The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-01-11
FROM CHICAGO.
FROM CHICAGO.
Correspondence Columbus Morning Journal
CHICAGO, H., Jan. 4, 1867.


Ed. JourTGL:-Presuming that it may
be of some interest to your readers 10
hear from this ''Great City of the West"
1 venture a few lines. There are many
things here to write about that might
be of interest, but of course it would be
useless TO attempt to detail everything.
1 shall therefore confine myself to a
few of the leading features.
The Board of Trade Rooms and the
mansion in which il is conducted, may
be interesting to some. 1t will particu-
larly be so to the very French gem
tleman who is a travelling agent for a
house on West Broad street. The prin-
cipal room is a very fine one, about
120 feet long by 50 feet wide, very
handsomely frescoed: and around
the arch of the ceiling, which is
about 40 feet from the floor, it is
ornamented with some very fine
paintings, such as landscapes, ship
ping on the lakes, factories, residences,
and other scenes emblemRtical of trade
and commerce. The number of mem
bers is between 500 and 1000. On en-
tering the door the first thing to be
seen is the bulletin, showing the
amount OF each different article that
has been received, and how much
shipped during the past twenty-four
hours. To this there is general rush
| as soon as the door is opened. On Ell
| ther side of the room is a row of mar
| ble-top tables or stands, on which arti-
cles are exposed for sale. These tables
| containing 4 stands, and are sold at
auction semi-annuRlly to the highest
bidder. To the right is kept such arti-
cles as Wheat, Rye, Oats, Barley, &c.,
and to the left, Flour, &c. The Pork
men stand in the middle, and sell or
buy by weight lat 200 nett). Corn is
sold the same, Nos. i, 3, &c. Every
I thing as nd a
word is the same as a bond. On the
floor stands each member, who keeps a
small silver tea pot, or some other arti-
Gle, full of water, and is almost contin-
ually "dOughing up" -four for the salts
faction of purchasers.
At a stated time some one whose bu-
siness it is gets up in the balcony and
reads the New York dispatches. Every
one listens attentively as he reads
flour firm, pork dull, &c. AS soon as
this is over the hum and buzz of voices
| is astonishing. The pork men shy
Flour dealers are inclined TO ask one
eighth more. Corn men crowd together.
One man says "1'l sell 10000 bushels
at T5c," another says "I'll take it,"
That's bona fde, his word is equal to
his bond. If he fails to comply. he is
turned out of the board. All this is
thought than you will often see over
the purchase of New Year turkey in
Columbus markets.
| SKATING PARKS.
The skating parks of this place are
great sources of amusement. Some oi
your Columbus ladies of course under
stand all about skating, but others dc
not, and for their benefit will say they
must not think the ladies who skate
scratch and slip at every step and then
fall down or that they skate a ways and
then turn one toe to the rear-place theiI
hands upon their knees and cut any
kind of an ungraceful circle, for they
do not. They take hold of their lovers
arms and sail through the crowd at an
astonishing rate of speed-talk of love
or something else, and look as if they
could go to sleep skating, their move
mentS are so graceful. 1t is wonderful
to see the perfection skating can be car
ried to.
DRESSING OF CHICAGO LADIES.
The ladies here are slow about lay
ing of the hoops. Some poet, perhaps
Byron, must have whispered in theiI
..Be not the nrst, nor yet thela
To don the latest style"
They are not so fond of fnery here, but
seem to have remarkably good taste. ]
have seen the richest and most beauti-
full cloaked basQues since came here, ]
have seen in the United States. saw
a mink fur cloak on a lady yesterday,
that reached within four inches of the
pavement, and many others of less di-
mensions. EDGAR.