New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-10-06
on TIE BORDER-H

A FRUGAL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. PRAIRlEg-MIsSOURI
SCENES AND REsoURCEs-FOUR HOURS IN EDEN
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ESTATE INSANITY
WESTON MAD FREAKS or THE MISSOURI 49,
LgAyExwoRrH - GALWAY UPS AND DOWNS
rng DELAWARE IyDIAys-NoRTH LAWRENCE
PACIFIC RtILRoAD-ToPEKA-REMIS OF
LANE - REPUBLICAN STATE CoNvESr1oN--coa-
RUPrIoy RRBUKED--THE SUFFRAGE QUESTION
KANSAS POLITICS.
from Our Special Correspondent.
TorEKA Karsas. Saturday. Sept. 2, lsCG.
Anew line OF sicepng-cars on the routes radiating
from Chicago pay, $4,000 per month to It's chief
owner--an old quartz miner from the Rocky Noun
taius. Thus he earns frugal livelihood until Colo
RADIO mining shall become IN established success.
The cars have each cost from S2S,OOO to $4,000.
left Chicago upon one well ventilated, richly fur
nished and running like pair Of skates upon even
ice. The passenger pays - for double Bed, I'M
dresses and sleeps souudy, unless on very bad terms
with his conscience or his nerves
Morning found us on a vast ocean of prairie, with
great islands Of corn rising from its depths, and white
fleets of villages, neat clippers of country churches
and snowy schooners of farm-hOuses resting upon It's
bosom. The Him Indians greeted old Father Mar
quette: How beautiful is the sun, o Frenchman,
when thou CONTEST among rs ~ The scene Is lar to-
day; and no man can measure The richness Oh the
Prairie State. The southern half is almost as level
as a floor | have personal prejudices in favor OF
countries where water will run way or the other;
but these endless sweeps mellowed by laughing sun
flower ripping grass aud tasseled corn are the gran
airy of the world
At Quincy a wheezy engine ferred rs over the great
river and then the locomotive bore us across Mis-
souri, Again. horizon bounding praires; thousands
Of cattle white, black and spotted, grazing unienced
lelds forests more frequent aud dense streams more
sluggish and muddy; Lighthouses Increasing; white
villages Tower and further between; at the bridges,
empty log forts, with grass growing in their deserted
camps. and flowers sprnglng FROM their precious
graves. Missouri is richest OF all our States. Her
tccmng soil yields hemp and tobacco, beside al
Northern products. Her forests furnish every needed
wood but the pine: whole farms are fenced with rails
ofblack walnut. Her mines could supply the contl-
nent with iron and coal lead and marble.
The train left us no Winthrop. II was three o'clock
in the morning; rain peltng the slippery platforms
phantom-lke men asserting baggage, by ann IAN
terns Atchis0n has tight roofs ard clean beds, but
the Missouri rolled between, ard the sluggish steam
ferry loved light rather than darkness 50 invaded the
unswept depot, and with plank for bed and carpet
sack for a pillow blessed the man vino invented sleep
At last, reluctant daylight opened its bleared and
watery eyes upon the fiat Struggling swampy forest
village Here indeed was Eden-not Adams but
Martin Chuzzlewits. Slow. silent, ague-suggeSting
men crept out Of buildings, yawned, G2d sat down
upon platforms and thresholds. staring at nothing or
listlessly resting chu5 upon their hands and elbows
upon their knee. II any Spectator wants to invest
i'm miasma let him come here and buy II By the cubic
ward Finally, two sorry horses were pitched TO
huge omnibus, the ferry Captain was reSuscitated,
and the hungry passengers were landed III Kansas,
thankful for their great deyerance.
When first saw AtchiSon, in June 1857, 1t had
few rude shanties two or three hundred inhabitants
and was specially unhealthy for Free State men, IL
was the earliest and strongest of Border Ruttan for
trcsses Now il is webuilt cityi the business
blocks of brick and stone with 6,OOO people; ears
running ~ miles westward, on the Atchison and
Pixies Peak Railroad and two stanch Republican
daily newspapers. The recent removal of the over
land coaches 10 Waumego, near Fort Riley, Injuries
It's trade; but it remains growing, prosperous town.
Thence took little steamer down the MlSsoar.
Sumner, two miles below had 500 people in lsis
Now it has about %. All its buildings save live or
oaks and eottonwoods choke its deserted streets To
me- it looks peculiarly desoate. for it was my home
for two years. Ofts then residents many have gone
10 the last untroubled sleep; and the living are scat
tered all over the world. Its history Is typical via
real estate excitements visit all new countries, just as
the measles visit children. The Missouri River
bounds Kansas for about 100 miles. Upon It's bank
II cities were founded Zach had its superb hthro-
graphed map, showing thousands of town lots public
sauares PARKS and future railroads. its newspaper
which every week demonstrated mathematically that
il was certain TO be the New-York OF the West, its
enthusiastic buyers who put in their money reekessy;
lis confident owners who thought they were rich. So
they were il they had sold out but not one did Men
unable 10 pas their board and washing hills counted
their possessions bl tens Of thousands, aud waited Tor