, 1870-04-21
PACIFIC RAILWAY TRAFFIC.
The Struggle Retvcen Chicago aud
Vt. Louis
81. Lofs tApyit 81 Correspondence Of fe San Franz

When that great tzsns-coutinentM highway.
the Pacific Railroad, was being rapidly pushed
toward completion, TO that success was placed
beyond beyond doubt, two great eities vese found
traffic that that road must necessarily bring
into existence. These rival citiee were St Louis
and Chicago. Physically speaking, the alvan-
tagcs were all on the side OF st. Louis. Situated
road cf tho South and West-occEpyingo most
central position in m immensc valley, whose
agricultural wealth alone is sufficient 10 build
up half dozen large cities and to give en-
ploymcut to Is many railroads, easy OF access
fruin al directions, it seemed that there was
nothing wanted to recommend this locality as
the point of junction OF Eastern and Western
traffic, and to make st. Louis the great internal
distributing point Of the United States. CHI
cago, her rival, possessed none Of these nat
tIral advantages. Nay, some years ago, the
eether chimericalsl And get, in this contest, the
Inter city laz gained the victory and the rea.
cons arc obvious. The people who built
mp Chicago, who reclaimed miserable
swamp. to 1eat thereon great and thriving
city, were Young aud entelpriaing men-she
= magnificent city On The shores Of
the Pacific Ocean, in space Of time Less
than twenty year, the same kind Of men who
arc to he found at tho head and III the heart Of
every undertaking; men who do rot allow any
SncA0kA@Q-CNNA kAVrC FAAEEN Ill LHG4I way HF
nature, and which to many would seem insur-
mountahlc-so prevent the consummation Of
their success; men OF work, energy, and enter
prize On the other hand, this, tie old Queen
City Of the West, WAS stecped in old fogyism.
Ihosc who have held control here for years,
were mostly old foreign conservatives, whose
eole idea was to become rich and respectable,
| but boarded their money. It WAS vain to look
to st. Louis for capital for any enterprise, the
money bags never opened. But while St.
Louis slept, Chicago wss working hard TO gain
! the coveted prize, md the st. Louisians only
woke np when the prize was almost saatched,
| and which Chicago eventually secured
Tho TACT il, St Louis il \ dozen yea,s be-
hind the times, Let man come to this city,
after having visited other cities Of the Union,
evinccd- 11ere is sity OF 2so.o0o inlabit.uts,
that has all the appearance of al oyerErown
/ yillngc. Iu the busiuess streets one looks III
! vain for that stir, and hustle and action go io-
| scparsble from large and Aou.ishing city.
The streets are na11pw, and in such constant
| condition Of non-repair aud filth. that one
| would suppose that poverty was the raging sin
Ct all the inhabitants. The streets ate simply
horrible, and this is owing to their mode Of
| paving. The plan principally in vogue seems
before the advent Of civilization. It consists
| simply Of the natural ground for bed, over
which is thrown few caft-4oads OF stones,
which are Roon ground into tine powder By tho
vehicles, and the street is dnished. In con-
sequence our thorouGfares are in delightful
| condition al the year round In tho GUNNER,
when dr5, the dust is almost unbearable, when
| vet, the mud Almost impossible In winter,
| after rain or Bnow-etorn, mud a. before in
caso Of frost, such r1ts that it is almost i'm
possible to fiae IN any kind Of vehicle without
pretudicc to It or your own bones. A few
blocks down town are paved with Nieolsou and
Russ pavement, but these seem to find but
little favor in St. Iouis. I have thonght in
vain for reason for tho pe11istence in this
cou1se- II Is not economy. for the stones
have to be thrown over the streets 1lnost ev-
| cry year, and I an sure 1t costs them double,
in tho course Of twenty yeArH, what It would
| cost for q good and seyice1ble pavement
Besides thev are highly detrimental 10 he4lth !;
for have been informed BY physicians that =
large number Of thro.t and chest diseases, and
OF sore eyes, aro attributable to tho dust COL
1ected in the streets
Again, you would scarcely Imagine that
there WIS any business done in St. Louis.
Take walk down town, and you viii obeerse
I Quaker-1ike dullness that il very refreshing
impzeeaes one With the iden of funezsIs md
perpetual Sunday Rchoo1A There is no rush,
no excitement, no noise; but al business {if
there IS ,ny) i done IN very quiet, ucthol-
!cal md highly respectable manner The
buildings are p1aiu and tistv-looking. With
the exception Of the Southern Hotel and oue
public han. there il not handsome building
in the business part Of the city. Not that they
are dlxpidated. decsysd, or altogether COM
msnlooGng- there is no grandeur, no 40
lidity. nathine Of ths: imposing Or even sub
| etantial look that can be found in the boaineaa
buildings Of New York, Chicago, and SAP Fran-
citco. They arc the kind OF buildings which
GRE sees a1ong the business portions Of Sixth,
Seventh, and Eighth avenues Of New York.
! There xre no public buildings worth uueu-
tioning.
sr LOUIS 7HEAT1E-
Ihere fa not theat1e ia the city fit for 4
lady TO sit down in- The one that boasta Of
the catering apPellAtion Of the oper1 HOUSE
smAll, duardsh-1oating building, s4ueezed ia
Oh particularly natrow street, and one would
pass it By tnnocent1y, helieTing it to be third
class saloon. The entzances aIe uEaa1 nod in.
eo1senieat: The seata AIe narrow. stin, and
style nchoolforns. There is no room to paa.
between them WITHOUT disturbing ererJonh Q,
that form The dcosa ate dirty and unexpected
70 that when one enters Or moves it Is hears
over the whole house. Still, this Is the theatre
been foolish enough to come hen
only do Il onco, md then they r
sway wiser and saddcr, il rot dirty md dn
guste1. When Patti WA here sha aang 70 =
EG5s empty benches, for It seems that there
Louis to decline sitting in such ! hole-s
least the Ereste1 part of the people seem t
Tossess this trait And when thoae who ds
i honor her With their patronage called for 4
: enccre, Patti, much to their disgust and indi{
. nstien, refusea-a proof Of good sense in tn:
= lady which e1cises my admiration In fac
: thc1c Il no induecment for ftst-clAsa talent
; any Kind 70 como to St. Louis Even EdHi
: Adams only succeeded IN filing tho house o1,e
= in sn eight dAyu engagement, PerhAps, OF
= of these days, we may get = decent theatre.
o ihero are some very handsome pz1va
:. Int they fall Of having pleaaiug one
. en- account Of tho condition Of u
9 ttrecta which they are on. Bat 10 I've
. horea OF imp1uyrmcnts. Nttle mnre Eas
u c1n eafita is finding rs way here Not th,