Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-03-01
.p1ro,lAI Correspondents.

found Of interest. 1t was written Oh Doaiu
. steamer below the mouth of the Ohio
river
have had all sorts Of times getting thus
far, having been detained by snow-dr'its.
lice in the river, scarcity of bouts ana low
water, but will probably arrive at Memphis
tonight.
When wrote from Lasalle We had reach{
ed that point without detention rom SHOW
drifts, though in anticipation of such diiiicui-
! ty we had in the train carload OF IRISH
men hired at two dollars day At Lasalle
| the Central Road had not yet been opened,
81 we had to take the Bureau Valley
Road to Peoria, arriving there about Il
o.clk. at night There were between 100
and 200 passengers aboard, all desiring 70
stop at the Peoria House, the best hotel
Il was as cold as Greenland, SO gave my
..check" to the first baggage wagon met
and started at full speed for the hotel. hoping
to secure bed by getting there first. But
the landlord told me he should have to treat
us all alike, as he had not spare bed in the
house. However, he got up warm sup
per and l was fortunate enough to secure q
"buffalo'' in the parlor by paying boots a
quarter.
Next morning we had a great scramble
for stages, as the whole company were bound
for Bloomington, forty miles. thence by the
Miss. e. Central Roads to different places
South. Myself and six others secured a
four-horse sleigh comfortably fitted out for
S24,5o.
Go, into Bloomington about o'cik.,
and all stopped at the best hotel. the Pike
House, more properly termed the Shark
House. Mr.. Shark knew, he said, that the
Central train did not start till the next alter
noon, but as we insisted on being taken To
the depot next morning before half-past
five, we fortunately got started by six o'clk.
in the first train on the Central Road coming
as far north as Bloomington.
At Lasalle many persons had been stop
ping for more than week, being assured
each day by the landlords, though their
hotels were full, that the Road would GER
tainly be opened the next day. lhave met
and am in company with many persons who
have suffered by the storm of the list ult.
Some having been detained as long as ten
DAYS in different places. Others had to help
/ dig away the snow and have had their ears,
1 noses and feet frozen. While others, still
more unfortunate, had been detained till
they had exhausted their money and ther
had to lay over longer from wan of means
TO get farther.
Bloomington is quite a large place
Peoria is the largest and pleasantest fewr
on the Illinois river, and excepting Chicago
| is the second in size. il not the first, in the
State. When we lett bloomington it wa:
freezing cold and the snow was piled up tre-
mendously, but at Slndersyille there was
not particle OF snow TO be seen, it wa,
then raining and quite warm. Here saw
a train load Of sugar. At this place tht
passengers for st. Louis take the Ohio &
!. Miss. cars SO miles to Illnoistown, opposite
st. Louis.
i For miles before reaching this point, We
had passed through continual stretch o
prairies without seeing tree-ce rtanl,
the broadest praries ever saw. | woul
as freely live in the midst of the ocean u
in the middle OF one Of these vast praries
The Railroad Company own every alternate
tow nship on their line and accordingly have
located station in the centre Of each, Blu
are prevented from selling town lots at sucl
stat ons, although they have bill befor,
the Legislature to grant them that priv
lege.
Before arriving at Cairo we were inform
ed it was more than quarter of mile t.
any of the hotels, or wharf boats, and tina
the mud was knee deep; but fortunately thii
proved to be false 4 big darkey 'toted
our trunks down to the upper wharf-boat
called the Kendall Hotel, and charged us q
half dollar each. We all hurried down Il
I the condemned stedinDoit lHOteiJ anu Vert
there informed that as both upper rivers
were closed there might possibly be boa
along tomorrow, but perhaps we should
have to wait week. was so fortunate u,
to secure half berth, but as the accommo
dation only consisted of a mattress and I
! light (and dark enough. too,) spread, which
was not long enough at either end, beside.
having large air-hoe atour feet big enough
| for a Cairo desperate" to crawl in at,
was glad to resign it long before daylight
! found big fire in the stove and plenty o!