the club. Now the League's functions are almost purely social, and it entertains with a degree of liberality which is only equaled by that which it displayed when its energies were directed to the preservation of the Union. The need for such aid to the Government has long ceased to exist; but the State supports instead, in a high condition of discipline, a body of citizen soldiery, ready to respond to its call for the preservation of the public peace and order. The nucleus of what is now the 24. First Regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania, was an organization of Home Guards, known as "the Gray Reserves." The First is one of the "crack" regiments of the State; and its armory, on Broad Street, is a building entirely worthy of its tenant. As you see, it is a castellated Gothic 192 PHILADELPHIA. structure of brick and stone, and is 140 by 222 feet. The towers flanking the entrance are 120 feet high, and the inte- rior arrangements comprise elaborately furnished apartments for officers and companies. The one-story portion seen in the rear is a magnificent drill-room, 139 by 155 feet, aflbrdiag fa- cilities for regimental drills, which are unsurpassed. The Third Regiment, the First City Troop and the Battalion State Fencibles also have fine armory buildings. Turning from these social and educational phases of the city's life, let us touch upon some purely practical. The com- mencement of the 25. Post-office system really dates back to the times cf the Duke of York, in 1676, originating in the necessities of the Government ; but the first penny-post, as it was called (meaning the delivery of letters from the post-office to persons to whom they were addressed), began about 1753. Benjamin Franklin was one of the earliest of the postmasters-general ; and so excellent was his management that mails for New England were sent out once a week; and a letter could be sent to Boston and a reply received in three weeks instead of six, as formerly. The present stately granite structure, as we see it from the corner of Ninth and Chestnut Streets, was first occu- pied in 1884, and cost the Government, including the site, fur- niture, etc., about eight million dollars. Though not quite so large as the Chicago post-office, this building is admitted to be the most complete, costly and convenient to the public of any in the country. It fronts 425 feet on Ninth Street, 175 feet on Chestnut and Market Streets; and its total square feet of area is 67,121. In 1888 the financial transactions (receipts) of the Philadelphia Post-office aggregated 86,395,854.53. Nearly one hundred and eight millions of stamps were sold; the postage on newspapers, etc., representing 8,909,236 pounds, and in value $89,092,36. The building shelters the United PHILADELPHIA. 193 States courts, Pension Agent and Internal Revenue and other federal offices. Another building in Philadelphia belonging to the National Government is that in which the greater portion of the gold, silver and minor coin of the nation is made. There are three other mints, — one at New Orleans, one at Carson City, and the other at San Francisco, but their coinage is compar- atively insignificant, and all the dies are made in Philadel- phia. 26. The Mint, which stands at the northwest corner of Chestnut and Juniper Streets, is a building of the Ionic order, the design being taken from the celebrated Grecian temple on the Ilyssus, near Athens. It was finished in 1833, but, as may readily be imagined, the building, though several times enlarged, long ago became too small. At times the pressure of business becomes so great that sil- ver and gold bullion, amounting to millions of dollars, are stored in the open corridors. Congress, however, in 1888, rec- ognized the needs of the institution, and appropriated a quarter of a million for improvements and enlargement. The Phila- delphia Mint has a world-wide reputation for the marvellous accuracy of its work. The first gold received from California was deposited here in 1848, having been brought by the Panama route. There is also a museum connected with the Mint, containing a fine collection of national coins, as well as many rare pieces, both ancient and modern. 27. The Custom- House. — Several blocks farther down Chestnut Street is another government institution, also a Greek temple, the seat of customs. The first federal building used for a custom-house in the city was situated at Second and Dock Streets, and opened in 1819, continuing in service until 1845, when, upon the failure of the United States Bank, the Govern- 194 PHILADELPHIA, ment purchased the handsome white marble building erected for that institution, and it has been the Custom-House ever since. But it must not be supposed that even this large structure is sufficient for the accommodation of the large busi- ness of the office. lu 1871 a large five-story fire-proof build- ing was erected on Second Street above Walnut, and is now occupied by the Appraisers' offices. Turning now to matters of municipal rather than national interest, we have before us a view of the 28. Old Merchants' Exchange, once the business center of the city. Jn the early part of the century the old London Coffee-House and the City Tavern served instead of such an institution as this, but this more pretentious gathering-place was the natural outgrowth of the needs of the day. The building was completed in 1834, and was in its time consid- ered the most beautiful edifice in the city. It is constructed of Pennsylvania marble, in the shape of a parallelogram, the eastern front (at Walnut and Dock Streets) presenting a semi- circular portico, with eight Corinthian columns, above which rises a lantern 40 feet above the roof, pierced with windows and modeled after a monument at Athens called " the Lantern of Demosthenes." It is now occupied mainly for office pur- poses, the Exchange as an active institution having long ago fallen into disuse. One cause of this decay may have been the tendency of merchants euo-ao-ed in the same line of trade to associate them- selves together for their mutual advantage and protection. Such was the case with the shipping-merchants, and the Maritime Exchange is to-day one of the strongest concerns of the kind in Philadelphia, representing, to a certain extent, the magnitude of the city's commerce. In her maritime connec- tions Penn's city has ever been famous throughout the world, and many views might be given, and much might be said in PHILADELPHIA. 