Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-12
IrRom AN occAsrosA1 CORRESPONDENCE


| Dear Spy:--The journey from st. Paul to this
city formerly occupied the same time as that
between here and New York, and much more
patience, being far less agreeable; but now it
can be accomplished in only seventeen hours by
the latest novelty in improved facilities for al
most annihilating LONG distances, and connect
ing by means of speedy conveyance the active
commercial centers of the great northwestern
trade, namely, the "river route so called, via
the Winona cutoff.
| The recent opening of this very direct link Of
railroad communication, "the Hudson river
railroad of the Mississippi" CONSTITUTES an i'm
| portant member OF the great thoroughfare to
the much talked of Northern Pacific railroad.
| This route passes many interesting towns and
points of magnificent scenery; also near the
celebrated Dalrymple farm, which contains sew
eral thousand improved acres, and the legendary
rock of Indian history, a steep bluff rising four
| hundred feet from the water, and from which
the loving maiden, mistakenly faithful to her
choice, jumped into the river of death in order
to escape the bondage of an uncongenal mar
| riage.
Leaving St. Paul with its picturesque sur
roundings and pleasant attractions, the
new and comfortable cars followed the
winding track along the base of sight
| ly hills and bordering closely TO the e.,
mine mantled Mississippi, the frozen surface OF
which glstened resplendenty through the fa-
nous crisp air OF a Minnesota winter until
| Hastings was reached, where the train crossed
the just finished drawbridge, and then conlin-
ued to skirt along the river and Lake Pepin,
among scenes of pleasing variety, to the pretty
town of Winona, at which place the Mississippi
is nobly spanned by the longest single draw
bridge in the country. Ii is nearly four hun
dred feet in length, and as strong as it is hand
some piece of mechanism, the test examination
proving detection of only half an inch from
the expected deviation.
This line is now introducing upon IFS through
trains, new style of postal cars, consisting of
complete post offices in transit, during which the
mails are received upon either side while the
cars are in swift motion. The inside arrange
ment is very convenient, without end doors, in
| place of which are spacious distributing tables
and full sorting cases. The system of constantly
making up the extensive through mails is one of
very marked advantage in the west for by
the time they arrive in Chicago, they are all
ready for immediate delivery to the special route
of destination, and have thus avoided the
consequent delay of sorting and re-forwarding
! here. By this means letters can go as fast flom
| one point to another as an individual can tray
| ell the same distance on the quickest trains.
AT La Crosse the charming upper Mississippi
| was left, which, until recently, had retained its
| primitive characteristics of romantic wildness
/
white mans art, having a savage solitude pecu-
| liarly its own; but now the scenes are greatly
| transformed, and its bosom of icy snow
is crossed and re-crossed by eight
| fantastic bridges, its tswampy channels are
marked with fancy tressle-work, and its cragged
banks are lined with regular gradations made
out Of the early and natural formations.
In answer to an inquiry for permission to ride
on the locomotive, the polite engineer gave IA
vorabe reply, with the condition that the trav-
eler must take all the chances fuller defni-
ton of the inferred risk ELECTED the fact that,
according to his past experience, there was
much more danger in the cab than in the car.
However, nothing daunted, the hazard was
eheerfuly taken. In comparatively new ter
ritory, there is something rather fascinating
about winter travel, and especially upon an
engine it is not only interesting, but delightful
ly exciting. There arc the wonderful minutie
of the bounding machine to study, as well as
its normal management, and besides the observ-
ance of the rapidly passing views around, which
are indeed series of panoramas, where hamlets
or towns appear and vanish almost like magic.
The difference between riding on an engine
| = =,
| son with a similar experience of riding upon
the outside or inside of a White mountain
stage coach. 1t is curious to observe not
only the faithful watcher of the parallel
lines, and how he tempers the velocity OF
his train to correspond with the good or indif-
ferent condition of the track, and his
Sancho Panza diligently feeding the fre-fend,
| whose consumption of fuel is as enormous as
the rapidlty with which the latter disappears is
| surprising; but also the playful evolutons of
the wheels, the trip-hammer action of the driv-
ers,and the irolicsome swaying of the pondevous
and seemingly unwieldy machine, which ever
and anon threatens to jump the small barriers
to its would-be cratic course into certain de-
struction.
The correct Judgment of the experienced en-
| gineer was not long without an example and
impressive illustration; for when about half
way across the state, companion train eneoun-
| tered singular misfortune, which occurred
| while running over tram-way, and was caused
by the breaking of a rail, which unceremonious-
| ly entered passenger car from below, taking
prize of mans coat, and, strangely enough,
| injuring no person seriously, although three
| al u, a..
Wisconsin is more broken than most of the
extreme western states, and for farming pur-
poses it must be somewhat difficult to properly
subdue the soil. To great extent the state is
| composed Of timbered land with occasional oak
openings, gently rolling, hazel topped in certain
| portions, and iuterspersed with many creeks and
rivulets in which there is said to be excellent
| hshing, while in various parts are splendid
| sections for hunting wild game which arc much
improved by the lovers of the chase. Along the
Black river, which flows into the Mississippi
near Prairie du Chen, there is some fine scenery,
and, though SMALL yet beautifully picturesque
palisades.
The cereal productions of Wisconsin are the
same as those of Minnesota and Iowa, ranging
in order with wheat, hops, corn, barley and rye
lnere Is considerable horse and cattle raising,
but, like Minnesota, in the northern part it is
too cold for the successful rearing of sheep. In
addition to ordinary farming, the cultivation of
hops and the manufacturing of lumber from the
big woods seem be the principal objects of
husbandry.
Of the three great states Iowa is certainly the
most inviting, and offers the best inducements
for persons desiring to make homes in the west.
The land is unsurpassed for quality and avala.
bility to the markets; the climate is mild and
hcalthful, the state government out of debt, and
the inhabitants are composed of as sterling
class of people as can be found in any agricu.
tura community. FREDRo.
From the State House.
The Sessions of Saturday.