New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-01
NOTES OF WESTERY TRAVEL
ILLINOIS WEATHER AND RAILROADS.
Correspondence Of The N. 7. Tribune
EKEEPoRT ILLlNOIs March 81. 1855.

Correspondence Of The ~ 7. Tribune
FKEEPoRT, ILLINOIS, March q, 1850.
ny experiences for the lsst twenty days prove that
there are other roads beside Jordan which hard 10
tr,yel March 4. proverbislly obstreporous aud
rowoy Month but March in Illinois is worse March
thsn anywhere else. Bryant under The woody hils
Of Rcslyn sings Of the month
But In thy s'ernest f-own sbi-s
A lock OF si0dly promise yet
No such thing out here, stlest II there ever wac
a hard, pitiless, obdprs,s sky-if there ever wss
cherries, raw. Seadenng, unrelentng ART is the
sky Which is now above my head, and the air which
whistles around the bouss. Toke the mud OF tae
Crimes, the temperature Of Spitzbergen. the winds
of Sen Francisco and Trieste the dryness Of the Grea,
Sahara, tho damppess of en- Irish bog, the SHOWS
Of Lower Canada, and the rains Of wet season in the
Tropics and mix them up well together, and you will
have ,olerably fair representation of the month
OF March, 1855, ia the State Of Illinois.
The like never was known before, say the old
residents. / should hope go, and adj the prayer,
may it never be known sgsinl One week ago to day
The Thermometer sas st zero, and tie Illinois River
froze over in single night. This morning the water
in my loom had crust of lee nearly hsf al inch in
thicbress, and was thoroughly chilled and be-
nuubed by ride Of ten miles across the prairie in
squalls at intervals the ground is stony with frost
the grass is brown aid dead as in md-wnter; and
there Ia nothing in all the outer world to indicate that
spring is any nearer than il was three months ago.
At this time lss year the farmers in ese regions mad
finished their sprisg blowing the grass was already
green the roads dry, and the temperature mild and
delightful But as that auspIcous season was the
precursor Of year of unexsmp'ed misfortune let us
] 4 II +.
usher in q bright, cheerful and prosperous dsy.
left Chicago on my way southwark on Saturday,
the 10th, and reached Peru, my destination, the same
afternoon. There was soft roin, which turned the
black, urctdous loan of the praries into fathomess
bed Of adhesive plaster, and | remained in doors
during the following day, which Of the darkest
Sundays ever known in the West. Ia order to reach
Springfield in Monday l was obliged to
ride to La Sale in the evening" and leave there
at A. NJ. on the Illinois Central This Road aud
the Chicago and Mississippi a'e rivals, and display
crest energy in avoiding connection The latter,
however, il much the best, al lie trains making
through trips, instead Of stopping all nigat ST dreary
prairie sts;ion for the sake u paronzing hotels and
increasing tie price Of toSn lots.
We crossed the foe bridge 2 900 feet in length,
oven the Illinois River, and proceeding south yards
at jong pace and moderate speed reached a
house and some shsDtes called Waupells in season
for early breakfast. TIE hslfinished buildings
Standing in the midst Of hemisphere of forlorn
prairie, appeared at distance like wreck drifting
on the open sea. In large loft under the rsfsers
we fourd a table spread with beefsteaks, cakes and
coffee OF which we were allowed to psrtake for the
confederation OF fifty cents. There wer5 some smaller
apartments divided from the main loft By screens Of
calico, behind which We heard the cries of au in
fsrt sId various domestic noises from time to tine.
The breakfast however was better than lis accesso-
res had led US to suppose or else the four hours
joltiDg had given Us indiscrimnste appetites.
The dull night had now faded into a raw gray,
dreary day, ard, as we hurried southwark over the
irierminsbe praires, | decided that | had never
passed through 20 desol-te a region. The brown,
dead wastes Of grass extended in unoroken monotony
to the horizon, the track of wheels mere aud there
alone thow ing that human life hsd passed over
them. The African deserts, with their golden sand,
their purple mountains of poTp5yry, and their cloud
less skes, are cheerful and inspiring but if you wish
10 experience the sense Of utter de<olation stand
prairie 10 winter, with leaden s'y over your head,
and wind that has blown unchecked for thousand
miles cutting you TO the bone. Yet | can easily
imagine What plains of Paradise these zane prairies
mutt be under tho grass and flowers Of June when
the atness OF this matchless soil feeds wilderness Of
color and perfume. ! can also understand how the
settler should love the prairie s. the sailor loves Tue
ses-that be should at lsst rejoice in It's expansion, its
Ioneliness aud its sublime monotony, and feel im-
p,isored amorg the hills But shall never make my
sboce on the prstries, unless csn see mountains IN
the distance and have winter erpunged fom the cal
endE.
After waiting an hour 81 Decatu-, took the Great
Western road to Springfield passing over about forty
niles more of the same scenery, with the exception
of some woody, uniulstng dips OF soil nesr the San
canon River. Springfield il built on the fat black
loan, ard though partially plsuked, is the deepest
al most slippery town ever bebed, when Il rains
The mud draw, of your oversboes az neatly as any
boot.sck. After losing mine l had seriou. thoughts
of securing ny boots by means Of 3 strap over the
shoulders. have been considerably suused by the
endesvois Of the cihzeIs Of different Illinois towns
to slift the reputation Of muddy streets from their
own plsce, and fix il upoa SEINE sthar. A. Peru aud
La Sale, the people, =hils tugsny along, imbedded
hsfvsy the knees admit thai il il rather bad but
nothing te what they have az Bloomington. At
Bloomington Il Is very bad, they can, deny but If
YOU want to know wha. mud is you must % to
Springfield. AT Springfield, you lose your shoes and
fall upon your back two three times but are con
soed By the assurance that the people in Alton have
a much hsrder time Of Il. Fortunately for al these
plsces the mud dries very rapidly and tbs GUNNER
rosds are a. fine ss any in the world
Tn. xas.her cantin Al raw RAINY AZ c?.1, tae s7E