Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-09-01
Correspondence.
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE

l
A Trip South South Par --uHi rope.
ruvdan M inist ers--s OIdiefs' Ce nneteryl
-IlIinots Central Railroad Lands a
Business--D. ". FisIk A. oO.-Ladtos
RSGIorCSan. RSGa' . %. : w.sts4h e nsnG'islSi MontSiS
Amusements, &s II
CurcAao, Aug. 20, 1869. n have recently
made a trip to o"Egypt," the fruit region OF
Illinois, and spent some days among the en-
terprising immigrants who have made the
waste places OF suckerdom bud, blossom and
bear fruit like the garden OF Eden. Allalong
the line of tho Illinois Central Railroad. Tor
15O miles north of Cairo, more or less frait 10
ed to il but the headquarters OF frult;rals-
ing is now at
SOUTH PASS (ooBDEN sTATIoN,)
40 miles north ofOairo and 323 miles south OF
Chicago. II is timbered region, the sur
face diversified with many hills, often OF
conical form, and on the sides. or tops OF
these hills arc the fIuit orchards peaches,
pears, apples, grapes, strawberries, black
berries, raspberTies, &c. Large quantities OF
tomatoes, sweet potatoes, melons, and pea
nuts, and sonlo cotton, arc grown. A irnit
farm of 40 acres, in good condition, IS an m
dependent fortune. A Chicagoan, OF the To-
cal persuasion, had recently paid SIC, 600 for
one-third ofa single pear orchard think
it covered eighty acres. This town Is noted
for its thrift the intelligence OF its people,
thoir public spirit, and the number OF beautl'
fll residences most of thom on tho h lis en-
powered and surrounded with trees-trom |
which can be seen Missouri on the west and |
Kentucky on. the east, and the finest land
scapes. The South Pass horticultural So
ciety own a hall 2Sx55 feet for its monthly |
meetings, and in which religious services and |
a aourishing Sunday School are held on the |
Sabbath. This town has been built up chiefly |
by settlers from tho North. The pioneer, G. ii.
baker,. wel-known TO the fruit. growers OF the |
Northwest, went there from Ripon, WIS, and
established the first fruit farm dogon or Ill
teen years ago, in an eligible location, some |
900 rods from the depot. There is now n
thriving village at the station, with churches,
stores, mills, shops, a large fruit-boX manu- |
factory, with saw MILL run by steam, which |
supplies the homo demand and furnishes |
boxes for all points as far south even as Mo- |
bile,.-a sweet potato house which stores |
10, 600 bushels, &c. As proof OF vital growth,
there were erected here, in one year, nifty |
dwelling houses, a church, planning g-mill, saw:
MILL a frnitpackage factory, brick sehooi
h use at q cost of $4,000, two wagon-shops, |
three blacksmith-shops and five stores The |
climate is ealubrious and delightful, the hot
season being tempered by fresh breezes |
though this region is never subject to hurrl- |
canes or tornadoes.
CAIRO,
where spent two days, has reputation for
mud which it does not deserve, except in eX-
trcmey wet weather, but its mosquitoes are
lively and enterprsng. 1t is healthy city |
az vital statistics and the testimony of impair. |
tial witnesses abundantly prove. The chief
drawback to its rapid growth is the monopoly |
of the Cairo Land Company, composed main |
" of English capitalists, who own large part |
4ho, ial la nd
sell, except at high prices But the location |
of the city at the confluence of the Ohio and |
Mississippi riverS, and its proximity to almost |
inexhaustible resources of iron coal, lead, |
limestone and marble, and It's connection by |
rail and river with the great centres Of trade,
prodCstine it tn become q large manufactur-
ing city.
fhad the good fortune to visit tho
IRoN-cLAD MONITORS
sold to tho Peruvian government, the day
before they steamed from Mound City, where
the Government Navy Yard is located on tho
Ohio, seven miles above Cairo.
THE SOLDIERS CEMETERY.