195 way of explanation, of the many points of interest in the port. Two only can be considered. The view before you represents a great shipping-point in the southern section of the city, — 2g. Point Breeze. — Near by, at Girard Point, are the great grain-elevators of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, while at Point Breeze, on the Schuylkill River, just above its mouth, are a dozen or more oil-refineries, which give employ- ment to nearly four thousand hands, and send out every year over $10,000,000 worth of refined petroleum. For this pur- pose a large fleet of vessels is constantly employed, shipments being made direct to all parts of the world. In the northeastern section of the city are centered the great ship-building interests, which by their magnitude and importance have justly earned for the Delaware its title of "the Clyde of America." The point is one of 30. The Ship-yards of the Wm. Cramp & Son's Ship and Engine Building Co., and the incident the launch of two of the vessels built for the U. S. Navy, — the gunboat Yorktown, and the death-dealing dynamite cruiser Vesuvius. This firm enjoys the distinction of having built the only trans- Atlantic steamers now sailing under the American flag. At its yards were built the famous armed frigate New Ironsides, which rendered such eflective service in Charleston Harbor, besides many other vessels for the Government during the Rebellion, war-ships for Russia, and an almost countless fleet for the country's merchant marine. The large share they have taken in the building of the " New Navy" shows that the mantle of the great founder of the firm has fallen worthily upon the five sons who now carry on the work. Their recent achievement has been the building of the fastest battle-ships afloat. 196 PHILADELPHIA. 31. The Drexel Building. — With the erection of the Drexel Building at Fifth and Chestnut Streets, and which we see before us, a new era in building was begun in Philadelphia ; and while this sort of thing has ceased to be a novelty, the na- tives point to this white marble palace with honest pride as the finest structure of its class in the country. It stands upon the site of the old Post-office and other historic buildings, and ad- joins the old U. S. Bank building, now occupied as the Custom- House. Fronting 14!2 feet on Chestnut Street, it has a depth to Library Street of 220 feet, and is ten stories iu height, rising 135 feet from the pavement. It has over 400 rooms, and contains over 200,000 square feet of floor space. The fact that two letter-carriers are assigned to duty in the build- ing, when one usually covers several blocks in the residence portions of the city, will convey some idea of the community of lawyers, bankers and other business-men sheltered within its towering walls. Besides the great banking-house of Drexel & Co., the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, the Board of Trade and the Hirst Law Library have splendid apart- ments here. The closest ties of friendship and of business unite the owner of this great building with the philanthropic and public- spirited journalist, George W. Childs, proprietor of Philadel- phia's leading daily. 32. The Public Ledger. — This building is a handsome l)rownstone structure, and for many years after its completion, in 1867, was the show building of the town, and is still visited every day by tourists. Its architect was the late John Mc- Arthur, since better known as the designer of the City Hall ; and its formal opening was made the occasion for a public expression of the high regard iu which the Ledger and its owner were held. A journal which has the almost absolute confidence of its readers for the accuracy of its statements, PHILADELPHIA. 197 which never panders to the tastes of scandal-lovers, which neither puffs advertisers nor ignores non-advertisers, and which is admitted to be the most impartially independent paper in this age of independent journalism, is an institution of which the city has every reason to be proud. Of the Ledger's proprietor himself, all the world knows of his public spirit and munificent liberality, but of the count- less good deeds which he has done in private no one in this world will ever know the half. Mr. Childs counts among his intimates the great men of his time, and in his 33. Office in the Ledger Building he has entertained more distinguished people — statesmen, soldiers, literati, royal personages, etc. — than have ever been received by any other single private individual in America. The room is a veritable museum, containing portraits of many of his illustrious visi- tors and friends, besides numerous rare historical relics, works of art, souvenirs, etc., which have been brought to him by grateful and appreciative admirers. Particular prominence is given to reminders