Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-01-22
Communications.
cirre.ponaence of the Charles City Intellisencer.
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL.
FAYErrE. InwA. Jan. I. Is6

Mr.. HILDREru knowing that any
thing Of general interest to the read
ers of the Intelligencer is willingly
made public by you. I send you few
notes Of a recent trip to the !" land of
cotton from which you can select
anything that you may deem worth
the room in your columns. On the
first day of December, ! left my home
for the Garden City of the West,
Chicago. aud arrived there on the
evening Of the 81, and found the city,
as usual, all hustle and commotion.
Que forgets that war is raging in our
land, by making visit to this bust
ling city. On every corner and in
every street appear the jostling
throng. and the hard, paved streets
echo and re-ccho to the sound of rat
tling cabs, carts and omnibuses. /
was told that business was extremely
good. the main difficulty there. as
everywhere, is the scarcity of change.
City railway tickets pass for 25 cents
all over the city. and are in fact almost
the only shinplasters in circulation.
The new postage currency supplies in
measure the scarcity of silver, but
it is not sufficiently plenty to entirely
abolish the shinplaster currency.
But few soldiers are to be found on
the streets, and what few one does
see are discharged from the service,
and awaiting their pay. There were
but q few regiments of troops at
Camp Douglas. and they were mostly
paroled prisoners. About all that re-
minds one Of the war is what is found
in the columns of the daily papers.
The Tribune is the leading Republican
paper, although the Journal is fast
gaining popularity, and think will
some day be the Republican paper of
Chicago.
The lover Of amusements and plays
can be accommodated here as in every
other city. The city sustains one first
class Theatre under the management
of Mr.. McVicker. 1t is situated on
Madison street between State and
Dearborn, aud draws the elite and aris-
tocracy Of Chicago.
During my stay Mr.. Booth, Of
Boston, was filling star engagement,
He bears the reputation Of being the
best tragedian west Of New York
Among others Of his pieces was Ham
let, and dare say no one in this gen.
Grafton can personatc Hamlet better
than did Mr.. Booth. -
But | will not consume your time
with what are daily occurrences in
the Garden City, but proceed on my
journey. f g Fes 1s
On the evening Of Sunday. Dec
2ls., took the cars for Cairo. The
train started out at about 9 O'clock
aud being IN the same car with a lieu.
tenant and twenty Of his men. l heard
Union songs sufficient to last me fol
q week. From the time the train left
until | o'clock in the morning the car
echoed to their vigorous yells. Al
daylight we found ourselves passing
through beautiful farming country
where could be seen every few min
utes large and thrifty orchard. A,
| 3 o'clock we arrived in the famous cit,
of Cairo. One glance satisfied me o
its beauty, and made me anxious tt
leave. The railroad has about ifteeI
feet grade at its terminus, and the
front street of the city has been gra
ded up and runs parallel with tn.
railroad. 80 that the second floor Of al
the buildings on that street are jus
on level with the street. All streets
in the rear Of this are one story lowe
and consequently in the mud. 1t il
truly in the Gland of Egypt" for il il