The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-01-15
SOME ACCOUNT OF VIOLA.
CHAPTER III.

Having, in former chapter, proved the
high antiquity and illustrious origin of Viola,
l now, on behalf of my townsmen, proceed
10 give a view of the place as descended to
US. And first as to its physical relations
and resources.
Viola was refunded about twelve years
ago. 1t is in Lat. N. 420 - Longitude w.
from the Greenwich Observatory, England;
Lying, being, and situate ON Sec. IA and 10 |
Of Green Township, Mercer county, State OF |
Illinois, of the United States of North Amer |
lea, on the planet Earth, between the plan |
cts Mars and Venus-Solar Systsm-Uni-
verse.
1t is three quarters of a mile wide, and
one statute mile long; and containing an
area of 4S0 acres. The soil is loan and
CLAW the loan where it exists OVERLAPPING
the clay This soil, at moderate rental of
four dollars per acre. would amount to the
nice sum of $l,920 per annum, which,
divided by so, the number of inhabitants,
would give to each man, woman and child,
for rental alone, Of the soil, the sum of $24
per anuum. But this is only an outside
view of our wealth. The clay is supposed
to extend downwards about four yards.
This would give 1860 cubic yards to the
acre or 744.s00 cubic yards of clay belong
ing to the town plat. Now a cubic yard of
clay will yield about 800 brick, exclusive of
i'm purities and 300x744, SCOPES, 440, 200;
or in round numbers, two hundred and TWEEN
ty.three million brick which at the moder
ate sum of ten dollars per thousand, deliver
ed, would come to the grand sum of SABA
400, which would be almost enough to liqui-
date the debt of Davenport, with the brick
of Viola alone.
Now some might cavil about our ability
to make all these brick. Some might think
that eighty souls, and so many of them at
| the breast, would make but feeble yard
| force, for such an undertaking. But these
| know but little of our other resources; eth
er in hand or in course of realization; or
they could easily, with US, anticipate the GEN.
sus of a few years hence; and see, by gen.
erous eye of faith, sufficient population
for any emergency, likely to call them forth
on this favored spot. Two thirds of our plat
is densely covered over with nice poles; and
most of these poles have nice large bulbs at
their base, as large as a halfbushel. They are
got out Of the ground with some labor but
are good solid timber; and the whole of this
timber might be sold, and the proceeds paid
to the country people for brick making.
| Our town too, is so situated tina; it might
| be extended out every way, as far as the
people saw fit to build it up ; and in case of
an enlargement of the plat, We might let out
some of our clay, to make up on shares.
| But we don't depend on soil and brick alone.
By the common law, believe we are emit
tied to all that is above US, to the fixed stars,
and all beneath us, down to the dominions
OF Pluto.
Now our aerial, is not our greatest wealth;
though it is considerable. Time fails me to
calculate the cubic miles of sunshine, and
moonshine, and starlight, and gaslight, con-
tanned in our upper possessions. 1t is a
beautiful place to build castles in, and a
goodly portion of it has already been appropri
ated. 1t is the highway, too, of ducks, and
geese, and cranes, and grouse, and crows,
and buzzards, and owls, and hawks. and rob-
ms, and pigeons, and plovers, and bufnch-
es, and quais, and snowbirds, and beetles,
and crickets, and butterflies, aud grasshop-
pers, and bats, and musquetoes. All these
are ours, as soon as they strike our atmos-
phere and it only requires the skill that
science will surely bring, to guide them to
our store houses, and FIJI the markets of the
world.
By well ascertained conclusion of Phi
losophy, it is known that our atmosphere ex-
tends upwards about fifty miles, from the sur
face of the plat. Now this air is not only
the highway of all flying things, but it is also
the principle of life both to man and beast.
In fact, some of our beasts are, about this
time, living almost exclusively on it. True,
it makes them look little ethereal; but
that should be expected, from the laws OF
assimilation. Again, the Oxygen and Nj.
trogen of our air, furnish important ingre-
dients, in many medical, mechanical, and
culinary compounds. So that, by purchas.
ing a few raw materials, all our vast volume
of air might be worked up into drugs, medi-
cines, and provisions. and thus feed and re-
cuperate the sick and the hungry, for many
leagues around us. And while thus laying
tributary the wealth of the surrounding
country, the vacuum formed hv working up
our air. would be reflled by rush from all
parts, of pure country air; and thus We could
command an inexhaustible treasure of air
coextensive with the globe itself. Such is
the advantage of living on the cross roads.
Then there is our physical wealth, below
| the clay. II has been ascertained by the late
geological survey, that the combined thick
ness ofthe entire coal measures, lis about twen-
ty-four feet, in four series. This would amount
to $500 cubic yards, to the acre and ] ,4e9,
600 cubic yards to the 4S0 acres, in the town
| pat Va ' IOih. 4>oW ouc u nhl CuDlC
yards would make heavy wagon load /; or
the whole amount of coal known to belong
to Viola would be equal to 993,067 good
wagon loads-an amount sufficient to winter
over the great state of Illinois and being
worth, at five dollars per load, the handsome
sum OF s., $685. Enough to elect half a
dozen radical congressman for life.
How tar, in miles, furlongs and poles, our
rights extend downwards. must always be,
more or less, matter of speculation.
1t is conceded, ! believe on all hands,
that Pluto's domain extends TO all that
part of the centre of the earth, which is hot
enough to hold, in a state of fusion, the ma
terials of which it is composed. How far be-
low Viola this point is attained, it would be
difficult to say exactly. But some shrevd
moral philosophers, judging from surface in.
dIcations, have come to the conclusion, that
the earth's shell is little thin just here !:
and that it would not be safe to presume too
far, on the distance between the two domin.
ions. However this apparent misfortune. of
not knowing exactly the extent of our down
ward claim, is practically none at ALL For
should any difficulty, as to boundary, arise
between us and our lower neighbors, the
omnipotent fortieth congress. can adjust the
whole matter, BY a definitive treaty, or a
resolution of both branches, passed over the
veto. The only danger being, that the for.
tieth congress may have more friends down
there, than here and so be tempted to par
TALLY.