Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-06-30
OUR CHICAGO LETTER.
The Cholera and the Chicago River
bridges of Slghs-Tunnels-The Big
TunneI-The Evening POst-ChiclK-
a-biddy.
Special correspondence Of the Cleveland Lea'er.
CHICAGO, June Goth, 1866.
NO ruOT

CHICAGO, June 26th, 1866.
NO CHOLERA.
The inadequate protest of u city
fathers against the expected visitation of
the Asiatic epidemic, noticed in one of
nv earlier letters, wa succeeded, l am
happy to say, by a little more vigor after
Il while; but nothing like the zeal has
been shown which would have been ne
cessary to prevent the impending attack,
if its approach had been as imminent as
was popularity supposed. W. have had
no cholera, nor anything like cholera, and
our citizens have ceased to expect it. But
if reeking streets and the vilest vice in
the world could have tempted its appe-
tile, re should have been dying at a Chi
cage rate weeks ago. Of the river much
has been said, but no adequate story can
be told. Some grim wag, crossing Wells
street bridge at my elbow the other MORN
ing, mutered between his teeth that "the
river had got the cholera, sure" whereto
his fellow responded that "if the pesky
critter would only die of it, the rest of us
might get WE'LL and neither was far from
the truth. I have heard that the waters
of the Thames are not altogether trans
parent that its volume could not be de-
scribed by a conscientious chemist as the
pure protoxide of hydrogen; that the
c~rossers of London Bridge sometimes de-
sire to suspend the activities of the nasal
sense, and for that purpose employ thumb
and finger, aust like the vulgar Ameri-
CATS, YOU know but l may have been
misinformed. l kIOl1 of but one river
that rolls a tide as black as blacklist INK,
as foul as simple sewerage, and as odorous
as musk; and that river shall be
nameless. That the lake into which its
waters debouch Is not stained from its
eastern to its western shore, is a mystery
which no l~ong-nosed man may solve.
THE BRIDGES.
Next TO the river in rank as an educa-
tor of all the passive virtues, are the
bridges by which we are detained fron
It's embrace, and permitted to pass from
the East Side to the West Side, and from
the North side te the South Side.
This, at least is the popular form of
speaking. Strictly speaking, however,
the bridges have nothing to do with
the education; but the discouraging
chasms that remain when the bridges are
not. For our bridges are chiefly not.
Une-half the railway stations are on each
side the river all the guests of the hotels
going northwest, and half of those going
southeast or southwest must cross the
river. The $4,000 residents of the west
side who wish to 90 eastward by railway
or steamer, must cross the river. The
north-siders ditto-everybody must cross
the river, and as surely as everybody de-
sires to cross, the bridge is open. If any
body has a close connection" to make,
the bridge isrery oPen-and very open for
a long while. My Office messenger went
upon a " time errand yesterday, was fas-
tened to the hither bank for three con-
secutive qarters Of an hour. He counted
the people, the sloOps, the tugs, the pro-
pellers, the waves, he piles of lumber and
heaps of coal, and held his facial protu-
haranOa first with one hand and then
with the other, while the golden SANDS
slipped down, and mOralized as only a
man in a hurry, waiting for a Chicago
bridge, can moralize. He has waited in
like manner heretofore, and has a pie
thoric volume on moral philosophy nearly
ready for the press.
For our river, it is Just as useful as it is
dirty; the most dirty and the most useful
river on the continent. We have SCREEN
teen miles of wharfage fronts in constant
use; and the forests Of masts that always
line these fronts are only equalled by the
forests that are always passing outward
or inward. 4 single fleet oflumber-laden
vessels arrived a few weeks since that
reached in continuous procession from the
mouth of the river t~hree-quarters of a
mile up stream.
There is reason enough why the bridges
should be open so much of the time.
about;
TUNNELS.
For we cannot hamper the shipping in
terest, and we cannot idle upon the river
banks. A year ago a definite proposal
was made to the Council for the tunnel
ling of the river ct Washington street, and
the proposal has been in debate ever since.
The cost was estimated at 500, 900; but
tor this a tunnel was to be built large
enough and wide enough for Il double
railway track, a double wagon track, and
double walk. The plan was to make
all the street cars running Westward
four or five lines-cross here only, giving
teams and footmen the option Of the
bridges where these happened to be at
command.
l cannot learn where the rub is;
of course there must be a rub somewhere.
1t is easy enough to dig a tunnel, and
the 100000 could be raised in q day by
popular subscription if the Common Coun-
ell had not money in abundance; every
body gets angry at the bridges at least
times daily, Sundays not excepted,
and the demand is not for one tunnel, but
for Il tunnel instead of a bridge at every
crossing. I suspect that the result will
be = contract for two or three tunnels at g
time, when once the ice is broken and
our children will wonder how bridges
were tolerated so long
THE LAKE TUNNEL
Progresses steadily day and night, and is
now more than a mile and a half in length.
The workmen who began at the shore end
are digging outward, and the workmen
let down through the crib to the lake bot
tom, at the outer end, are digging shore
ward; early in September Somebody's
pick will break through, and the two
groups will shake hands and-auit. This
will be, if there is no accident. Jets Of
gas break into the tunnel now and then.
and catching fire from the miners lamps,
explode. If a Jet large enough should
fire, the explosion would blow out
the roof of the submarine cavern, and the
coming in teo soon would make an
end of the tunnel and Of the workmen at
H E PAPER
The new EUeHiHg Post is a plucky and
sheet, responding in its political
u]tterances to the radicalism of the morn
ing Tribune. This is a irst-class novelty,
a radical evening paper. The conserva-
tive EUening Journal has had the whole
city to itself after dinner, until now; and
we who think the most radical thoughts
in the morning, have always subsidized in
the afternoon, as the bold bathers off Ma
hant yield meekly to each sweeping wave
and only rise up when it is past.
Now we have strong meat for both
breakfast and tea and if the diet does not
prove too stimulating we shall weigh more
ever in the fall elections.
LIVE CHICKENS.
C~hromoliths are growing better every
day, and one or two of our picture dealers
have splendid stocks already. Prang's
Live Chickens after Tait's painting, is
inst now tho sensation Tho picf,rra daal