New-York tribune., 1869-06-05

cago, have grown more and more rolling until here
they are broken by deep rayines aud sweeping hills
AT last dark belt of forest marks the Western hor-
zon, 1t IS the strip of woods that follows the Mis-
souri, Then on the distant shore appears Omaha, a
city set upon hill, fair picture. crowned by the
white capitol that overlooks the broad, unpayed,
busy streets.
At the foot of the bold hills of Council Bluffs we
leave the passengers and mails for that growing
city, then glide along the low prairie for four miles
and we have reached the great Muddy River The
BostOnians draw a long breath to remember how far
they are from homeland then yet longer one upon
being reminded that they not half across tho con-
tnent, that the steamer just putting away from the
Omaha landing is to go 1900 miles further up the
river; that the locomotive just shrieking its sum-
from the western bank, yet roll 500 miles
almost as fast as the bird hies toward the setting
sun.
The train discharges its load into twelve mammoth
omnbuses and express and baggage wagons. The
two mail wagons are piled up with sacks Of letters
and papers that they look like loads Of hay. All
these huge vehicles are crowded upon ferry boat
we drop down half mile, rounding the great, fat
naked sand-bank then land, drive along plank
road. with water each side into the just-now
muddy streets of Omaha. The through passengers
transferred to the Union Pacific train, and in half
an hour are again whirling Westward. The rest of
us are beset with camOrous runners for the several
Omaha hotels. One African, with droll grin, is so
loud In praisng the establishment he represents and
so fierce in denouncing its rivals, that pompous
passenger from the East finally roars out "Stop
that noise, there! we've heard enough of it, All
right Sah," replies SambO, with scrape of the foot
and grotesquely gesture toward the battered
rim Of his hat all right, Sab. Which road does you
orn Sah de Union Pacific or de WestRP Abr.
FEATURES AND POPULATION OF OMAHA
BRIDGE OVER THE MIssOURI-THE LINCOLN
CARn-MACHINE AND REPAIR sHoPs-EQUIP-
hENT OF TIE ROAD-FAREs, FREIGHT RATES
AND EXPRESS CHARGES-A LIBERAL POLICY
NEEDED.
lPRoM Our SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
OMAHA MAY 3l-Omaha is metropolitan, at least
in It's pretensions As | stroed ont the evening
of my arrival my eyes were greeted by the huge
posters of the Academy of Music" and my ears by
the cnking lager beer glasses in tho gas-ight un-
der the locust trees of TiyOl Garden" Where
does Col. - livef" asked of policeman. "On
T,renfy-second.sL, near the capitol" he replied
Take the horse-car TO Eighteenhst and then It is
only four blocks" Distance by the car one mile
motivepower, mules fare ten cents or eight rides
| for half n dollar.
Omaha claims to have nearly 1900 people CouD-
Gil Bluffs Iowa. its twin sister 10000 have not vet
met any inhabitant Of either who seems to under
rate either its Importance or its destiny Omahas
advantages are: the West bank OF the rivera most
mportaut point as all experience in the Mississippi
! Valley teaches-and the terminus and machlneshop
Of the longest railway in the world. Those of Coun-
ell Bluffs are: awellsettled back country, and the
conveyanoe Of a railway from st. Louis; one from
| SIoux City and two from Chicago with third to
| open next January.
The uupayod soil Of the Omaha streets is jct-back
aud would yield splendid corn or wheat When the
! weather-which may change q dozen times day-is
wet the mud is incredible in depth and sickness;
but few hours of sunshine dry 1t up completely
All classes throng the thoroughfares, from Indians
fresh from the prTies to BosOnians fresh from the
handbook. Land mile from the center Of trade sells
for 1900 per acre; resident lots, GxlS2, for from
sl 900 upward aud business property at prices not
! much above those Of New-York and Chicago. An
Eastern man may form a fair idea Of the trade by
| guessing at il after a walk through the leading
streets. and then multiplying his estimate by ten
There are wooden shantes along these plank side
walks in which the annual sales reach half million
of dollars. and three-story brick blocks covering
| whole squares divided into hardware, grocery, dr.
goods and drug stores, all elegantly finished, and
! filed with goods from cellar 10 roof Many OF the
! residences have ample grounds beautiful IN lawns
in flowers. in shrubbcry, and in shading cotton
woods, locusts popars, and naples, though the or-
gnal prairie was naked enough.
| The railroad bridge over the Missouri is building
| below the Cozzens House and opposite the port OF
! Omaha. which is known as Train-town. There was
specuaton in the eyes of George Francis four years
ago when he bought several hundred acres here for
nominal price The bridge structure will be OF iron,
Posts patent half mile long, with II spans of 25O
! feet each 1t will be 20 feet above the low-water-
mark and 50 feet above the high. The piers, not OF
masonry. but hollow iron cylinders, filed in with
| bowlders and concrete-are similar TO those when
support the railroad bridges over the Pedee
! and Santee in South Carolina, and the new
wagon and foot bridge across the Harlem River at
| Third.aye. New-York. They are cast in Chicago,
and brought here in the form of enormous rings OF
onc-and-three-auarter inch iron ten feet high and
nine-anda-half in diameter. One Of these is placed
upon the sand and covered with cap. The air ls
| pumped out and the pressure OF the atmosphere
drives it down-until the top is level with the sur
| face of the Rround-n about "A hours linen O
current Of condensed air. let IN by n
pipe near the bottom drives out the sand through
valve in the cap. Buff the earth Is gravel the ar
is condensed instead of being exhausted ana men
stand inside the great cylinder and throw the art
ont with spades and buckets by the light OF candies
When one ring is sunk another is boted upon the TOP
oft and the operation is repeated. Only one cylihuei
| ia completed-on the Eastern banK-and that went
down 75 feet before it rested the solid sandstone
The work, built by the Union Pacific Company VIII
cost two millions of dollars, and II the
money is forthcoming, 1t De cothpie'cu III
twelve months Then We can 20 through from New
York to San Francisco without change, the passen'
ger chartering a saloon stateroom for himself OF DIS
family for the entire trip Perhaps history VIII re-
peat itsef, and the California travel again DC III
..idnd into frst.cahin. aecond-cabn. and steerage