Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-10-05

OMAHA.

OMAHA. .-#
Council Bluffs 70 Omaha-Is Omaha Wilt.
ing! -.s Train.Town" = The Railroad
Workships-Bridging the Missouri-The
Future Of Omaha.
TEdftoriai Correspondence of the Star.l
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, Sept. is, 1868
Omaha is literally "a city set upon a hilI,"
and the eY-State House on the crest Of the bluff
towers over the city in way to make it con-
spicuous obiecs for milel. Omaha ID spre Id
over the river front Of this hill in a way TO in.
dIvidualize almost every building IN the place,
and it therefore makes very goodiy slow from
the Iowa shore, rather TO the disgust OF the
Council Buffers in their eclipse of sunfiowers.
A Perileus Trip.
1t looks a very e3sy thing to get over to Oma-
ha, but appearances are deceitful, and all who
have crossed here will teJtIty that the trip from
the Bluffs to this place involves more hard
ship, risk Of life, los, of temper, and, i was
going TO say, loss of time, than the whole trip
from the Atlantic coast to the Bluffs. The
journey Is made in (or on) vehicle, a cross
between a Concord coach and Bladensburg
omnibus. The horses are headed towards the
Nebraska State-House looming up on the op-
posite shore, and everything looks lovely for
prosperous voyage through the suu.fiowers.
Then the co-ch makes a lureh to the right in
one of the iade- crl bable rats of the Missouri
Bottom. Then it staggers to the left, pitches
forward, bcunces, teters, vIbrates, oscillates.
and describes in five minutes all the
lines laid down in geometry; acting
altogether like vehicular Toodles
on big drunk The road winds and cork
screws through the sunfiowers as if it, too, was
tipsy. Our landmark, the State House is
sometimes deld ahead sometimes to the right,
sometimes to the left, and not unfreq uen tly
makes its unexpected appearance at the rear
OF the vehicle. Any one who has meandered
through the Scotch meadows on the little
steamer plying between Edinburg and Stir
ling, and calls to mind the perplexing positions
assumed to the right, left, rear and front, by
that prominent land mark, Stirling Castle, can
appreciate the discouraging nature of our ap-
proach to the ex.State House of Nebraska. Nor
was the matter improved when the Nebraska
shore had been reached, per the snortlng over
oaded boat, run by the Pacific Railroad Oom-
pany, in opposition to the regular ferry line,
and carrying the public free gratis
There was Omaha hopefully near upon the
hillside, bat we had not yet got done with that
Missouri bottom, and how many times we zig
Jagged up the river and down the river and
across the two.feet- up IN .the-ar railroad track
in our staggering progress, before we were set
~o"A a. WIG aOusc, WOuiu Dc 100
fatiguing to enumerate Two Of our omn ibi
broke down, and the lady passengers were trans.
ferred to our ouss, while the males were COM
PEELED to pick their way son foot back" through
the black mud of the Missouri. bottom.
The Bridge Question. f
The proposed bridge over the Missouri here
will, OF course, remedy all this, but the diff.
Guilty seems to be to find a point opposite Oma-
ha where a safe foundation can be got on the
Iowa side in the treacherous quIcksand bot
tom. The immense amount Of transportation
required at this crossing, and the tediousness
of the present mode Of transit will, however
nece ssitate the ruction Of bridge; and all
the railroad interests centering here are now
sharpening their wits to solve the problem OF
bridging the liver satisfactorily. It is proba-
bic the bridge win be constructed opposits the
extensive workshops of the Union Pacific Rail.
road Company at Omaha.
IL Omaha willing
Like Coun ellis Bluffs, Omaha has, or has had,
great aspirations. Not long ago it seemed real
ly to expect to outstrip Chicago and rival New
York. 1t put in it's claim the site for the
Capitol Of the nation on the ground that it was
the geographical and business centre OF the
country. The imprlsive George Francis Train
lit upon it as the focal point Of the land, and
set up his great Eldorado Credit Foncier city
on the Nebraska bluffs here. While it had the
extensive business of fitting out overland emf.
grant trains it undoubtedly thrived in q way TO
encourage complacent hopes for the future,
but as the Pecifc Railroad has been extended
west this supply business has gone to the new
settlements on the line, each in turn having
an ephemeral prosperity. Thus North Platte,
Cheyenne, Laramie, and Benton, have in sue.
cession done a rushing business, and now
Green River has it's brief hour OF prosperity
to be supplanted by the next station west
Omaha, however. violently resents any init
nation thar she is destined TO lapse into ipsig-
nificance. She still expects to be a great rail-
read entrepot, when the bridge across the
Missouri shall make ner the connecting point
of halt dozen railroads. 1t Is doubtful, how.
ever, il Omaha will reap Is much benefit from
this bridge and railroad connection as she an
ticipates. Business will shoot past to Chicago
and St Louis. The instance Of Crestline shows
that place may derive very little benefit from
beng located on important railroad connec.
lions. The difficulty now with Omaha is that
she has ne back country filled up with set.
tiers to make trade for her. Business appears to
be at a stand-still. We see few buildings in
progress of erection. From its position, how.
ever, Omaha cannot fail to be place OF CON.
siderable importance. As the country fills up
much Of the land now supposed to be sterile
and unfit for cult vation is really capable of
producing good crops. This has proved to be
the case with the hills adjacent to Omaha, that
were for a long time neglected as absolutely
barren, but which under cultivation now pro-
duce from 30 to 40 bushels Of spring wheat per
acre;and quality of wheat that gets premium
Of from 10 to IS cents per bushsl over that pro-
duced in the older Statss. 1t has been demon.
strated, too, that there is q much greater extent
Of fertile soil up the Platte valley than has
been supposed; and when the hostile Indians
have been removed, there is no doubt this cou1.
try will be speedily occupied. The enormous
size OF the vegetables TO be seen In the Omaha
markets certainly speaks well for the fertility
of the soil Of Nebraska.
"Train Town.
Many will remember the grand city founded
by George Francis Tram at Omaha, and per.
haps some of our readers have seen the hand.
somely engraved certificates Of stock issued
thereupon by his Credit Foncier of America, IL.
Illustrated on the back with gorgeous picture
of the new city, from which telegraph wires
and railroad lines radiated to all quarters of
the world. We took some pains to hunt the
new city mp, and in the start were somewhat
shocked to find the grand creation of the CreaS
Foncfer of America irreverently styled "Traiu.
town." After numerous inquiries and various
wanderings through cow.pastures. across
ravines, and mp and down steep hill ll.sides, we