The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1855-10-19
Notes by the Way.
Editorial Correspond ence I

catine Railroad. The Contractors have got
TO work in real earnest between Keokuk anC
Montrose, and already long stretches of com
pleted grade indicate the energy with which
they are prosecuting their labors. The work
appears TO be progressing with more or less
force nearly the whole way from keekuk to
Montrose; the principal scenes of present ac-
tivity. however, are in the vicinity of Prices
creek, and along the brow of the bluff near
the rivers edge, below Nashville. At this
latter place, which appears to require more
work than any other section of similar extent
along the line, strong force is employed and
very considerable portion of the bluff has
yielded to the hard knocks which are requir-
ed 10 cut railroad grade into the side of an
almost perpendicular cliff
The amount Of work done in the brief Pc
rod which has elapsed since the commence
ment of operations here, leaves no room to
doubt that the Contractors will finish the lob
with the utmost promptness, and within the
Limited time fixed BY their contracts.
reached this place last evening, too late
to make any observations.
This is most delightful morning, and the
pleasant and genial beams of an Autumn
sun call forth fresh EXPLANATIONS on the beau
ty of the weather from every person | meet.
And no wonder, for this is the s'Indan Sum
mer" of Prairie Land aud its exceeding
beauty cannot be equaled in all the earth.
unless. indeed, we credit the poetical eulo-
gies of ''Itaian skies
fort Madison is pleasant, quiet place,
with very good buildings not too much crowd
ed, and surrounded with fine scenery. For
lack of anything else to do, it would seem.
the city has undertaken TO grade the entire
Levee in front of the town. The mode in
which they are making this Improvements,
strikes me as very in udcious and calculated
TO do far more harm than good. The prn-
clpal business Of the place is done on the
Levee, and there are quite number of yery
good brick business houses fronting upon
that street which is broad and level. and lust
as pretty as there is any need for. The plan
OF Improvement cuts down three or four feet
below the grade, which has been built to. and
thus renders It necessary to fix fight of
steps TO ascend into the stores from the pave
ment. Besides, the street is to be graded
from the pavement 10 the waters edge. SO
that it will be siding all along in front of the
business houses of the place An improve
which xyaull bar.n lr,Ira1
less, injured no buildings and answered eve
ry useful purpose, might have been made.
There are four very fine steam mills here,
which do good business, and create an ex-
cel'ent wheat market. Indeed, the competi-
ton between the Burlington and Rock Island
Railroads is so great that wheat is taken to
Chicago little cheaper from any point be-
low Burlington than il is from Burligton it.
self or any point above there.
had occasion 10 call at the Iowa Peniten-
tiary, which, as you may not know, il loca-
ted here, just above town, at the junction Of
Ii half dozen breaks which make into the
river at that point. The location is as well
adapted to facilitate the escape IF the prison.
ers as any that could be found in the State
There are so many breaks hills, holows
and ravlnes all around the Penitentarv, that
once prisoner gets outside, he can easily
elude pursuit, there being an infnitv Of hid
ing places, all around
The penitentiary building itself, has the
appearance, however, of safety, being two
hundred feet long by forty wide, two stories
high, and composed OF massive stone walls
In one portion of this building some FORTY
eight cells for the prisoners, have been con-
structed Of hewn stone and apparently Of
great solidity.
The workshop, which was burned down q
short time ago, Is pretty much rebuilt on an
enlarged and improved plan. The new build
ing is two-story brick, with basement un-
der part of il, l65 feet long BY thirty wide |
believe. and is designed for workshops, din
ing rooms, &C., for the Prisoners. There
are twenty-eight prisoners here now, and
more expected.
Messrs. Winterbothain 4 Jones Of Ohio
control the working department Of the con-
Germ, and employ the prisoners in manufac-
turing various articles. They were just get
,ingunder way with their manufacturing op-
eratons when the shops were burned down
They are now procuring large lot Of ma
chinery from Ohio aud will shortly resume
operations on much larger scale than here
tofore.
Some nine or ten thousand dollars hay,
been spent on the penitentiary this season
and a mint of money has been almost squan-
dered on it in years gone BY, and yet it still