of the exceptional friendship which existed between Mr. Childs and General Grant, while the tick- ing of numerous quaint and curious clocks reminds the visitor of a personal hobby for which the publisher is somewhat noted. No doubt if William Peun were engaged to-day in laying out the streets of his city, he would provide for us the spacious avenues which the experience of the day requires, and which the new cities of our country have adopted, profiting by the lessons which two centuries of use have taught them. Some of the thoroughfares in " Old Philadelphia" may seem dark and narrow, but in contemplating them we should remember how vastly superior their regularity and straightness make them to the crooked streets of Boston or those of the lower part of New York. These features more than atone for their faults, and in the case of the busy avenue before us, 198 PHILADELPHIA. 34. Chestnut Street, its very narrowness serves to increase the imposing effect of its fine public buildings and places of business. This is the street of fashionable stores, and hence the fashionable promenade. At night the thoroughfare is literally ablaze with light throughout its length, east of the Schuylkill, an electric illumination which is probably unequaled upon any other street in the country. Parallel with Chestnut Street is the avenue upon which the principal wholesale business of the city is concentrated. Originally the High Street of the old city, 35. Market Street is the dividing-line of the system of street numbers, one hundred numbers being assigned to each block north and south respectively, the count beginning at Market Street. In the view before us we see to the left the superb new block of modern wholesale houses erected by the trustees of the Girard Estate, a substantial improvement over the antique row which they displaced. Under the spur of this example many other large and handsome business structures have been erected in the immediate vicinity. The big white wholesale house to the left, and the building in the distance surmounted by a square clock-tower, are two of the establish- ments of President Harrison's Postmaster-General, Mr. Wana- maker. It is hardly necessary to explain further that the overtowering structure at the end is the new City Hall. Occupying a position about midway between the two rivers, 36. Broad Street, which takes the place of Four- teenth in the regular succession of north and south streets, stretches from League Island on the south to the northern boundary of the city, and is said to be one of the longest city streets of the world. Its great length, its width of 113 feet, and its admirable pavement of Belgian blocks and asphaltum, make it above all othei's the thoroughfare for all great public PHILADELPHIA. 199 pageants. Hardly any car-tracks are allowed to mar its smooth surface, and it has steadily improved until it now is well lined for the greater part of its length with beautiful churches, fine public institutions, and some of the most luxu- rious private residences which the city boasts. The point of view before you affords a striking example of its general features. The three churches are the leading ones of their respective denominations, the Methodist on the left and the Baptist and Lutheran on the right. The fourth corner of Arch Street is occupied by a leading banking institution. Farther in the distance, to the left, we see another aspect of the Masonic Temple, outlined in part against the high marble pile of which we must take a nearer view. When Penn laid out the city a square at the intersection of these two great streets was set apart for use as a future site of 37. Municipal Buildings ; but he could hardly have foreseen the magnificent provision which would in time be made for the needs of the metropolis of the commonwealth which he founded. To bring the huge structure to its present condition required eighteen years of work and fifteen millions of money. To-day it is the largest municipal building in the world, and its tower when completed will be the highest, 535 feet. The latter was planned to be the highest artificial structure, but the height of the Washington Monument was increased subsequent to the adoption of this plan, so as to overtop it. The City Hall is built in the form of a hollow square, its largest dimensions being 486* feet from north to south, and 470 feet from east to west, and covers nearly 4 J acres. It will have 520 rooms, having a floor space of 14J acres ; and accommodations will not only be provided for all the municipal departments, but for the State and military as well. 200 PHILADELPUIA. A block south of the City Hall, on Broad Street below Chestnut, stands one of the representative hotels of the city, 38. The Lafayette. — There are others as large, but none more complete in every appointment. The hotel occupies the site of another hostelry, which in the earlier part of this half of the century was equally famous for its cuisine and for the high grade of guests. La Pierre was then the resort of those who sought the quiet and repose of a part of the city not disturbed by the turmoil of trade. The corner building was formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences, but subsequent to the removal of that institution to its new quarters, in 1876, the Hotel Lafayette was opened there. It was so successful that La Pierre property was added, and the two buildings entirely rebuilt so as to fit them for modern hotel require- ments. At the present time it occupies what is rapidly becoming the business centre of the city, being but two blocks from the 39. Broad Street Station, the principal passenger