Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1869-05-15
Letter from Chicago.
CHICAGO, May lOth.

Sheldon, celebrated as the site of those
mineral springs. Subject, think, was
improvements In Sheldon. 1 intended
giving you another letter from that
quarter of the globe. but l rather sud
derby made up my mind to try my for
tunes the second time in the West.
But my subject was Chicago, and be-
fore this reaches the good old State of
Vermont, the telegraph will have an
nounced to the world that the last rail
has been laid and the last spike driven
to complete the great binding chain of
this continent. The Atlantic and Pa
eific are now bound together by links
of iron. Your readers in Franklin
County can now take the cars at st.
Adams and ride to San Francisco,
nearly three thousand miles, and this
with the changes of say four trains, and
without losing meals or sleep.
Chicago is this afternoon celebrating
this great event, and tt Is estimated that
200, 900 people are out. Few people who
knew Chicago three years ago, would
recognize the Chicago of to-day. With
population verging on half million,
with the largest grain and numbering
market in the world, some nine or ten
railroads csntering here, and with a
daily average clearance and arrival of
sixty steamers, propellers and vessels,
with wealth untold, and prospects and
realities fattering, why should the
Western Metropolis not celebrate?
THE CELEBRAION.
The desire to celebrate in an appro-
pirate manner tho laying Of the last
rail which connects the two oceans, l
suppose was felt by the heavy business
men of Chicago, who will experience
the greater benefit from the enterprise,
as we'll as by the people of all classes
and occupations, as all regard it as
great national achievement, whose be-
neficent results must in some degree,
directly or remotely, be experienced by
every American citizen.
Could your readers have seen the
procession, they could appreciate what
words will not convey. At two O'Clock
precisely, the bells pealed forth the sig
nal that the golden spike had been driv-
en- home; and the different divisions
were formed on different streets and i'm
mediately took up their line of march.
First came 100 velocipedeists, mounted
on their two and three legged animals 4;
next, some 200 police, marshals, &C.,
MI fol inu Woo
President Colfax, the Mayor of Chicago,
&C.. escorted by the remains of ELS
worth's Zouaves and company of Fe-
mans, some 200 strong-the latter were
dressed in full Fenian costume, consist
ing of Cadet grey pants with green
stripe, and bright green coat and cap,
and armed with the Springfield mimic
musket; two color bearers, with the
flag of our country and the green flag of
the Emerald Isle side by side. These
were followed by other military COM
panies, and some 10 or IL steam fire en-
gines and hose companies, which were
followed by over 200 wagons of the
American Merchants Union and Amer
lean Express Company these in turn
were followed by some 40 L. :. mail
wagons, loaded with mail bags, all of
which were marked to different parts of
the world, all by the Way Of San Fran
cisco. These were followed by the
heavy trucks of wholesale dealers,
loaded with boxes marked through
westward from here to different points
between here and the Sandwich Islands.
I noticed some marked to Brigham
Young, Salt Lake City, also some large
cases marked, "Skirts and Corscts-
keep dry" for Mrs. Brigham Young No.
80, COD. 800, &c. The procession was
over three hours in passing a given
point, and as i watched it from the
foot of Randolph Street, as it passed
down Michigan Avenue, with the
broad lake for back ground, at this
time covered with over 100 steamers,
propellers and tugs, all this enlivened
by the blowing of nearly 200 locomotive
and steamboat whistles, and the music
of a dozen or more brass bands, it
brought before the multitude living,
breathing panorama which must be
seen to be appreciated, and will proba-
bly, be seen but once in a lifetime.
At8p.m., the crowd had gone, but,
like New York, there is always a crowd
here. l can name half doz- II streets
here, from one to four miles in length,
that, for constant crowds, fairly eclipse
Broadway, even in the vicinity of Bar
NUNS, now the Herald building, be-
lieve.
Chicago and London are the only two