Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-12-14
Letter from St. Louis.
First smpressiOns-PISs
TFRoM OUR BOSTON CORRESPONDENT


1t looked like a perilouS thing to do, for the
river was entirely open short distance below
We were huddled into an omnibus and driven
along the slopiug frozen leyee for a mile or
more to a big ferry-boat, or rather to two ferry
boats fastened together. The morning was
cold, and we waited while the boats took in their
freight and passengers. First came as many
carts and wagons as could get on board, and
then pigs innumerable were driven on; they
huddled under the omnibus and wagons, they
| had severe skirmishes with the horses, and were
always defeated, they squealed and grunted, and
in spite of the cold, smelt horribly. A little
German woman, with stout boy of three or
four years, sat next me. The lid had walked
up cross and hungry, and cried vehemently.
The mother soothed and coaxed and petted him;
at last in despair, she lifted the chubby, dirty,
unhappy little face up 10 the window, and re-
peated in the most animated tones "ScblDeine,
Mein G0H; Sch'oejne, Mem Gott" all in vain.
The child refused to be comforted even by
SctreiRe and at last cried himself to sleep.
After an hour of waiting, the numbering boat,
painting and grooming crcpt across the river, and
then the funny part of the affair began. Before
the bar was down, and the plank ready for disem-
barking, the order was given in the boat, "Hold
back them horses. and let them pigs go fustP'
Our driver demonstrated, and at last the pigs
were held back and we were allowed to land.
The driver inquired where each passenger want
ed to 90, and was answered promptly until he
came to two young, amabe, heavy looking
Germans, who smiled innocently at him and
made no reply. A German neighbor came to
| their relief, and said they didn't know where they
wanted to 90, but he did not offer to help them.
| The driver muttered that he was sure he didn't
| know either, but would leave them at a German
| boarding house, So we stopped at the dirtiest
| little "gast haus" | ever saw, and the driver
| shouted Chem Germans in the corner get out
here" and the neighbor punched them and
| pointed to the door, and the forlorn strangers,
newly married, | fancied, were landed on the
| sidewalk. My heart was brim.full of pity for
them, but the pity was quite wasted, for when
| they saw the word "gast haus," and a fat,
greasy landlord rolled ont, seized their hands
and gave them loud greeting, smile of Sc
rene cOntcntmeGt spread over their broad faces,
and they looked as if there was nothing else on
| earth to be desired.
| The first impression of St. Louis is of general
dinginess, and special dirt cloud of smoke
hangs over and settles down like fog upon the
city. Everything is hazy; even the great dining
room and generous entries of the Southern no.
tel have their outlines softened, and distances
obScured by this penetrating smoke. The white
| ground Of the Administer carpets has become a
dark slate color, the yellow damask curtains are
unpleasant to look at; the once white lace has
lost even the memory of whiteness; and this not
from neglect, for an army of nice looking maid
| servants are constantly sweeping, busting, and
washing doors and window-sills, but because
dirt cannot be avoided you cat it, you drink it,
You breathe it. Hands washed for dinner are
dirty before you can reach the table; everything
| you touch, no matter If it has been busted five
minutes before, smears you with black. White
| linen is unknown; sheets and towels are dull
| gray; and yet it is said that st. Louis ladies
have decided preference for delicate tnts in
wearing apparel. l have already seen several
rose-colored satin hats, a profusion of white
feathers, and light silks with white trimmings
or rich white oyerdresses.
The second popularity of the city, in the eyes
of New Englander, is its pigs. The words,
"a drove Of pigs going TO market" have an in
nocent sound, and convey to the uninitiated no
idea Of the actual tumult and excitement of the
affair have seen the street in front of the
Southern hotel one solid mass of pigs, reaching
out of sight in both directions; they were ac-
companed by dozen boys, who jumped on
them and beat them, and yelled like little iends
while the pigs, frightened and cross, knocked
each other down, ran over each other, and made
a lrightful hubbub 1t look about an hour for
the drove to get out of sight, and then the
| street was strown with StragglerS and wounded,
that frightened every horse that passed, making
him back or dance, Or twist himself into very
graceful curves, to the discomfort of the
| driver; so the omnipresent boys seized
the huge pigs by the tail and dragged
them into the gutter, the curl in the
tail giving it great advantage as a
| handle; presently pig-ambulances were brought
up, and with great Juggling and hosting and
showing on the part Of three men, the wounded
beasts were put into them. One of the pigs was
so revived by the exercise, that, watching his
| opportunity, he climbed TO the top of the high
ambulance bars and deliberately rolled over
| probably intending to commit suicide. Down
he came with mighty thud, and was pounced
upon by the men, who hosted him back again,
and the biggest man climbed in after him and
sat down ON him, which seemed TO be the only
effective means of repression. 1t was ridicu-
lous scene, a very disgusting one, and the pigs
were brutaly treated; but am told that droves
seldom come through this part of the city.
Herds OF mules are often seen, driven through
the streets at a run and entirely loose, following
| with answering fidelity the mounted muleteer
who leads them, and whose mule sometimes
wears bell. The tinkling bell aud the long
line Of mules suggested stories and pictures
of the Pyrenees, and make a pleasant
feature of street life. These are things seen at
the first glance; and then come the things of
real importance and interest. In forty years St
Louis has grown from town of 6OOO inhabi
tants to city of $4,000. 1t has river front
age of seven or eight miles, for business. and
thetdwelling houses stretch for miles westward.
up the long slope from the sriver bank, and
away out on the plains The history of the
city is written in the names of the streets. in
the oldest part the names are Spanish. the old
land grants and the earliest surveys are written in
Spanish. Then came the French rule and
french names; and the most beautiful part or
the city is still occupied by aristocratic Catho-
he French families, who. live in large, substan.
tial, hospitable-looking houses, surrounded
with sunny lawns and pretty gardens and ante
out of the city smoke and darkness. AT last
patriotism, arithmetic and botany had their dov
at ST. Louis as in other American cities and tbe
streets parallel with the river were numbered
while those running eastand west commemorate
our presidents, and all the trees that grow In
the war, as you remember, troops were gathered
here, and the remains OF Fremonfs Notifications
are still to be seen. The rebel spirit was strong
and the city and state were saved from actual
rebellion only by the labors Of the damned
Dutch" as the French inhabitants angrily called
the freedom-loving Germans Now ST. Louis is
quiet, rich, substantial city; it does not boast;