New-York tribune., 1872-09-13
SCIENCE.
n1p,rouF AND ITS LEAD MINES.

2,,o,ns TAXING THE FREIGHT THAT USED
ro co BY RIyER-INDIAN AND GEOLOGlCAh
IADpERs-PRIMITIYE METALLURGlCAL DE-
yTCEs-rHE ROMANCE OF TOM KELLY.
,vpoY THR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBUNSl
D,,puorr. Aug. sO.-BefOre leaving this clty'
he-e tho Scientific Convention has been so maghu-
flv entertained few words concerning the loeaiiV
1s and The sources Of the prosperity so plainly visible
nay not be amiss Dubuque is not new town ior ho
IVest Ifs rather an old settlement; hut US anuq'eS
viii not DO the subject Of this letter OppoSio tno
hopoaarv line between Illinois and Wisconsin, on inc
\ ~, bank Of the Mississippi, and possessing hne
Ibare across that river, Dubuque Is rapidly becoming
hat ills the fashion 20 call railroad center pcns
IN position suitable for collecting traffic iroh 'nc N
and west aud distributing it by rail OF H'er " 'o
Past and SOUTH long stretched out rom 'no A.
lpois Central Railroad giving most efficient SOUTH
sterp connection And 70 one who is curious 10 hote
enc growth OF cities and the direction Of the currents OF
tr,Ae Dubudue IS interesting as In transition s'ate'
fore the advent OF railroads all the freight that cauo
a. Dubnoue passed down the river now the gram "
the live stock cannot wait for such slow conveyance
ond travel eastward by rail- The greater cheapness OF
vatercarriago does not avail in the majority OF cases
lpst the prospect Of quick sales and prompt returns
one reat reason for this that tho West in the matter
NJ can,tal IA moor tho products virtually mortSaged
almost a. fast they come into existence ana the TaVos
Of interest are extremely high OF course the pressuro
IN s 40 consumers promptly is thus vastly increased
and tie slow voyage OONn tuo AAAoNsiFfA AZ NNNS-o
the exception rather than the rule Even other Things
arc eouazed there are many classes Of freight whchde
soriora by longer VOYAGE provisions which have gone
down tho river and stood in brong sun on the New
orleans evee are worth less by 81 per barrel than those
which have made closed trip by rail alone.
now THEY row on THE MISSISSIPPI.
IetH not be supposed however that the great river IS
eeasjug 10 bear the burdens Of commerce. An iron
steamboat with a novel form OF propeller, with the
ater part OF the blades out Of water just finished at
Dubucre The boat Is large one, and the nrst iron
boat believe, built on the Upper MISSISSIPPI Anu
there are as maay RATS on the river as formerly
Sboueh perhaps they do not make quite so long voy-
ages Places like Dubuque seize upon these hoating
Islands: a steamboat gets behind and pushes the un
weldy mass into artificial basin beside the rVer anu
before long the sawm cutting the raft into thin slices
for local use seek moro distant points Dy fdl ~
M Easterncr who steamboat thus pushing rait
the first impression that the raft has got in the way Oh
Tho steamboat; and his ideas not likely to grow
L clearer il he consuts Dubuquer, who VIII as
sure bim that the steamboat Is towing the
raft Tho mortuary epigram on commodore
Trunnlon would lose force in this region One OF the
largest RATS this part OF the nyer had
eLbut log house upon il, and carried considerable
aoatne pcpulation Upon the house these words were
painted In large letters: Horace Greeley Bound to
Get through" am told that with Mississippi raftsman
the latter sentence comprises the whole duty OF man
There also prospect of an increase OF manuiacurhg
business In Dubuque OF class IhaJ VIII auu 70 'o hu
Der of heavy products such usually seek river
froights 1t TO iron factory and rolling MIL
BY next Spring. The coal and iron each must uaVei
nearly 200 mies 70 meet In this city the fuel coming
from Fort Dodge Iowa. and the ore from Grand kapds
Wisconsin doubt whether either are OF the very best
but am told that so are now engaged IN getting
out the iron which present to Sc much further to
be smolted and that the quality of the coal Is better
than was at supposed that it is equal to La Sale
coal which is all events not claiming for 1t superla
tive praise But the promoters of the enterprise know
what they want. and expect to obtain 1t.
HOLES IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
Yet when one has noted the saw-mlls the porkpack
ing establishments and the grain elevator OF Dubuque
has recognized value OF its large proportion OF popu
lation OF German origin and Industrious habits, who
support free schools in municipal and Liberal principles
I'm national politics. and considered the advantages or
bracing climate and beautiful scenery, Of level valley
for the business streets Of the city and high bluff for
sites for elegant private residences, and estimated
fairly all Its probabilities as delightful place to live IN
and center Of trade manufacture he has not yet dis
covered the handspring Of its prosperity. But on pro-
ceeng into the fields about the town the least obseryant
visitor sees something peculiar Indeed it Is the most
unsafe place travel in by night IN fog or IN snow
storm that can well be imagined. In all directions, even
close the road which turn aside for them IN
wood or meadow the top OF the h at the bottom OF
slope anywhere, everywhere, as thick as monuments
an cemetery there are largesized holes which are, or
were or we're meant be- lead mines The whole region
a. as G Californian would say, gophered" Aud before
passing any remarks upon these uporn bowels OF the
earth let us approach the subject decenty and in geo.
logical way. is tho ladder The figures at the left
of indicate the thickness of the strata from which 1T
will be evident that the rounds Of the ladder are not
separated by such equal spaces as the diagram might
lead one 70 suppose