Cairo evening times. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-23
EVENING TIMES.
CAIRO, SATURDAY. SEPT. as, '65.
Dips into OlG cairo life.
THE PLACE, THE PEOPLE, &C.
CORRENCES AND PASTIMES.
BY NOSE HARRELL.


pioughs his strong way through rough seas
hard fact and figures may tinG too much Oh
light and fippant nature in these pafSe+<5 "
he must tolerate yet more of that airine>s ~
hippancy, fer an in diligence in them is notoe
pleasing to myself, but believed to be most &C
ceptable to the larger number Of those wh
tzaad these emanations. Lest he abandon pae
,heSyever, I will say, for his consolation that
:am only entering the field L have chosen, an
may, while clearing away the shoots and sap
uings occasionally encounter ''fo1cst king,
. mastery over which may require my heavl'
vt blows and most earnest ones.
>'Ttile it is evident that these papers deal in
anecdo,e aud elephantic humor they are by NJ
means devoid cffaets and illustrations calculated
and intended % disseminate at least a partial
knowledge of wat man and nature have done
for this wonderful locality, ard what IS yet lts
sure, happy destiny.
1 am not ignorant Of nature's m'lniticence
here, nor of the great and potent Causes oper'
ating for our~advancement i1orally, materla y
and intellectually. With all these i'll due sea-
b son, shall deal, not so volumin ,lsly aud con
tinuously as to sureit weary the reader,
but at such intervals and at such le ugth as
shall regard tolcrable, ever having in view the
end to be accom- plshed.
For a number OF years tie Illihois Central
Railroad bill hoverei between success and de-
feat in our National Assembly. Tie friends Of
Cairo watched its course with aim ,st breatlllcss
eoncern-now buoycd up by It strong hope Of
ITS passage, and now weighed down by :. fear
Of its defeat. Why a bill Of such Importance,
evea ss National measure, If,. it contem-
plated connection of the lakes and Gulf,)
should have excited opposition, OF even ami
mated discussion, IS one Of the political cilig-
mas Of that day. Its passage Was secured by
labor and such labor as was never before
pended for the success OF any IN ,as;re of a
kindred character
To whom are the people OF Illinois indebted
to-day for the Illinois Central Railroad? Long
since it has 6eeu settled in tl4c public mind that
ahe lamented Douglas. Hon. Sidney Breesc
.Jno- S. Hacker, ct as were the cham pions of
the bli and fathers of the enterprise. With
,out intending to disturb u single laurel these
fctulLtut ScutSmcu wear Ill DCudl IL sense
OF the plainest justice demands that | say that
there are men unhonored in this connection,
yyhe were not only friends OF the PROJECT
whose support was absolutely indispensable
Those persons who, collectively, were erronc-
oc:sly called the Cairo Company arc tho
nea. True, they had Incentives to action
which no others had. The present late of
r.; |; md in,
the success Of Cairo they were deeply inter-
ested in pecunary way. But this consider
alton should not strip them Of due honor. They
labored for State and Nation as well as for
themselves, and all are reaping great har
vest as the result of that labor.
FROM Spring to Fall and from Fall to Spring
the people Of Cairo were assured that the City
Engineers were coming. . The Engineers will
be here ia the Spring or FALL" as the case
might be, was asserted so often that the say
ing became sterreotyped. Year after year our
patient people watched and waited, until the
year 1854, when, sure enough, the Engineers
did come, with chains and flags and cCmpasses
and poles and demijohns and kegs enough to
guaranty three things, viz: much work,
long stay and a good time of it, So elated
were the people over this arrival that there
was scarcely man in Cairo who considered
himself too good to carry the axemau's trunk
or black the chain carriers brogans!
These engineers was quite an acquisition to
the city. They were good fellows i'll a social
point of view, understood their business, and
kept the best liquors and cigars to be found in
the city.
At this day, looking at the shoulders and Off
sets, arms and turns in our streets, and at lots
of every shape, from au octagon to a triangle,
may it not be conjectured that the engineers
had pretty free recourse to the dcmijchns.
1--WE shouldn't wonderr' Things look very
much as if the lines had been staggered upon.
the lots assuming all shapes imaginable Except
round) through sympathy for the e-ratic mean
derings of the streets.
But, to put levity aside, can there be any
tolerabe reason for the irregularities and in.
trcacies of the plan of our city? Why should
not the streets run parallel with the rivers and
at right angles from river to river. Such was
the plan adopted by the old Cairo and Bank
Company, forty y-seven years ago, and at Il later
date by the Cairo City Canal Com 2auy. That
plan insured regularity, ventilation and uni
fermity. The present plan utterly destroys all
these, without a single compensatnS advan-
tage to the public. But, ! forget myself. in
some advanced number of these papers this
matter shall become subject for special and
exclusive consideration.
Some time in the year 1851, after about two
and a half years hard work, the engineers
presented, ] believe, what is known as the
first division of the city, IN manner sufficient
sy tangled and confused to meet the approba-
tioa Of tie "powcrs," &c. Shortly afterwards
the property was exposed 10 sale, but at figures
40 higll as 20 prevent anything like IA rush OF
customers. The tiist lot was sold TO Peter
staplctou, corucr Third and Commercial Av
cuue for 81 go, almost its value now, il 1t
were vacant Iu Il short time tie price was
lowered and then the property was sought pI-
ter eagerly.
(TO BE CONTINUED.) ...