The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-12-16
TUESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 12, ls5 4.
Time.-The Stage Coach-the Steamboat-the
Railroad.

Time.-The Stage Coach-the steamboat-,h,
Railroad.
1t is universally conceded by ourselves, and
by all the nations of the earth who know US
that we are ''iast people, This cpithet is
not only applicable to Young America but
to 'Old America in short. it is characters
tic of the nation at large Sometimes the ju,
venile element is wont to get ahead rather toe
fast. but the conservatism of middle age-the
practical business thought and sinew of the
land steps in and checks up the rampant
youth. and at the same time drags up along
side Of it the grey haired stand-stll 'old !ogy"
So it comes out right in the end and in COM
pari,on with all other people, and all other ma
tions, We are a fast pcople-a people wLe are
bound to make the quickest time on record"
We were thinking of this great fact the 9TH
er day. after conversng with the agent of the
mail coach line, now on the road between St.
Paul and Dubuque. The time from Dubuque
here is, or will be in week or so, four days.
The time from Dubuque to New York or Bos-
ton, if the connections be properly met, is
two d~ys. Thus one can, now, at this season,
while our great river highway is closed 10y the
frosts Of winter, attend divine service on one
Sabbath Gay in st. Paul and the next Sabbath
be seated in one of the churches of the Empire
City. St. Paul and Minnesota are not out Of
the world it would seem, even amid the ice and
SHOWS of winter.
But let us look farther. When navigation
again opens. a line Of substantial, swift packet
steamers will carry us, in ordinary stages Of
water, from st. Paul to Dunleith in twenty.
four hours. Thus three days of the four which
we arc now required to lose upon the road will
be saved. and we will consequently find our
selves in New York or Boston in that much
less time after we leave home. On Monday
morning we start and on Thursday Ofthc same
week we take our dinners at the Revere. the
Astor or the Irving. Suppose we have only
sufficient business to occupy us in the city dur
ing the daytime OF Thursday and Friday, and
leave on return by the ''Lightning Express; on
Friday evening. By this arrangement, early
on Sunday morning we are in Chicago, where
we must tarry, perhaps TIL the next morning
and on Monday evening inst one week after
we were one hundred and fifty miles down the
river on the journey East I'VE are only the same
distance below that point on our return home
having meantime spent thirty-siy hours in
one of the great Atlantic cities. and twenty
four in Chicago. This is no highly-drawn or ex
agcratcd sketch of necessary travelling time:
it is not only possibility but a probability that
will happen newt summer, should anv one of
our citizens have the opportunity and incl!na-
ton to try the experiment We hope TO see it
practically illustrated by historical fact.
We will now take a look to the South. Four
hundred and lifty-fve miles from Dunleith by
the Ills. c. Il. r., brings us to Cairo, at the
junction ofthc Mississippi and Ohio rivers
From Cairo to New Orleans, steamers of not
the greatest speed, are in the habit of maxim G
three day trips This is dorm stream time we
are now speaking of, although this time has
been made from point to point, up stream.
against the strong current of the Lower Mis-
s;sSippi. We will now calculate ordinary 'Ex-
press time on the Central Road from Dunlcith
to Cairo--which is thirty miles per hour-and
it gives us fifteen hours and ten minutes from
point to point But not to come down to min
utes, we will set the time at sixteen hours. We
then have the run from st. Paul to New
Orleans in this WISE
ST. Paul to Duncth by Steamboat. "a hours
Dunleith to Cairo by Railroad,..... l6 "
Cairo to New Orleans, by Steamboat ~ "
Time from ST. Paul to New Orleans, 1l2 ::
Or four days and sirtecn hours, only, from
the head of navigation on the Mississippi to
the great commercial metropolis of the South !.
We will make all due allowances for way de-
tcntion and say five days, or even five anda
half days and then we are as near New Orleans
as is The city of Cincinnati by the shortest run
ming time of the class of steamers plying thence
to New Orleans. Here is another ''sure thing"
which will be opened to our trade and conven
ence next season. BY the time the ice is out
between Dunlcith and Cairo the packet boats
will be here and at Cairo to meet us, and we
can Journey hence to the "Crescent City" in
five days, or less.
Drawing the veil from very few years of
the future-in all probability less than three
VIC Will uOt upOu l/O"Cl 4hlsSiosipp'
steamer which requires all of three days to
carry US from Cairo to close proximity with the
Gulf of Mexico The Mobile and Ohio Rail-
road is rapidly progressing, and will certainly
be completed within that time. This line ex-
tends from Mobile to Cairo and will be inter
sected somewhere in the States through which
it passes by road from New Orleans, already
in rapid course Of construction. We have no
means before us of arriving at the exact length
of this road, but it cannot be over $50 miles.
Time over this line, according to calculations
above, say "a or even 80 hours. From Mobile
to Havana is but two days sail for the ordina-
ry class Of sea steamers. We will repeat the
figures already given, with view of showing
what We can do in travelling south from st.
Paul, after the Mobile and Ohio Railroad (now
all under contract and grant of lands to back
it) is completed
From ST Paul to Dunle "a bOurs