terminal of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and of which we present a view. This handsome structure forms the rather unique method by which this great railway corporation obtains entrance to the business centre. It formerly had its principal station west of the Schuylkill River, but the demands of its enormous traffic required something better. The properties on the south side of Filbert Street, from the Schuylkill to Broad Street, a distance of about a mile, were purchased, and a viaduct of brick nuisonry brought this vast amount of passenger traffic to the City Hall. It is in effect a continuous bridge, and the constantly moving trains — about 250 day — neither darken the streets nor materially interfere with public comfort. Though eight ])arallel tracks are provided, the urgent need of PHILADELPHIA. *20l additional space is felt, and the widening of the entire struc- ture is probably only a matter of time. This striking picture gives some idea of how this great ele- vated railway looks from above. We are facing east, and see beneath the big shed-like structures the bustle incident to the arriving and departing trains. That to the right is the famous 40. "New York and Chicago Limited," the run- ning of which was an unprecedented feat in American rail- roading, and was due to the enterprise of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. This train is composed exclusively of Pullman cars of the most modern type, and the time made between the two points is the fastest attempted by any regular line. When the idea was first carried into effect the Company refunded to passengers the extra fare charged, in case the schedule time of twenty-four hours was not made; but the feat is now accomplished with such regularity that such a guaran- tee is not required by the travelling public. As Philadelphia is world-famous as a center of medical edu- cation, so also is it well knowm for its thoroughly equipped pub- lic hospitals. Though the one before us is not the first in order of establishment, it is a model of modern institutions of the kind. 41. The German Hospital was founded principally through the efforts of citizens of German birth, in 1860, the present site being occupied as recently as October, 1872. Much of its present magnificent endowment is due to the public spirit and munificence of John D. Lankenau, for many years the President of the Corporation. Mr. Lankenau not only pre- sented to the hospital the greater portion of the ground now occupied, but built for it an entire new wing, with boiler- house, laundry and other conveniences, and accommodations for 100 additional patients ; and more recently the splendid 202* PHILADELPHIA. new building on the western end of the lot — the Mary J. Drexel Home — in honor of his wife. This is intended as a home for the aged, an orphan asylum, and as a training- school for the Lutheran order of Deaconesses which has the internal management of the hospital. In close proximity to the German Hospital, which in the old times was known as Cherry Hill, is 42. The Eastern Penitentiary. This site has been occupied as a prison for criminals from the eastern part of the State since 1829, and now shelters, for the public good, a far greater number than that for which its accommodations were intended. For this reason its system of separate confinement is only partially carried into practice, though its managers still hold as tenaciously as ever to the theory. The grounds comprise eleven acres, and the building is a massive qastellated structure of granite, its corner towers being 65 feet high. From the central building or observatory, from which the cell corridors radiate, the guards can overlook all the cells and yards so that instant detection may follow any attempt to es- cape. So thorough is the system that escapes from this insti- tution are practically unknown. The prison has a library of 6,000 volumes, and useful trades are taught the convicts, so that on their release they have no excuse not to lead honest lives. A visit to Philadelphia would be indeed incomplete without a sight of her incomparable Park — the largest in America. Aside from its function as the people's pleasure-ground, Fair- mount Park has a use which is purely practical ; namely, the preservation of the city's water supply. Lining both sides of the Schuylkill, it pushes back from dangerous proximity the polluting influences of trade and manufactures. We see here the parent, if we may use the figure, of the present water supply system. PHILADELPHIA. 203 43. These Water-Works were begun in 1812, at which time the site had restored to it the ancient name of Fairmount. Its steam pump was then able to raise 1,800,000 gallons per day into the reservoir, seen over the top of the hill, a height of 102 feet above low Avater. At a later date this was replaced by heavy wooden breast-wheels, and still later by modern turbines, which to-day have a pumping capacity (except in times of extreme drought) of 30,000,000 gallons every twenty-four hours. The buildings are of an antique pattern, and the spot has many historic associations. Contrasted with this interesting relic of the past is the modern 44. Pumping- Station on the east bank of the Schuyl- kill River, between the Girard Avenue Bridge and that of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's New York Division. Originally the outcome of a . dispute between the old city corporation and the districts of Spring Garden and Northern Liberties, as to water rates, the Spring Garden Pumping- Station is now the most important of the several sources of distribution. The original buildings are those in the rear, at the end of the fore bay, and are constructed in the Egyptian style of architecture. The new building in the foreground contains two pumps, with a combined capacity of 30,000,000 gallons a day ; while one of the older engines — "Jumbo," the engineers call it — alone lifts an average of 22,000,000 gallons a day. The total capacity of the works at present is 90,000,- 000 gallons a day. The winding road to the right connects the famous river-road upon which w^e have been standing with the Girard Avenue Bridge. 