The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1855-12-27
Editorial Correspondence. |
ST. Lours, Wednesday Evening. y

possession of a comfortable state room oil
! the Die Vernon We are making fine pro
gress and have a delightful day of brilliant
sunshine, whose gentle influence has melted
/ away the digecfa membrd Of floating ice
/ through which we plowed our way last night
some Of whom changed their ''close quar-
tcrs" in the Col. Morgan, which We over
took Mt Quincy, for the more spacious and
comfortable accommodations Of the Die.
keokuk has quite n respectable representa-
ton amongst the passengers, the Official dig
nifty Of the city being embodied in Mayor
kilbourne, while her railroad interests are
represented by Gen. II. I. Reid, the bankers
by Charles Parsons, the mercantile eonmu-
nifty BY y ". Clcghorn, and the press aud
the citizens generally by your hnmb.e SER
want
COL. Dewey, President of the keoAuk and
Muscatine railroad, MH Holmes. contractor
on the keokuk and Fit. Des Moines road,
Judge skinner, Of the Supreme Court Of IL
linois, Mr.. Aarnall, of Wheeling, and Mr..
Durkeq, of New York, are among tile NUM-
Der Of agreeable acquaintance have found
on board
II seems strange to find boat 40 crowded
with passengers from Keokuk to ST. Louis al
! tins season Of the year, and yet the contrast
If the present trade ana travel Of tic Mis-
sissippi with my own recollections of the
past at all seasons is equally striking. When
| came TO Iowa there were but about half
a dozen small boats running in the trade,
and we frequently had TO wait for q boat
several days even during the regular season
Of navigation. Now there is an average OF
| four or five boats Il day, ana those Of %
much larger class.
| The ST. Louis and keokuk Packet Com
! pany have had an immense amount Of trade
and travel the present season, and made a
mint Of money" Capt. Ford, who is the
! very best authority on river matters. assures
me that two daily lines Of packets between
keokuk and -. Louis, making good and reg
! ular time, would have all the business they
| could possibly do It is the intention of the
/ Packet Company to put on an additional da-
| Iy line Of fast boats next season, two Of
which Will make daily trips between st. Lou
~ aud Quincy, and the third daily trips from
heokuk, connecting at Quincy, and ailordine
| heokuk the benefit of daylight arrivals.
4 Some satisfactory arrangement must be made
by them, or it will certainly be made by 9th.
or parties, for the trade and travel both de.
mand and Justify faster boats and a NOR,
/ special reference to convenience and regu
larlty IN the time Of arrivals and departures
Much as we desire and badly as we neel
railroads, the great Father Of Waters is, az
| ter all, worth more than all the railroad
walch We hope 10 have as IA channel and thor
ougafare Of commerce aud travel, and it /
| Of the utmost Importance to us that The FIJI
| cilities which II presents should be used Il
the very best advantage by improving tn
! speed and tie number 0f the boats. Their
is no good reason why we should not have
class Of boats in packet Inc to run from
heokuk to St Louis in from y 10 / hours
regularly, instead Of requiring 36, as unde
| the present arrAng ement.
! find whenever leave home that kooku
has grown immensely in public regard an
general estimation within a brief period, nm
Is almost universally esteemed to be the be.
point on the river above ST. Louis hop
that the energy enterprise and public spiri
Of our citizens may .be stimulated to realiz
this general impression, by pushing forwar
| all our projects of public improvement, bot
internal and external. And amongst tire for
mer know Of none which is more frequent
| ly suggested by strangers than building
magnificent hotel. The necessity and adyan
tages Of such an 'sinstitution'' are too Oh
Vioas u require argument or illustration
and our citizens should by all means perfec
some arrangement this winter for accom-
phshing the object next season.
Thus far had scrubbed on the boat. an
now after q busy day in ST. Louis attendin
to business, taking note Of the ''lions," an
visiting old friends. | sit down to close u
BY few last words before leaving for II
Buckeye State.
find nothing particularly new or interes
lng here, and the een@al topics Of converse
ton seem TO be the railroad subscription l.
the State, the close Of the Kansas war. ii
probabilities Of eleeting Banks speaker, an
. Temperance Lectures by Cough
! The Railroad bill, subscribing seven mi
, lions in addition to the nine millions hcrete
fore subscribed by the State, you have proba
bly, seen ere this. It is great thing, doub
/, lnss fnr liz Nh. g..