The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1869-10-21
n a. a.a .a IFor The Telegraph
Letter from Minnesota.

ST. PAUL, Mimi, Oct. s. 1868.

ST. PAUL, Mimi, Oct. s. 1868.
MIR. EDITOR Things in Minnesota for
the past month or two have been decid-
edly damp. Since the eclipse OF August
seventh, it has rained nearly half the
time, commencing on the ninth OF the
month, it rained all day for seven days.
with many light showers on other days
During the month of September, it rain
ed thirteen days, and often came down IN
torrents. The result of SO much rain has
been disastrous to everything, and It's
ruinous effects widespread and fearful.
It began in the midst of haying and har-
vest, and farmers have been unable TO
complete the labors of either, or to secure
what they had begun. There IS wheat
and oats still standing in the shock'
which have grown as green as meadows 1f IN
June, and nearly all the stacks are severe
ly wet and grown. 1t is quite Impossible
to thresh it we'll, and when b ought to
market it is in such a damaged condition,
that buyers decline to purchase, as 1t Is
impossible to handle it for want OF ele-
vators or proper storage. However, there
are some exceptions, as little wheat was
threshed before it became damaged. The
season for harvesting is generallyso favor
able that it is the custom to thresh quite
proportion of the grain without stack
| ING. in some instances it was done this
year, in others the heavy rains began
when the large farmers had hundreds OF
acres IN shock. Thousands of tons OF hay
have been spoiled in the stack and cock
the water being ten feet higher than ever
has been known at this season of the year
meadows are submerged, stacks washed
away, ortheir tops just visible above the
surface of the water As a result the
price Of hay has advanced from $1S t.
f$25 per tom Straw is selling at from q
to SIS per load,Y as fast as threshed, and
taken from Z the field. Potatoes are begin
ming to rot from the effects Of the wet
Corn, notwithstanding the cold wet sum
mer,i s gaod crop, the ears are large and
we'll filled, but the growth of stalks if
small. Much suffering Of stock is antlcl
pated she coming winter The railroads
Iarre badly damaged all over the state, cul
Iyerts andHbridges are washed away, mills
and mill-dams, and transportation ano
business greatly retarded. Minneapolis
was the scene of an other serious loss tc
the manufacturing interest of the city
and country, which was the caying in q
the tunnel on Nicolet Island, being con
strueted to carry water to the lower part
of the island to supply some mills will
motive power. Unless the damage car
be repaired, the whole island, and ever
the falls may be washed away. The stra
to of the river bed is composed first, layer
oflime stone, second of soft sand stone, and
Through this the tunnel is being construct
led
/ :
On the day following the date of the
above, took passage for Debuque on the
Northern Line Packet Davenport, Cap
tain Cougar, commander J; A. HaViln
clerk II. N. Brown, mate; Messrs. Dob
son and Smith, pilots and Wilson and
Graham, engineers. A more corteous and
fobliging corps of officers could not easily
be found Thepassenger list was large and
all expressed themselves delighted with
the steamer and its management. A no
tice of the towns and most important pla-
ces on the river may not be without inter.
est to your readers. Hastings twenty-five
miles south of st. Paul is a considerable
town, has fine landing, contains some
fine buildings Of brick and stone, steam
saw and grist mills. 1t contains five
Thousand inhabitants, and is the starting
point of railroad now running twenty
| five miles, whose western terminus is in
Dacotah st. CroiX Lake, at the mouth of
the river of the same name is a beautiful
sheet of water. Prescott, in Wisconsin,,
opposite Prescott Point, in Minnesota, is
a most beautiful place, and is the great
lumber emporium of the northern Missis-
|slppi-next to Minneapolis. 1t is situat-
ed in the midst of fine farming country,
ard large number of sacks ofwheat were
taken on board for LaCross. Diamond
Bluff and Redwing are also fine places,
the latter is the seat of Hamlin Universe
ty under the supervision of the Methodist