There in which 5140 soldiers and sailors
are bur led, has had little governmental care.
1t is enclosed with white picket fence, and
is intersporsed with native oaks--and great
many tall weeds--a row OF cannOns stand up
small white head-boards, numbered from |
to 8, LAO, mark the resting place of the dead.
Still, there is an air Of quietness and security
there, beftiing the last resting place Of those
who died that the nation might live. / am
under obligations to John Leimbert an old
friend, who keeps the Railroad House at
Cairo, for cOurtesies in showing me the
''lmsr in that city and vicinity.
II have spoken of Golden, or South Pass, as
| n ,Nnint in thn Ernit oiop M
Southern Illinois, A better idea, perhaps,
can be given of the extent of fruit raising
there 10y stating that in the strawberry sea-
son sometimes as many as eight car loads Of
strawberries, containing from siXty-five 10
eighty tons, are despatched from that point
| in single day, and that 1876, 412 boxes of
peaches were shipped thence in one season.
They are sent not only to Chicago, but to
| Detroit, Buffalo, New York and Boston, In
1867, ono-half Of all the berries and
one-third OF tho peaches carried by the
| fruit train between Onarga and Jonesboro "a
stance Cf 43 miles-wero shipped from
South Pass. But there are dozen places
| that might be made to rival South Pass, us all
the region south of Centralia, and for 100
miles north OF IL, IL admirably adapted for
| fruit raising. The railroad freight on peach
es alone, in a single year, from this section,
amounted to 100000. II is also remarkably
healthy all along this lire, and friends and
acquaintance in Wisconsin and other states,
who have suffered severely from asthma and
neuralgia, have been completely cured by
removing to southern Illinois.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD LANDS.
The magnificent land grant by the General
Government in 1850, TO the Illinois Central
Railroad Company extending fifteen miles
each side of The track-unllke many SINH
lar grants-has proved blessing to all
parties. 1t enabled the company, at an early
day, to build 705.7 .73 miles OF railroad through
the very heart Of the stato-tho main line
| from Dunlcith to Cairo 455.51 miles, and the
branch from Chicago to the junction, near
Centralia, 25022 miles thereby promoting
the early settlement Of the state, giving
homes to tens OF thousands OF families on
easy terms opening up q market for the pro-
ducts Of their labor, and adding, at least,
! third to the population and wealth Of Illinois.
| The population in 40 counties on the line of
this road increased from 1850 to 1865, from
351, 1897 TO 1,127, ,OS7. One million eight hun
dred thousand acres of these railroad lands
have been sold to actual settlers, and 800, 900
acres OF the best quality-remain unsold
and open to purchasers, at prices ranging
| from 81 to Sl2 per acre. Ono popularity of
these lands, which gives them great value ,is
the large amount OF nitrogen in tho sOil.-e es-
pecially on the praries-sullicient for hun
dred crops Of wheat Tho prairie extends to
Du Quoin, 288 miles south Of Chicago. Thence
tits mostly timber to Cairo, n miles. The
Agricultural College, endowed by the gene
raj government, ls on tho line Of this road,
at Champaign, 1913 miles south Of Chicago.
The uns0ld lands are contiguous 10 the Rail-
road, and can be bought in tracts of 40 or so
acres, or more, according to lhe wants or
means Of purchasers for onc-forrth cash
down and the balance in one, two end three
years, at six per cent interest, il desired.-L
And tho Company never disturba purchaser
who does his best TO fulfil his contracts. II
is an excellent opportunity for those wishing
pleasant, healthy, homes, near to markets
and TO the center Of civilization. aa
.Il. Jttt BUSINESS i'V n.HJH.. 20
is beginning to revive slowly, money has
commenced flowing here from the East,
grain receipts are large and command good
prices, the progress OF tho harvest assures us
bountful crops, and confidence In the future
il increasing. Our leading houses here arc
making ful nrnna ral inna for Iaruo IA n tra1a