The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-11-16
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NUMBER 9.


mile wide, and is crossed in four minutes, .
, nearly so.
In addition 10 onr being The artt.al terminu
OF The Illinois Central Raziroad and the girtuo
terminus ofthe Gafena md Chtcago Unioa Rail
road, we are 10 be the terminus OF another roat
from Janesville, in Wisconsin called the South
era Wisconsin Raiiyoas, to the stock Of whicl
has been voted a subscription by our citizens OF
one hRndrej thousand dr'ars Janesville i.
al this time The fucf.l point for three distinc,
roads, one ffom Chicago, one from Racine and
one from Milwaukee, all uf which must seek the
Mississippi opposite Dubuque, at the northern
extremity OF our corporate limits, through the
line Of THE Southern Wiscon in Road Nor do
we stop here, we are to be the eastern terminus
Of the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad, RUNNING
west across the State, and striking the Missouri
Rivar at or near Council Bluffs. This western
road may be said to be nothing more than a vir-
tual continuation of the Illinois Central Road.
10 the stock in this road, our city and county
have voted a asubscr ripton Of three hundred thou.
sand dollars. When il is considered how i'm
portant link such road west must form in
the great chain and business of The Illinois Cen
trail, the fact that the financial agents of that
Company, who are resident bankers here, are
the heaviest stockholGersin in il, is easily account
ed Tor, and presents an argument in favor Of lis
certain and speedy completion, which cannot
be satisfactorily met
Having glanced at the leading features in
our prospective, allow me to give you
passing introduction to our present.
With the recent extension of our city limits
and the increased inmi grafton Of Of the season.
our population may be safely estimated as some
where between six and seven thousand, and
nearly equally divided between Germans, Irish
ma hfrn h,,i,,
community is composed Of persons from the
Eastern and Middle States, with few from
Virginia and Missouri. Many of our bus
mess houses would have been considered a.
mongst the first class in Pittsburgh but few
years ago, and some idea Of them may be formed
from the simple announcenent that as high as
eight hundred and fifty dollars per annum is
paid for the cellar and first floor in one OF
couple of three story buildings, which are not
yet quite finished for the purpose of opening
furnishing store. With an occasional exception,
our business houses are all three story bricks,
and part OF block is in contemplation, to be
commenced with the opening of four stories in
height, having in great part an iron front, and
IN harmony with the most approved modern
style and taste in the erection OF business hous
es. We have three large Banking establish
ments by which you can be accommodated with
exchange not only on all the Eastern cities of
our own country, but on all The principal cities
of Europe We have large Foundry, capable
OF doing large amount OF work, but wholly
inadequate to the wants even of the immediate
country. Last fall, one house alone retaled fif-
teen hundred stoves before Christmas, all OF
which had been brought up from below. We
have a large Gris Mill on the bank of the
river, and two or three Saw Mills, and quite
number fothers both kinds, around the So
burbs, all or mostly of the first class and all
constantly employed.
We have, what may be called an incipient
Boat Yard, where one Of our Steam Ferry
Boats was built and launched the present season
We have one Soap and Candle Factory, small
one it is true, but a beginning, soon to be sup
planted by another on a more respectable scale.
We have one very extensive Brewery, and sew
eral of minor importance. Our Smelling Fur
naces will not pretend to enumerate-they
a leading element in our present and
future prosperity. We have ten churches, all
brick with three exceptions, and Of these three,
two are stone and one frame Three are Gath
oic and the remainder Protestant The rev
Methodist Episcopal, much surpasses any be-
longing to the Methodist denomination in either
Of your twin cities-certainly, as to style, il
doe $, and think, dimensions also. The Con-
gregational is the next in order the new Bap
tist, when fnished.will be the third, and the
rest are all sufficiently neat and commodious,
except the Cathedral, which is in mIserably
diIa pidated condition. The foundation of a
new one, however is laid, which whea compile
ted will be an ornament TO the North West, and
will be almost as large as the old ST Pauls OF
your vicinity. Its Dimensions, contemplated
style an lcorseq lent cost it is feared, remove
he hope of its erection too far into the future,
70 be desirable for the improved appearance
Il. A., Z
Our educational advantages, besides being
ample are greatly improving. Speaking of our
College, (Alexander College) tIe first term of
which closed few days since, the President of
the Board remarks in the Daily Express Otto day
as follows:
ga College building has already been contrac
ted for to cost $4,000; which sum is already
subscribed and guaranteed, so that the erection
Of the building is put beyond doubt This
building is to be three stories in height, besides
he basement. 1t is TO con ain two spacious and
elegant apartments for Professors--the base
ment is to be arranged for Stewards hall
and the remainder Of he building is to be div
ded into recitation rooms, and lodging rooms for
students, some sixty or more in number. The
College will be located about three quarters of
mile from the heart of the city, on one Of those
bluffs for which Dubuque is celebrated,
where it will command a rural prospect,
unsurpassed in the magnificent beauty of its
A splendid Female Seminary is at this tine
la progress Of erection, on one OF the most beau
tifu sites in the city, with an endowment Of
twenty thousand dollars, through the agency of
Miss Baches, and one thousand additi onal for
library purposes. The Convent of ST. Josephs
Prairie nine miles from the city, is amongst the
finest Academies in the West, and offers all the
advantages of liberal and accomplished educa-
ton. 1t is under the charge of the Sisters of
Charity who lost their properly by the Phila-
dephia riots The, house is three story stone
building and replete with every accommodation
that can be desired Our Free Schools are es
tablished and conducted on the most liberal
scale, and give unqualified satisfaction to all
classes and creeds. We haye two large Hotels
four stories high, which we will pit against any
others that can be named in any town Of our
population west of the Aileghenies, besides
which we have other good public houses
We have three Livery Stables all donga good
business, any one of which can furnish needy