The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-23
Cosrespondeuce Of the CoukftR.
HArYoWAx UorsoRH q ATIoNAL
&. 49, COUNCIL.
sRA1LRoAD TRAvEL-pLACE OF MEETING
SEEING FRIENDS, &c.

80 - q slrE "
/ SEEING FRIENDS, &c.
OBERLIN, O., Nov. Is.
DsAR CoURiER When we find an
Acquaintance some distance from
home, our arst query is usually,
allow came YOU here 2" reply: as
l had always had before come cast
by the, Chicago route, | concluded
this time TO Try tho "South Route
find, contrary to my fears, that this
| route Il we'll up TO the requirements
Of rsilroad travel. | had always
supposed It was N important freight
route, bnt not quite equal in its pas
senper Recommendations tosome other
lthorougbfsres. But having come
over the route, one need have no
hesitation Ia commencing 1t for
speed, comfort, and security.
Having secured special fAvors at
the hands OF W. B Armstrong, the
efficient and gentlemAnly Superinten.
dent ct Ottumwa Of the Des Moiues
Valley Road, I lett Ottumwa 2;35 on
Monday, arriving here last night at
8 o'clock. The Des Moines Valley
Road need no word Of commendation
from me to the people Of Ottunwa.
If the officers Of the road who UNDER
stand their own affairs and can man.
age them, do not see to fit to arrange
their trains for the accommodation
of tho Keokuk Consultation and Dos
Moines Register 90 that their papers
can send up and down the road their
issues which they cannot sell at home,
doubtless the road will survive their
grumbling. The Valley train brought
us into Keokuk to make prompt con-
nection with the Toledo Wabash T.
Western. Here is one advantage of
this route, you have no annoying
transfers as At Chicago from @. B. Il
G. to Lake Shore depot. You have
but to step from one car to another,
the trains standing right along side.
The same is true at Toledo and at
Buffalo in connecting from Lake
Shore to N. Y. Central.
The T. w. d w. road has one OF
the longest trunk lines in the country
from Keokuk to Toledo 400 miles -
You have no change OF cars from
Keokuk to Toledo. Among the at
fractions of this route arc, save con.
nections, magnificent coaches on day
and night trains, gentlomanly ofici-
ais, plenty of time for meals at we'll
kept eating houses, a fine region Of
country through which 10 ride.
My ride from home here has beeu
almost continually through rain
storm, and, on the whole, | have en-
joyed it. 1t was dark when we left
Keokuk, and as the train ran out
across the great river over the mag
nificent bridge, on through the night
and storm, the locomotive throbbing
like a great heart Of life, and the
whole train seeming to quiver with
purpose to make its way against the
storm, it gave one feeling of enjoy
ment rarely experienced. From
Clayton (42 miles out from Keokuk)
we had long train Of well filled
coaches, but the road-bed is old and
in excellent condition, and we move
smoothly on. From Danville we
have daylight. and this ride through
the Wabash Valley, in most seasons
Of the year, and in pleasant weather,
must be delightful. As you near
Toledo, you see how the great fires
swept the woods for miles on either
side so that sometimes trains had to
wait for hours before they could run
through. The freight department
OF this road is in excellont condition,
as tie many heavy trains we met in.
dicated. The net earnings of the
road for September, according to the
Official Railway Guide, were 55S,8l6;
an increase OF SOFIA over the same
month Of lest year. Of course the
temporary suspension of business on
the north route in conscq hence ofthe
great fire, has thrown large amount
OF business into this channel, SO that
its earnings for October and Novem-
Der must be very much in excess of
those of September. am under OBJ
legation not only to Mr.. Armstrong,
but to Genl. Supt. McDoel at Keokuk.
and also to Conductor 9. G. Dresser
of the eastern division for much val.
liable information in regard to the
condition and traffic of the road, as
we'll as for information furnished by
Conductor Dresser in regard to the
extent OF the great fires Of last month.
Oberlinis town OF 8, 900 inhabi ants
on the Lake Shore road between
Toledo ard Cleveland, has been for
"a years the seat of our Efficient COL
lege which now has theological de-
partment. But more of this in my
next. l met unexpectedly on the
Lake Shore train John s. Wolf and
lady of Ottumwa, 90 well as q great
number of acquaintances from Iowa,
Illinois, Michigan and other States.
found upon arriving here that,
with their usual though, fulness in
regard to hospitality in OberIin sew
eral of orr Iowa delegation are en-
tertained together at the house of o
former lowan Rev. w. A. Wester.
vett, for several years the pastor oi
the Oskaloosa church. | am happy
in having the companioDship Of Rev.
d. Lane, SO well and long known to
many ofyour readers. More anon,
B.
i The Haokeye of the 18th Gays that
that "the scheme proposed in Ohio
TO prevent tho election of Repub
lican To the United States Senate
has failed. because there has not been
, found single Republican member
willing to betray his party, and i
would take not less than five traitors
, to consummate the conspiracy
} Such is the situation in Ohio, anc
Al. - ,ns,,ts ,r;li IA tho atnrftan n,