The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-06-28
THE MINNESOTA PIONEER.
St. l1aul, nlinnssota,
Thursday Morning, June 2S, 1919.
Editorial Correspondence.

"WEDNESDAY, June IA, 1S49.
To-day at noon, the Franklin No. left
81. Paul, returning down the river. The
wind blew fresh from the west shore, so
that it was very difficult to push oct into the
channel. After half an hour we swung
around aud got in motion. The steam hav-
ing been bottled Up while we were wind
bound, afforded good head, and the boat
put off like quarier-horse. The starboard
and the larboard engines are tugging away
like span OF spirited horses, each deter
mined not 10 be out done by the other
Now we have passed the white bluff on the
left below St. Paul, and are leaning off to
The right. The multitude of buildings clus-
tering there now disappear from our sight,
and our ears are relieved once more from
the sound of the broad-axe and the perpetu-
al din of hammers, and all the noise and
confusion OF building. Few passengers on
board and but little freight. Here the coun-
try spreads out in wide sloping plains, on
each side, rising gradually as you recede
from the river to the distant bluff; or, rather,
such is the character of the eastern shore,
much Of the land being prairie, and much of
it covered with a scattering growth Of oaks.
The west bank is heavily wooded. Doug
lass Point A most lovely spot, at the ex-
IRENE angle of the delta made by the entrance
of the St. Crox into the Mississippi. Here
are few very pretty houses, and here is
neutrality-suspicious. u store; and here
will soon be delightful village. The St,
Crox drops in very quietly, like familiar
neighbor, ':just running in" at the back door
without any ceremony. Onwego, Wood,
wood. What an awful gor,nandizer of
wood your steamboat is! She opens the
hungry jaws of her furnace, aud presently
swallows up whole forest. Round to.
Here is wood pile of fifty cords, belonging
to Mr.. Miner, who intends to ''sell out"
Out with the bow-lne. All fast. Here the
hands by way Of recreation, carry OH board
about fifty cords Of wood. Good for Mr..
Miner; better to have his wood carried off
in this way than by the frcshet, Night is
coming, and thunder storm, Wood,
wood; still wooding. Sharp lightning and
rather noisy thunder, Ye Gods but who
made all these mosquitoes !--and such mus
quitoes. They seem to ti= about rather fee
bly,, but it is SO easy for them to light down
and commence operations. 1t certainly
amounts to great bore to have so many
little augers penetrating you. Kill them.
Poor revenge. A thousand rise up to ayenge
the death of each one you Stay. These
cannot be mistaken, like the mosquitoes on
Turkey river, for buzzards, but they are
about as a-gnaicing. The boat is off again.
j Strong head wind. The Captain has every
door on the boat opened, so that the wind
/ may sweep--out the mosquitoes. Preparing
for bed. One passenger says he must sleep
with his boots on, one boot being spiked to
bis leg by musquto bills. Go on. Light
ahead! The Senator, prompt and faithful
it is, bound up stream. She takes her time,
but then she also makes her time. We lie
over night at the head of Lake Pepiu.--
THURSDAY MORNING. Rats. Here is Il
quarter section of IA fits TO tow down the
Lake. Two and a half million feet of pine
logs and lumber from the St. Croix The
Franklin hunts them out into The Lake one
by one, like an elephant turned droy Ter; ties
them together, aud urges along the great
lubberly herd Of logs, valued perhaps at
$50 ,OOo, which some boat must tow through
the Lakes to secure them from being broken
and scattered, and the Franklin is both able
and willing to do it. Steamboats, have to
accommodate every body-prorided IL pays
Ten dollars an hour-sxteen cents min
ute-that counts up.
Steamboats, are ike lawyers-the heavier
the cause the larger the fee. What fee did
old Black Dan receive for assaiiing the con-
stitutionality of the ten gallon law? Now
lie. US go out and exercise by walking an
hour or two upon the RATS, for want of hor-
Uses to ride. We will suppose that all this
IfiotilIa surrounds our boat expressly for the
lsafety and recreation of passengers. This
is the philosophical view of the subject
How secure the officers of the Franklin
have made US against the hazard Of sinking
All these logs and cribs might serve as
buoys. How providens for our safety =
Then how they have enlarged our area for
exercise, by towing along this wide floating
island Of RATS. Then observe what caution
is used against blowing up. No danger
har, uantlnynop. thar -