New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-10-21
TIE sngireer for which think be Inhibited n ny
so5 ANGEL He recollevted tksts -so1 engine va sta

TIE engineer. for which think be Inhibited n sy
so.d angel He reeoIlecied tksts soof engine va sta
fcr,d Al point named CGgcri0wn, ioriyihrec miles
aitad and IL decided 20 take hand car ard uake Tor
III. sotfst car how should have two strings 20 L.
Tie hsui.ear was dragged over tie rclga piaue
srrrrs cur Iorr train. sud snnched-I following VIA
ny csrpe1@ ses the lockout Tor chances in 'nes
il was duly manued; / bad cOaxcd my way 70 seat
upon IT, ard We were OF.
TIE f neon rose bright oyer the eastern woods ss,
wiih the north star straight ahead we babe adea to
the eUbuo City 81 Brookston. We were seFea ~ US
IL the lsnd-csr. four propellng b. wos "a II turning
heavy twohsnded grindstone but We let on one pas.
sfnger after trayepiEg few miles. The engineer AMI
made up the party and the car, sbOat equal N size
70 wheeibauow and half just nsnafed 10 Hold as
snd give TIE prOpSlors working room. 10 economic
space, SAT go,G part OF the time tacng backward.
with my feet hanging the rear OF the car knock
ing here and there tie ~ bridgetimbcr. and often
tckled through ny bcots BY the coarse, ranA weeds
growing up al intervals between the ties and recently
stifencd by the hard October frosts As a constant
effort 10 hold on was required the position was not m
yOrabe 20 slumber, however il might be to cOgation
Our Irish steam evolved from Yankee muscles
and proved OF capital quality. We made our gst I've
niles, heavily laden as We weye in twenty-five min
uos; our first ten nlies In an hour; but prOpel
lers grew gradually weary stopped twice tArce
for ell water and perhaps other lqud, that
were kye hours in making The forty three mlles,
from o'clock t midnight 1 only tried my hand at
propelhng tor short uiie aud that experience sul
need to convince ne thai, however Il may De as q
business this species OF exercise cannot be cOascen
tously commended as an amusement
The ua ht was chilly though clear; the dead-ahead
breeze. though light, Was keen; aud L. by no means
dressed fer such an airy ride tet It most sesso Oar
course ay sctoss the east end OF Grand Prairie which
stretches westerly from the bank OF the Wabash across
Indiana and Illinois 10 the Mississippi. and thence
through Iowa and Nebraska, perhaps 10 Council bais
ard the Rocky Mountains. The ground we traSersci
was nearly level often marshy and for the most part
clear OF wood but frequently crossed belts or spurs
on higher drer soil Of the great forest on our rght,
with occasional cunps Of sturdy oaAsisles Of timber
In the prairie seatO which the belts aforesaid served
as promontories -Four prairie hres-tw0 ca either
hsnd-at intervals OF miles, burned brightly but LARRY,
Tor the wind not strong enough nor the vegetation
dry and crisp enough, 10 mpe rapid, roaring sweep
ing ire. Now hock of Wild geese few BY, mnrmurns
subduedly then great heron rose before Us and hew
heavily over the marshes OpOssum was frightened
by noisy approach and hed eagerly into the praie
under evident mistake as 20 the nature OF our ous
and again OdOrous skunk, keepna his earcass
unseen gave pungont evidence OF his close proximity.
Finally, little after midnight. chilled and weary, wo
reached the onehorse village OF Culyerown and found
the engine missing run down to Michigan City Tor
ropars-so that my companions have had thslr rugged
rioe for nothing.
The landlady of the only house in sight get up and
made fire; the engineer decided TO wait for the no
turn OF the fugitive ehgino and began TO drum up
the means OF farther conveyance for was still TWEEN
speed me on my way. Horses, learned were not
easily to be had, and ii at ALL probably mile or two
away and not till m0rning and, even II had team,
the roads the great marsh and small river Just
north of us were rather shy But the engineer lent
men the hand-car which lad already done such good
service. and evoked from slumher two Dutchmen who
were per- uaded to act as my crew aud by o'clock
was again under Roadway Northward-the AIR keencr.
and more vulnerable to its assaults in my lonness
than when tx of were so closely huddled together
put,n nutaiman nr.uelpl With "A will. aud QOO1
craft sped brsky onward.
From CulNertown prairie marsh stretches thirteen
miles northward aud think no building aud hardly
cultivated visible through all that distance
The dense fox beatenown by the cold air. lay low ON his
marsh and was heavily charged with prare-smoke for
part Of the way. Three miles from Z. We crossed on
poherish bridge of naked mbers, the slough-lke bed
wherein the kOnkskee oOzes and cfeeps sugghy west
ward 10 Join the Fox and form the Illinois. Ihey say
the Konkakee has a rapid current and dry, inviting
banks nom the point where crosses she Illinois hno'
which might tempt 10 regret that 1t did not eross
that line iorty miles higher up. Happily the keen air
had done for the mosquitoes, so that we had no moro
music than had fairly bargaDed for but Buny might
have improved his description Of the Slough OF Des-
pond had he been favored With vision OF the h0nka
kee marshes.
At four O'Clock A. NJ my good craft brought up at
Wostyille and was gratihed with the sight oil hai
dozen houses at once for the rstt time since leaving La
f0yetto seventy eight miles below doubt that MI tho
houses ,sble that seyentyeight miles would amount
10 one hundred, and sue they would be dear at
two hundred dollars EACH the average. Yet there
aye much fine timber and excellent land that route,
and he who passes the railroad ten years hence
will see very different state Of things. AZ emcent
plans of drainage but be devised and executed that
region will YET be one Of the most productive in tho
world Still the fnanciering which conjured up the
means OF building that New-Abany and Michigan City
railroads. worthy OF brazen monument
At Westyille was but eleven miles from LapOrts
snd four from the crossing OF the great Northern In
diana Road from Chicago; 70, having accomplished
sixty -four miles by hand-car since dark and arrived
within striking distance of civilized railroad, went
to bed till breakasttme t0ok passage by wagon at u
was in Lapofe by 8 spoke for Temperance at took
the Railroad az 3, and here 10 fulfill my engage
ment to lecture last evening" and thus, having reopend
ny communications, close this hurried recollection Of
A NIGHTS Ride across the Prafies. II. q.