The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-06-09
Oecaslonal Correspondenee.
PEoRIA. IIl.. JUNG 4Lh. l86s

PEORIA, H., June 4th, 1863.
Editors Journal:
Peoria claims to be the largest in
land city of the State, meaning that
she allows no riyalabut Chicago; but
in this she is mistaken, Quincy being |
in advance of her ia4population and |
commerce. !
Peoria is on the Illinois River, in |
the midst of one, of the richest aud |
most beautiful counties in the world,
built mainly upon the second bank"
which means, not on the bottoms, anda
then upon 1.-THE bluff which wraps
the city around, afording sites for
beautiful residences, such as / have
never seen equalled. Sitting on the
verandahs or in the windows of these
homes, you literally look down
upon the city, and can pick out with
distinctness, every prominent build
ing. Doing this at evening tide when
the gas was being lighted, it put you
in mind of the more beautiful sky
above, where, one by one, the stars
come out In the waxing darkness,
but alas how different the upper from
the lower And | thought how much
of change must come before, Of this
city, so much like other cities. you
could say it pats you in mind of the
pure Heaven above you. IWas told
that when they have large fire, the
outlook upon the city IS grand. And
then in addition you look upon the
river and the lake The lake is
widening of the river four or Eve times
! its general width, just above the city,
and as the waters spread out upon the
| other side, they tTanquillze themselves
| into a beautiful stiffness or glasslness
which makes it exceedingly inviting
| for all aquatic doings In sailing, row
ing, fishing, duck hunting and In
winter, a grand natural skating rink.
The waters are now very high so that
| the trees and bushes and fences and
other improvements are, many ct them
literally seen standing in the water
and out of the water"
had the pleasure of taking a drive
with some friends out to The Peoria
! Cemetery. The drive IN itself Is very
beautiful, through a scenery which,
for variety and romance, caunOt be
exceiled even on the banks Of the
| Connecticut. The same may be said
of the Cemetery. In its two huadred
aud forty acres you have IN miniature
almost what you have in Central Park
| New York 1t has ponds and streams
and hills and bluffs and bridges and
fountains. Part of it is still III its
wIldness, other parts are finely i'm
| proved, with some very beautiful
monuments.
But now to get back to what PEORIA
| Is, which means with most of US
business, population, improvements.
! Its population is about the same as
that of Evansville--thirty thousand.
| Ii has vastly better country around it
| State. This makes it q centre for
prOduce-wheat, corn, stock. &c. la
| its general commerce 1T is behind US
| 1t has not as many wholesale houses.
1t does not equal US In dry goods or
shoes, or perhaps groceries, but it
| does excel US in manuiac cries.
Prominently among these stand the
! manufactures of liquors, both malt
and spirituous, and the large manu-
| factory Of Tying Il BrOtherton, Of pure
| alcohol. Then, IN toundries and iron
works they excel US, though | saw 20
mans. Then the mandatory Of ag-
ricultural implements is vast. We In
| the lower part of Indiana have no
conception of the extent TO which
this business is carried on, and
the extent to which improve
ments in farming is carried 10
the best parts Of Central and North
ern Illinois. Horse power is wonder
H..
begins TO say, must ride as
work" and he mounts the box, cracks
his whip, and rides lChile he ploDs.
and while he plants, and while he Guilt
Yates, aud while he harvests, as we'll as
when he takes his sacks to the eleva-
tor, expecting his return of green
| backs. Let me, however, say here,
parenthetically, that the farmer S
idea of greenbacks is not animating.
He doesn't whistle gaily as he takes
his load, for he knows that he only
gets half as much as a year ago.
Hence business is dull, profits small,
and here, as everywhere, great COM
plants.
/ found Peoria all agog on Monday,
as Madame Parepa Rosa was to deiec
tate the elite with her sweet tones.
L
Opera House being packed from floor
to parquette;; P'arepa sings swsetly,
but not soulfully, and there is not
about her, as l understand, the moral
inlpreSsenlent that Jenny Lind always
produced, and then Mrs. Rosa is
burly, and as she was dressed or over
dressed, seemed perfectly elepbantine
as she retired through the side door
at least so the critics had it.
A word now about other things
that means a dozen or more words.
In hotel accommodations Peoria is
not much in advance of US. Then
Peoria has no street railroad. But
Peoria is going ahead of US in this
. she is going 10 have water Works-be-
fore another year a full supply of
pure water for manufacturing, as well
as all other purposes. The work is
well on toward accomplishment. The
pipes are laid In almost every part of
the city, and such a digging up of
ground you never did see, except In
Evansville, where, as Major Warner
used to say, 1t seemed to him God
Almighty hadn't put a single shovel
full Of dirt In the right place, as it all
had to be shoveled over and over
again. Thanks to our Engineers.
The Peorians are using the HOlley'S
Patent Water Works arrangement.
This. as | understand, does away with
the need of reservoirs, the water be-
ing forced (and fltered) directly
through or into the pipes with so
much of dynamic pressure that it not
only reaches the highest buildings
in the city, but will throw a stream
200 feet high. s1sr
Now let me close, saying-if Evans
vile wants any one thing more than
another, it is water-works. If the
money expended in street railroads,
and Opera House and twenty other
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