The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-08-20

Letter from the Upper Mississippi.
ti ST. ANTHONY FALLS, Aug. 13, 1867.
To the Editor Of The Press:
This Is surely a great country. At the
point where am now writing eighteen years
ago there was but one white family and one
house. Twelve years ago there were few
families, one dilapidated saw mill, and all the
rest was vacancy. To-day there is a city of
10000 inhabitants, with eleven churches, four
banks, three large hotels, spacious court
house. two woollen factories, paper mil, any
number of saw and Touring mills, with
beautiful Opera House such as would do cred
it to your city, large daily paper, two week
ly papers, and all the surroundings and con-
comitants Of wealth, fashion and prosperity.
This State will produce this year, it is con-
fdently estimated, 16, 100000 bushels ofwheat.
The mills at this point are capable of turning
cut 5000 barrels Of -four daily, requiring 49,
600 bushels ofwheat every twenty four hours.
This flour and the surplus wheat find mar
ket at the East, and its value is greatly affect
ed by the narrowness of the channels OF COM
munication between the Atlantic cities and
the almost boundless wheat fields. Efforts
are now being put forth with view to con-
centrate the attention OF Congress on the
question of removing the distractions in the
channel of the Mississippi, so that the prod
ucts OF the Northwest may not be SO entirely
dependent for transportation upon the costly
modes now most in use. Five million dollars
are asked to improve the bar at the Dalize,
and to remove the distractions at the rapids
at Keokuk, Iowa, and at Rock Island. 1t is
clsimed that by such improvements wheat can
be laid down in New York, Boston and Port
land for seventeen cents a bushel less than it
now costs to transport it by rail. This would
call into requisition large feet OF your
"down east" vessels to carry the article from
New Orleans to the Northern and Eastern
markets. a4a4
To see a train of twenty cars freighted
with wheat, whizzing along at twenty-five
miles an hour. is apt to make one reflect up
on the vast quantity Of this great western sta
pie being produced for the sustenance of man,
and yet one crazy old canal boat, drawn by a
couple of dilapidated horses, the whole man.
aged by one man and boy, will transport
more wheat than the whole twenty cars max
ing up that rain, while a single ordinary Up
per Mississippi steamer will take more freight
than twenty just such trains
A meeting was held last evening at the
Pence Opera House, Minneapolis, to consider
this matter of river improvements. 1t was
very large and very enthusiastic meeting, and
was addressed by Judge Flandeau, Demo-
cratic candidate for Governor of this State,
Gov. Oglesby, oil Illinois, and Mr.. Bryson
of Cairo, of the same State. The latter gen.
tleman dealt mainly with statistics and facts.
He stated that the navigable waters of the
Mississippi and its tributaries afford $4,000
miles OF coast line; that in 1S62-a poor year
for wheat-8,O0O 5000 tons OF freight passed
do,cn these streams; that nine cities on these
rivers exhibit an amount OF commerce ex-
ceeding the aggregate of our European COM
meIce for the same year, and he demonstrated
the great national necessity for improving
these waters, with view to the further de-
velopment and growth Of the country.
Gov. Oglesby's remarks were more general,
and often he went off in a patriotic strain
that completely carried the house captive
He is host in himself, with no sectionalism
in his composition. "New Englandp said he,
"God bless her!" Tremendous and long
continued applause. "She is the little boy
that has grown into giant in this Western
world. She laid her foundations in truth and
justice, and we are just like her, only we
have grown bigger" The Governor is full of
humor, and his wit seems limitless, and the
enthusiasm of his hearers is kept up to con-
cert pitch from first to to last. Gen. Logan
who is rusticating in the neighborhood-had
been announced to speak, but unfortunately
was not present.
The harvest not of this State only but OF
the whole West, are unprecedented po'h Ia
quantity and quality. Cheap Dread Is 10 De
the order OF the day. This will Oe good news
for all "down casters" Business in this re-
zion is exceedingly dull; money is hard, and
nrospects are not encouraging. The lumber
interests at this point have greatly suffered
from the recent ffeshet. Forty million feet of
logs, it is estimated, went over the Falls, and
are scattered throughout long reach of the
river below. Booms and piers were swept
away, and the mills have been stopped in con-
sequence about month.
have said this is a great country, and 1t
is, but it is great also in pretension. Eastern
people are very likely to be disappointed. 1t
is no place for poor man or common Ia
borer, unless he wishes to till the soil. Farming
is the reliable business. Merchandising Is