Worcester daily spy., 1871-12-16
From St, Louis to Washington.
lrnom OUR BOSTON CONSEQUENTLY |


We crossed the Mississippi once more, and
looked back upon solid, self.reant st. Louis
under its smoke-cloud, and saw the immense
piers of the great bridge which will be finished
in year, and viii save all the annoyance now
given to travellers by the passage in crowded
coaches and slow ferry boats. 1t is built by
Capt. James B. Eads; will be 223O feet long and
viii cost about S5,OO0,OOO st. Louis alone has
already subscribed one quarter Of this sum, and
New York more than quarter
ride of fifteen hours took us to Cincinnati.
Almost all the way the country was
level, and looked uninhabted few log
houses, few shantes, a few miserable and for.
lorn settlements called towns, were TO be seem
but not one pleasant village, hardly one really
comfortable looking house. The farms in south
ern Illinois and Indiana may be rich ana profit
able, but the people live wretchedly. 1t was
funny to hear the conductor and brakcmcn call
the names of these hamlets as we stopped at
them: "Zcny (Xcnia), "Flory," "Medory,"
"Aurory," with sin2-song tone and
strong accent on The or in the word.
Southeastern Indiana may be better; il
was too dark TO see the towns there, when we
passed through them. After st. Louis, Cincn-
natl seemed clear and clean, though travellers
arriving from the east complain of its dirt. The
weather was beautiful; mild, still and sunny;
there was no snow, the trees had a warm tint,
and the fallen leaves were rich red-brown; the
meowness of autumn had not yet given place
to the hard lines and colditints of winter. The
view from ;he river bank was lovely; the fine
suspension bridge in the foreground; the small
ferry boats steaming across the river; the undu
lating country on the Kentucky side, and the
near spires of CoyIngton bright in the after
noon sunlight made a charming picture, 1t
was Sunday, but the reading room of the free
library was open, and between twenty and thir-
ty roughookng men aud boys were there read
ing newspapers and magazines That was
probably their only time and place for reading,
and with one exception they appeared en-.
tirely absorbed in their occupations; that one
was a sturdy, poorly-dressed lad who had fallen
fast asleep with his brown cheek on the page of
an illustrated weekly.
In one of the most conspicuous squares of the
city stands the magnificent fountain. presented
cinnati" Ii is called the Probasco-D Davidson
Fountain, for Mr.. Davidson and Mr.. Probasco
together had made the plan for this gift. The
war delayed the fulillment of it, and then Mr..
Davidson died in the winter Of 1865. Mr.. Pro-
basco inherited large part of his property, and
decided although Mr. Davidson had made in
his viii no mention ofthe fountain, 10 carry out
tho scheme in his friani'S natna as we'll as in
his own. The design for the fountain was made
by August Krelng, director Of the school of
sculpture at Muremburg, and son-in,law TO
Kaulbach The casting was to be done
by the Won Muelcrs at the royal
foundry of Bavaria. But in the sum
mer oi 1870 the Won Muellers were in the German
army, and the work was again DELAYED. After
the war, however. all went well, and about two
months ago the fountain was put in its place
and Cincinnati was wild with JOY anu pride
The base ofthc main fountain is ofpolshed gray
porphyry and is three and half feet high. On
this rests the bronze base 10 feet inches square
and six feet high. 1t would be difficult to de
scribe the wealth Of ornament layished on
| this mass of bronze Each side has
bas-relief, representing the uses Of waters one
is party Of fishermen pulling their boat and a
laden seine ashore: one is fac-simile Of an
Ohio river steamer, and group on shore part
ing from a young man who ig going west to
seek his fortune; third is Il picture Of mill
with undershot wheel, and a man and woman
bringing grist to it; the fourth shows loco
| motive and n trip hammer moved by steam.
| There is perfect harmony in the design The
fountain, as whole, and in each of its parts,
represents the uses, delights and blessings of
water in all its FORMS from solid ice to the pow
er OF steam. In the beveled corners Of the base
are inches containing statues; girl using the
basin Of the fountain for mirror and plavng
| with her BEADS boy dressed in fur, buckling
| on his skates; a happy boy holding up lob
ster, while net bangles about his feer; and a
graceful girl listening to the sea shell hicb She
holds TO her ear From this base rises cen
trail tree-like column, surmounted by fine gepius
Of water a female figure, fully draped and
pouring abundant streams from her outstretched
hands. Around the base are statues almost
colossal: man with empty bucket on the
roof of his burning house; farmer Standing
by a newly-planted tree; both looking up for
the longed-lor rain; a mother leading her youna
boy to the bath; and daughter giving A cup
of water to Ler sick father; these are the prn-
cipal ornaments of the fountain, but all wrought
with elaborate detail and perfect finish. On the
rim of the basin are four drinking fountains
standing on porphyry pedestals and sunpIied
with ice water On each is the bronze figure of
a boy: one struggling with a wafer snake
another mounted with supreme delight upop tbe
back of an unhappy tortoise. one has captured
A duck and is trvinr to oet its mote and a
fourth is lust conouerinp dolpbin. Here i
one objection to this and to all other drinkino.
fountains WHY sbould we drinl. from tbe
mouths of beasts. birds and rontiles2 r,e id.,
is very disagrceable Iat.us ta,.a +ra oni,,,,I,
for ornament or to sI,oo, ,,,,. ro,r,r1 CO., ,,,.,
but not carry our intimacy CO far az 70 dri,,I
from their months Ha,ino fraed ,,,, NINA #
tbis nrotcst which have Iono, ,,.a,,,,l 90 IT.
I will ro hack to rbe Gorntoin Tho hosi, -
rortv-three feet in dia,ooter on,l +,,o ,;,,, !,
stems abovc the espIanoda Which s,,rro,,,,,, ;,
The esnlonada ie Aoo foot lonor ~ f,.., ,,,;a,
raised two feet above tbe adjacent s,lc,yotl, +,
is pavcd with sandstone and set ro,,d An,