The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-07-07
Down The Mississippi:
THE NOMINEE-PECULIARIT OF PAsSEN
GERs-A DIVINE EXCITED OUT OF HIS PHO
PRIETY-A BIT OF RACE. &C.
Editorial Correspo,adence Of the Duly I't1neer
GALENA, June Goth, 1854.


IAN INTERIM l take it there is little to be
said to a st. Paul audience, under the head of
" Down the Mississippi" Every unit Them
large enough to wear small clothes, must Ell
Their have come up it, or down direct from
heaven. But there may be something said
under the head of The Nominee" There is
the boat itself, old, but swift as new-feather-
ed arrow-her captain, PREsroN LoDwIcK'
whose name is suggestive of courtesy and skill
her clerk, ROBERT MELVILLE, sometime an
editor, and always gentleman-the man who
keeps an Office directly across from the afore-
said clerk, and who mitigates, to order, the
bad effects of the Mississippi water-the neat
ness of the craft, and all its admirable appoint
ments, might each be dilatcd on at length, if
it were not a work Of supererOgation.
After we had lost sight of St. Paul, by max
ing the bend of the River, looked about to
notice the passengers, and their pccularlties.
On deck, there were score or so Of young
people, of both sexes, watching the varying
scenery along our noble River, as they gazcd
upon its multform shapes of beauty and grand
eur. 1t is said that in this world nothing is
lost; that every tone articulatcd goes echoing
on forever-that every expression of the fea-
lures is somewhere imaged indcibly. If this
be so, what shapes of beauty and Of gladness
must be enstamped Oh the rOck-suriaced bluffs
of the Upper Mississippi-and what joyous
Of no l,ar yor
its chasms and broad waters, continually
Would we had eyes to see, and cars to hear,
this beauty and this melody.
! Around the cabins, and about the decks,
gathered together in groups, were those who
had been prospecting through our terrific
ry, and who were returning to their homes, to
give accounts of our magnificent country, and
of their "perils by land and sea- In the cab
in were two figures directly opposite, and both
striking. The one, a little child-a natural
frank, joyous and beautiful girl. The other, a
man past the middle age, with face as SOM
brc as thunder cloud, and figure as dry and
stiff as hemlock rail. lie was, undoubtedly
"a preacher, of the old groaning kind class,
thank God, fast growing out of date whose
breaths are all made up of signs, and whose
looks would saddcn mummy. He porcd over
a book printed in the Eizabcthan style. which
must have been over century old, and occa-
sionally made notes therefrom, doubtless for
his next Sabbath's discourse.
An incident occurred in which my priestly
friend bore part, which he will pardon me
for narrating if for nothing else, than on the
score of its truth. AS we ran into Lake Pc
pin, We noticed another steamer long ahead o,
lis. The Nominee, unaccustomcd to take the
rear, went into making extra revolutions, and
it was soon seen that she was gaining on her
leader fast. 1t began to be talked around the
boat that We were having race When this
report reached his ears, the domino groancd a
groan; just such an one as Dickens ckcs GU,
Of his pattern ofhypocritcs, the Rev. Mr. Stig
gins. But, as the interest grew warmer anG
more general, | noticed the countenance of tho
solemn man becoming more and more ANNA
ted until at last he threw his ancient volume
, upon the table most irrcycrently, and located
himself in the forward part of the cabin, where
he could watch the chances of victory or fail
ure. As We ncared the foot of the lake, W,
came close upon the Editor; and thereafter
worried her for some miles, much as dogs wor
) ry wolves; forcing her to turn her bow snap
pishly from one side of the channel to the 9th
) Ell that we might not pass. So we ran along
until place presented Itself where. for mile
the channel of the River was somewhat wider
1t was our only chance before reaching L;
Crosse, and the gallant old boat, as if apprc
ciating the fact shot by as gracefully as it die
) speedily. While all this was going on oul
: groaning subject rapidly underwent transform
alton. The way he ran the gamut from gray,
, to gay''-changing in appearance from an old
5 school Pqritanic :clcrg$mal toi middc-agc,
, +spottfpg'maa -. eScec.ted Everything occur
ring within the range of nay obser.vati! DIT
From Its SEAT hs had ve11,utaf to t1c:forwsiit
part Of the cabin; then up to the hurricane
deck; where he might be seen more than al
muir, Ills lonO codt-t;tliS HylhS al the VIM, III
, countcnance betrayng his excitement, until
on passing. he venturcd into regular gufaw
and rubbed his hands in very extacy of delight
} The victory of the devil over him, however
e was but momentary. Before the evening clos
, cd he had nearly regained his familiar look
G and the next morning he came out among us
S once more, as silent and as solemn as clam
r 1t is proper should add that the Nomine
# carried only one hundred and forty pounds o
steam, while she has capacity for over tw'
u hundred. So it was really no race at ALL