The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-02-05
Correspondence.
CMICAGO CORRESPONDENCE.

CPicAoo, Jan. %, 1869: The events of the
New Year IN Chicago, arc the commence
ment OF a new monthly magazine, ''THE
biography aud the interests OF the West. and
the opening of the Washington streat tunnel
under the Chicago River.
The want OF such r magazine as the
WESTERN MONTHLY aspires TO become, has
long been felt IN the West. In business on.
orgy, in newspaper enterprise and ability, In
railroads, commerce and agriculture, and Ina
all the channels Of natural prosperity, We
outrank the East, while our schools arc at
least equal to those OF the older States. And
there IL no good reason why we should not
have a magazine literature to correspond with
our development ia other respecte. We have
cultivated talent enough Of high character,
literary and scientific, II organized and
acting IN concert, to sustain a magazine
which shall truly represent western character
and western interests and correspond TO the
bounty Of Nature in its gifts OF magnificent
rivers, oceRn-lakes, and vide reaching prai-
ries. II Is the purpose of The conductors of
this monthly, by a liberal policy, to secure
the beet productions Of our ablost writer's
and thinkers. II has already enlisted tho
hearty sympathy OF the first scholars Of the
West, including many of the leading Hinds
Of our universities, colleges and public
schools, as we'll as some OF our lest writer's
Of fiction. Ii will discusss public measures
free from n national and not from a par.
tisan staud point, and geek to promote q
catholic and tolerant epirit, end a generous
rivalry IN good decide, While paudering TO no
prejudice and apologizing for no organized
iniquitv. II win enCuura &c real progress, by
upiolding whatever is true and OF good re-
pect among men.
rHE wFs1 rN MONTHLY
Ia edited and published by Reed x futile, at
IFS Madison street, Chicago, at $500 n year,
In advance. Each number contains sixty-fouT
pages of reading matter. and will have a ateel
engraved portrait and a biography of some
representative Western man. The January
number was issued with the haste and inn
perfect preparation Incident to a first under
taking, and the publishers confess that h
does not represent their ideal, nor come up
TO the standard they expect 10 maintain la
the future. But it certainly 10 a creditable
humber, aud gives promise Of n fresh and
vigorous life. AZ MI accepted contributions
are to be libcra'ly paid for, and rejected ones
returned, II desired, | make "a suggestion or
two for the boneiitof those who may writo
for Its cOlunns-which will apply also to
writer's for daily newspapera. BE sure you
have something 10 write worth reading, bo-
fore you write, and put your thoughts Ia the
most readable style. Re-tCTite, II Unnecessary 10
completeness and perfection Uf style Aud
treatment, and never seLo Az
imperfect manuscript 20 the .oitCib,
With the expectation that they will cuile,L
and ut IL for publication. All such commub
]icatiOus wilr or should, go into the waste ba =
hNA hN hNAAhRah VI WI ~ 20 ~ ~ uhN
own thoughts, aud decide upon the merits OF
o:hei's productions, aud their fitness for pub
llcation m his magazine or paper, but not to
supply contributors with thoughts, or teach
thonl Rhetoric. II Dung writors would heed
these limits, they would save themselves
much useless labor aud modification. II lie
not always a good angel, OF at least q rise
one, that many young men aud women hear
saving unto them write" An experienced
editor can tell at a glance what sort ofangols
dictates their contributors articles.
To return from thi depression, let me add
that / know the publishers, their aims
and expectations. They have strong friends
TO back them, and n wido and unocupied field
for their labors. They have industry, enter
prize, courage, enthusiasm and experience a.
editors. They have begun TO 20 through
with their undertaking, and Il western mon
will sustain western literature, by their sub
criptiOns, we shall soon have a magazine
Of which the West may well feel proud.
raj TCNNE
The project Of u tunnel haa been agitated
for some years, the growing needs OF travel
requiring some moro certain method OF
crossing tho river than the bridges, which
are open a large part OF The time to meet the
demands Of navigation. From the advance
sheets OF inc February number OF the West
ern Monthly CLEAN tho following facts con-
corning Il: The contract wHs first let, Aug.
9th, 1866, for S27l 600, aud the contractors,
alter spending $4,000 in labor and ma,
t~eriala, abandoned the work MAY l7th, 1861
aud the contract wGN DECLARED forfeited. The
work was again let, Judy 18th, 1867, TO J X.
Lake, and Charles b. Farwrll OF the firm oil
John Y, FarWoli 4 Co., for 1923, 800, and has
been pushed forward with u yigor and peril
nacity that oycrcanC all obstacles, md on
the first day Of the new year, IL was open to
the inspection ~ the pubiic. The tunnel in
cludes Two passage ways-Oue for foot pas
sengora, $40 feet long, ten feet wide, and
eight feet high, the entrances to which are
by a stairway OF eighteen stops, enclosed
by stone entrance houses and Il passage
way for teams, 1903 feet long, part OF
the way 23l feet wide, and l5i feet high, and
tho rest Of the way l9i feet wide, except I'M
der the river, whore the passage way 10 di-
vided into two arChed ways, each IL feet
wide and 10 feet high. The road for teams
IA nearly 81 rods long, G2 % rods Of which
are arch-coyered, aud the remainder open
end walled, thciwalls being 20 feet high and
6 feet thick at the base where they ioin tho
severed passage way, and gradually dimin-
ishing In hight ana thickness till the road
bed rlsee 20 tho level OF the streets. The
roadway IL laid with the Nicholson pavement,
aud the foot passenger way with plank, and
both are we'll lighted and ventilated. There
were three and u half milliOns OF brick, a.
900 cords Of stone, 10000 cubic yards of bro
ken stone aud sand, 5000 cubic yards OF con-
crete and 10000 barrels of water cement
used in constructing the tunnel. There we're
$4,000 yards OF excavation, and 1t required
10000 days work, Of 10 hours each, besido
the work performed by teams and steam en-
glnee, to complete II, and the whole cost has
exceeded 500, 900.
Charles b. Farwell, ESD, OF the large dry
goods houee Of John v, Farwell d Co., who
furnished thejnoney, and who made a por-
sonal inspection Of tho work daily for a year
and q halt, urging the work forward with his
accustomed energy, determined that there
| ahnTlH hn m anon thing "a foil IL 10 NhA
only roadway under a river IN til. world, and
In this respect, 1t is like Chicago, unique aud
uuTiyalied.
TRADE
still continues duh, though collections arc
made with more facility, and the prOspects Of
a revival OF business with tho opening OF
spring are improving. There have been few
failures in legitimate business, and the credit
OF tho merchants generally ia unimpaired.
Money is becoming easier, and business mon
feel more cheerful aud hopeful than a month
ago.
ANEW THEATRE
Frank l.. Aiken, for a long time the auc-
cesstul manager of Woods Museum, has
opened the new theatre on Dearborn street,
haa transferred hia company 10 tho now
house, and begins thonew campaign with tho
best prospects AZ well as the good wishes of
the community.
hnSIsTEns CONVICTION.
We have had a convention Of ministers OF
all the orthodox denominations, discussing
plans for the ciyilizatiDA Of the Chicago
heather, and thero q a general waking 40 to
the Importance Of using all the approved in
strumenialitles fHr gathering sinnc rs into the
visible kingdom in this annual harvest sea-
son OF souls wish them oven miraculous
success in their benevolent enterprise.
-
A distinguished Methodist minister and
prominent Temperance Lecturer once re-
marked that go where he would, from OF .
end OF the countr Y to the other, he hal div
ever failed to find PLANTATION BIrrFRs, ana