45. Girard Avenue is one of the principal uptown streets, a magnificent thoroughfare from 80 to 120 feet wide, extending across the city from east to west. It crosses the 204 PHILADELPHIA. Schuylkill, at very nearly its full width, by a bridge which is said to be one of the finest in the world, and which is, without doubt, wider than any bridge in America or Europe. This handsome structure was completed in 1874, having cost $1,405,000, and replaced a wooden bridge, which had fallen into such a dangerous condition that the Grand Jury indicted the Councils of the city for permitting it to remain open to travel. The view w^hich we give is from the western end, looking toward " Brewery-town," w'here the great beer-brew- ing interests of the city are centered. Turning short around to the right, we find ourselves at the entrance to the 46. Zoological Garden. — Philadelphia claims to have the " best " in several of her institutions, but no claim is more unquestioned than her boast of possessing the finest zoological collection in America. The Garden occupies a tract of Park property 33 acres in extent, which is laid out in an exceptionally attractive manner, with rustic bridges, shaded walks, a pond for water-fowl, flower-beds, etc. The buildings are substantially built and planned with special view to the care of the particular animals wdiich are sheltered in them. The striking group in bronze in the foreground, representing " The Dying Lioness," is the work of John J. Boyle, the talented American sculptor, and was placed in its present position by the Fairmount Park Art Association. 47. The Lion. — Turning from this sculptured representa- tion of the king of the animal kingdom, let us go with the little ones to the carnivora house, where we shall see a magnificent specimen of the African lion as he appears in the flesh. This disrnified-lookiuf!: beast was one of the " first settlers " in the Gar- den, and many thousands of children have stood and watched him as we see him here. If we had time, it would be pleasant PHILADELPHIA. 205 to roam over the Garden with our young companions. We should go, perhaps, to the elephant house, and watch the clumsy gambles of those huge pachyderms as they take their daily bath ; or with the keepers as they feed the sea-lions, to admire the astonishing agility those queer beasts show as they catch their food before it touches the water. But there is no time for that expedition now. Before leaving, however, the antiquarian will find much to interest him in the 48. Mansion known as Solitude, built in 1785 by John Peun, a son of Thomas, one of the Proprietors of the Province. It is now used for office purposes, but the ruthless hand of mod- ern improvement has but lightly touched it. The entire tract now included within the boundaries of the Garden constituted the country-seat of Penii, the choice of the site and the name he gave to it indicating the natural bent of his mind. He only occupied it a few years, for in 1789 he went back to England. One work he did, however, which is much to his credit, was the planting of the splendid trees which covered the estate. With a glance at another portion of this wonderful Park, our visit to the Quaker City will be completed. 49. The Wissahickon, for it is upon this romantic stream that we are gazing, is too well known for its picturesque char- acter to make any attempt at description necessary. The Park liues have been continued up its banks a distance of about six miles from the mouth, thus taking in a narrow strip of land upon which are concentrated a variety of natural beauties which it would be difficult to excel. Every step of the way opens new vistas of beauty to the view, and the ever- changing combination of rock and stream and foliage has, been an unfailing inspiration for the painter and poet. Pun- ning through a hilly country, the stream has cut for its path 206 PHILADELPHIA. a deep ravine, the banks in some places being wildly precipi- tous, and in others sloping gently to the water's edge. 50. So also the stream, bending itself as it were to the pur- poses of the picturesque, now tumbles tumultuously over a rocky bed, now flows placidly in long stretches under green boughs, the reflections repeating the exquisite forms of leaf and branch. RIany interesting legends and traditions linger about the stream, the very names of its bridges and walks benring the mementoes of almost forgotten stories. The Monastery and the Indian Kock, for instance, have suggested themes for more than one poet and novelist, so that we can not dwell upon them here. As one w^anders for hours through the secluded walks of this sylvan retreat, it is hard to realize that the busy marts of trade are so close at hand. May it be many, many years before the noisy intrusion of human industry breaks in upon the wild solitude of the Wissahickon ! We leave its restful delights with the greater regret because our visit to the Quaker City is at an end. mmmm /-fVn -4 :> '--^^ iv ^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 1l|i!HIIIII 014 314 179 2 • *^-' &^':- JSX '' ^-_«.l!'. m^- >4* '-' V ,1^ mr W¥^ *ta^