The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-09-15
LITTER FROM IOWA.
The following interesting letter We COP!
Al.

Teor Transcripi-I arrived here last even
inp, after pleasant journey IRON ,h,eaeo,
+ nv the way Of the Chicago aud ROCK lsiunu
Railroad to Lasalle, thence by stage 70 NOON
Island. was very much struck ny ahe ,''-
mense amount of business on this raiifoaa-
certainly as great as on any road passed. oii
my route. The receipts for last month 81
! ceeded Sla 900, and the road Is only nan
completed. What they will DC II fepruats
next, when the road will be completed 10
Rock Island, it is hard to estimate
/ We arrived at night, after leaving Lasaiie'
/ nj Sheffield. where we found very NEE
new hotel and very dirty and disagreeaeie
landlord. who seemed determined that we
should all (some eight Of us) occupy the
same bed. As the weather was excessively
hot. preferred establishing myseliin CHAIR
on the porch and enjoying the ed'tyihs con-
yersation of an old fellow, who, from ms aP
pearance, must have been '.Mhiskey sucker
General, of the town. From this interest
inc specimen | learned, that the town OF
! sheffield" had been in existence only
t,eelre months; and that it belonged to the
"Sheffield Mining and Transportation Com
pany," a company Of capitalists form ier
the purpose of mining the extensive coal
mines on their lands in that vicinity, ana
transporting the coal to the city OF chicago
ON the Lakes and Rock Island on the Miss's-
ssp River. The supply Of coal IS mex
haustible, and equal to the best camel Goa
of Pennsylvania. In the morning visited
the coal mines, and from the extensive beds
Of coal in sight and the great facilities Tor
working IT, readily satisfied myself that the
rapid growth Of a twelve-month village was
not at all premature, and that by the first oil
October next when the railroad from Ih-
caro is to be completed and the first train OF
cars with heavy weight Of precious fuel thun-
der into Chicago, the enterprising stockhold-
ers of the Sheffield Mining and Transporta-
ton Company will find their stock eagerly
] sought after by greedy capitalists, at rates
that will fully compensate them for their eA-
ertions in developing the resources OF this
great and wonderful country.
Arriving at Rock Island, the appearance
of the hotels not being very inviting, we ut
i once crossed the river to Davenport. where
/ we were comfortably provided for at tine
I LARGE hotel called the lie Claire House, and
kent by the brothers Lowry, very obglng
I an d gentlemanly landlords. The people OF
III s goodlv town are all alive on railroads,
and are in great ecstacies at the prospect oil
/ an early connection from this point west to
! the Missouri River.
I The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
Company organized few months since,
with the Hon Jonn A. Dix, Of New York,
as President, and goodly number of respon-
sble directors. 1t has completed its CON
tracts with responsible parties for the com
pleton Of the first division Of the road from
this place westward to Iowa City BY the
first Of December, 1851. The remainder Of
the road to the Missouri River will b. put
under contract as soon as the peopE along
the route, by liberal subscription 10 the
stock, show the eastern stockholders that
thew are with them in the enterprise. This
road will form one OF the most Important
links in the great Pacific hiyhlray.
One of the most remarkable personages
in this tow is Antoine Lee laire, a half-hreca
OF enormous size, weighing some four hun
dred pounds, and whose good-natured face
would cure any man at once OF a severe fit
OF the blues His heart, they all here say,
corresponds with his body, and he is enter
prising and liberal He has with the house
of Cook g. Sargent, bankers, of this city,
! subscribed forty thousand dollars to this
road and the lberality Of his whole course
in connection with these railroad companies
mas bebl -uiH, lHul tIt! HhNt l1AidGu w
call their first locomotive, now building for
the road, west of the Mississippi, the lie
/ Claire" and to have il ornameuted with a
/ portrait of the old gentleman. lie was the
( first "white man. who crossed the MISSISSIPPI
nj and settled in Iowa, and this fact makes ii
very appropriate (aside from his liberality
towards the road, that the first locomotive
which crosses the Mississippi, and goes
4 1 49,,
res, pioneer to the dark and turbid Missou-
ri, and perhaps westward and onward to the
great Pacific, should be named after him.
A railroad from Boston To Council Bluffs,
on the great Missouri. Through in five
days. Only think of il. When visited
this town in '46, the grass was growing in
the streets. Now, from my hotel window,
as write, can count some twelve establish
ments Of different kinds, driven by the pow
er Of steam. Flour and saw mills, foundries
and planning mills and am assured b. resi-
dents here, that four hunirf3 buildings are
now in progress of erection in this town Il
they are progressing thus rapidly without
railroads, what must be the effect when,
I eighteen months hence, they are united by
bands Of iron with the great Atlantic sea
+ board, and their iron arms are extending
westward into the heart of Iowa, draining
this delightful region OF the products of mill
ions of acres of the most fertile lands in the
world
am fairly in love with Davenport. From
the tower on their college Ga noble edificc.
situated on the top of the Bluffs, and over
looking miles of the Mississippi and Rock
River Vallcy) there is one of the most bcau-
tiiul views in the world. The scenery on
the Hudson cannot surpass it. Old Fort
Armstrong in the middle of the river, with
its dlapidated and weather-bcuten buildings,
adds much to it. The villages of Camden,
on Rock river, and Moline, in the distance,
have charming effect For speed, convc-
nience and certainty, these railroads are GO
ing to lay old Father Mississippi in the back
ground; and the excessive low water this
season vii! render the contrast more striking
Real estate is advancing more rapidly here
than in any part of the West have yet been
in; and if present prices are justified in Chi
cago, there is no reason why they should not
advance three times present prices here -
There are, | am told, twelve churches in this
towu--eyery denomination but Unitarian.
nope TO be able to give you ere long valu-
able information in regard to this lovely
portion OF our Union. BosToN Boy.
The following article has been handed us
far notification II endorses tho snutinp ~ 4 .