The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-10-14
Letter from st. Louis.
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 4, 1871.


pleasant ride of forty-two hours,
we arrived. safely in st. Louis.
The yellow fever panic had pass
ed away in Vicksburg and jack
son, so we rode on feeling more
danger from railroad accidents
than from cpidemics. The gen
tie rain that fell laid the dust and
cooled the air, so we largely en-
loved the ride to Columbus ;
from this place to st. Louis the
the dust was much worse than in
Monroe, oftentimes obscuring the
beauty of the landscape, which
is delightfully."- varied by plains
and hills, streams and valleys,
villages and towns. A few hours
after the golden sun hid his smil-
ing face behind the western hori-
zon, the silvery moon rose in the
east, shedding her mellow light
upon the scene, which was made
vocal with voices at every station,
of young and pretty 1assies in
happy glee going to the fair.
In approaching the city the
scene was charming; the furnaces
were blazing and smoking as if
old Vulcan was still at work !;
their sulphurous light falling up
on the waters of the Mississippi,
tinged by the paler light of the
moon, was reflected upon the
shrubs and trees in strange and
gloomy hues, which made one
think of the scenery which sur
rounds the regions of Dives and
Lazarus; strange blending to-
gether of the beautiful and re-
pulsive, here shaded off into rays
of light, there into darkness.
Taking an omnibus we soon
reached the Southern Hotel,
which was full to the attics,
shaked down and overlooking.
We could not get Il place where
to clay me down to Sleep" ex-
cept on cot in the parlor'
These cots had been improViscd
for the occasion, and were no
doubt, much better than no bed
Finally we divided, two going
here and two there. Friend Mac
and I started in pursuit of q room,
and after cxhausting both ON
patience and strength we came
to q halt in the third story Of the
Barnnm House, where we are
now comfortably located.
Shaking the dust off this morn
ing we took the street car for the
fair ground, which is about three
miles from the center of the city.
The grounds are ample and con-
veniently laid oft-the amphi-
theater is nearly half Il mile in
circumference, and surrounded
by seats one upon another till
they rise about eighteen feet;
level with the top seat is floor
about twelve feet broad, running
entirely around, and all is neatly
rooted, and in the inside plainly
embellished. These seats to-day
had upon them about fifteen
thousand persons. while there
was more than twenty thousand
men upon the ground in other
departments. The old ampbi-
theater is full of everything that
the taste delights in or the eye
desires: even Il brief notice would
fill up medium-sized paper.
The articles are beautiful, and
generally show taste and pro-
gress in fabrics useful and orna-
mental. There seemed to me to
be a want in this department. of
goods manufactured in the North
| west-most of the articles came
from the east or foreign coun-
tries.
Turning to the agricultural de-
partment, we were aston'shed
and delighted by the ingenuity
and variety of inventions. The
Western men are fully up with
the progress of the age in every
thing that pertains to the utili-
cation of mechanic powers, and
A., ,o,-;,,o &c l,,,,,on ,orSnla opI