Cairo evening times. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-04
CAIRO, MONDAY. SEPT.4, 1865
from our Sunday Mornings Edition.l
THECAIRO THATWAS.
Dips into Ola Cairo Life.
THE PLACE, THE PEOPLE. &C.
CURRENCES AND PASTIMES.
BY NOSE HARRELL,
BY NOSE HARRELI
NUMBER IL.

NUMBER II. ..aL
The old levec enclosed four or five hundred
acres Of ground. Of this probably thirty acres
was cleared of timber, with the exception of
now and then tree for purposes of shade.
All the substantial buildings ever erected in
Cairo stood upon this thirty acres. At the
point was the old Cairo Hotel. Part of this
building was erected by Mr.. Bird nearly forty
years ago. The additions to it were among the
first improvements made by what is now faml-
iarly known as the ''Old Cairo Company The
next building was a large frame known as the
Mckenzie block. This stood near where the
st. Charles now stands, and contained all the
important business establishments found on the
''bank.' Two one story frames stood near
the site of the present International Hotel; ;
and group Of four cottages were situated near
Winters block the late residence of Mr.. Cor
don being one of them, and the only unaltered
building Of old Cairo now in existence. Two
hundred yards farther up the river was 10.
cality then denominated ''Pig Tail Alley" At
this point there were four more cottages after
the pattern Of Mr.. Gordon's. In front of these,
abut,ing the Ohio Levee, stood very large
two story planning mill, pattern and carpenter
shop. Immediately above this, and fronting
the levee, also, were the ruins of two old saw
mills. The balance of the town was made up
of what was then known as upper Cairo, which
consisted of q large brick and frame machine
shop and foundry, the bellows House, and
six rather shaky frame tenements strewn for a
space of a hundred yards on either side of the
levee.
This list Of buildings formed the sum total of
Cairo at that day, with the exception of here
and there shanty, numbering in the aggre.
gate not over a half dozen.
About one third of the buildings enumerated
were vacant. Through the foundry, machine
shop, planning mill and carpenter shop,@(once
musical from the noise of machinery and the
hum of productive industry)-cattle and hogs
wallowed or beloved in undsturbed freedom.
No human sought to share or dispute this
bovinal and swnsh possession.
The few occupied buildings situated off the
levee, were reached, in summer time, through
rank and overhanging gypsoT, and in the win
skffs or gunwales. In these remote tenements
the poor were domiciled; and until I had made
q round among them [ had not seen what I
took for real, grievous, biting poverty In
company with {. friend, the lamented and new
er-to-be forgotten Tom Wood, visited the
poorest occupied howell in the place. An old
woman, with a cracked, metallic voice, herself
piled up in bunk Of straw, and dreadfully af
tcted with the sore eyes, bid us enter. If
there was anything in that howell except that
miserable old woman. the bunk and the straw,
and one dirty skillet, it escaped my observa-
ton, which was thorough and searching. Of
course my compassion and sympathy was
strongly excited. l had not seen much of the
world and wondered how such things could be,
how such manifest suffering could go unreieved
among u people claiming even ordinary civ
iliZation. My collapsed purse flew open
and half its contents into the hands of
the wretched woman. She took the
offering, looked confused an instant and then
blurted out 9 Val, as a0e's gt0ins TO he0 q
dtnce tonight Ispose I'd better keep it - Sure
enough she had a dance, and Tom being there
with plenty of ''terbacker the old lady
lionized him. After that bit of experience I
had no money for the resident poor of Cairo.
The truth is there were very few families in
Cairo in actual want. Even this old woman
had boy peddng apples, melons, tobacco
and cigars among the deck passengers Of stop
ping steamboats,, and secured through him a
living 1t was rough and beastly living, yet
such as she seemed to relish ard probably as
respectable as she had ever been used to.
NEW YORK Aug. 1.-THE Coroner's jury
in the case of the collision on the Long Is
land Railroad have rendered their verdict in
substance as follows: That the collision was
produced by the carelessness of r. J. Race,
Conductor Of the mail tram, and Jas. White,
engineer of the Express train, that Louis c.
Sands and Daniel T. Chase are not considered
responsible, and ceusuring Oliver Charlicks,
President of the road, for the carelessness and
the irregular manner in which trains were
run, and consi dered him indirectly respon-
sible for the catastrophe. Two of
mail train, also guilty of carelessness. Anoth-
or juror finds Louis C. Sands, conductor of til
Express train, also guilty of carelessness.
Three other jurors find r. J. Race, conductor,
and Daniel F. Chase, engineer of the mail train,
guilty of carelessness and inattention to their
duties, and recommend that more definite rules
be applied for running irregular trains. Sher-
if Scheneker, who was one of the jury, de-
clned voting on the question of the general
mssmanagement of the running OF trains, and
the recommendation Of passengers on the
ground that it is an improper question for the
j ury to determine; the only proper question be-
ing wac the road managed that day, and if so
by whom c. G. Niece another juror, con-
Cured in this opinion.
The Posts Washington special says: The
President has restored to his command Col
Preston, Of the 58th U. S. colored troops,
heretofore dismissed.
A large number of post offices and mail
routes have just been opened in South Car
olina A large number Of Quartermasters and |
other government employees have just been |
discharged.
Horace Greeley arrived in Washington to-
day. |
The Heralds Washington special says: The |
total receipts from the sales of Government |
buildings at Fairfax Court House. Fluid Hill, |
Beach Grove and Prospect Hill, Va, amounted |