Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-08-23
EDITORIAL J0TTINGS.
Prom Kansas City to St. Louis-The
kGreat Central City-Shaw's Garden
The New Bridge, &C..

My last letter described hastily Kansas
City. We LEFT that deleclable place OF
Monday moyning, Aug. l1th, at 3 SO fol-
st. LOuls via the 81. Louis, Kansas Cit,
" Northern Railroad, which appears L
be the most patronized of the two routes
between Kansas City and 1t. Louis. L
1 appears 10 be a well built and well man
aged railway, and we noticed that its car
were furnished with patent platform
which imparts great steadlness 10 tn,
train, and makes the passage from car 4
car IA safe as It Is where the Miller
bumper and platform is used. Cnlik,
the latter however, the one has no self
coupling apparatus. The day trains ar,
furnished with high backed chairs, which
can be thrown into the greatest variet,
Of positions, and thereby enable the pas
sengers to make the long ride of 275 milei
with much greater ease than would b,
possible were he confined to n single
OsitiOn. The road runs through plcasan
looking and well cultivated portions o
Missouri, crossing the Missouri Rive
on splendid iron bridge at st
Charles, twenty-five miles from st
Louis. The main stem extends frou
st. Louis 10 Kansas City, 275 miles, bu
il has several important branches. On,
of thrse runs southwark 20 miles, from
Centralia to Columbia, another north
ward from Moberly, 1871 miles, to OF
tunwa, on the Burlington & Missouri
River Railroad, where il connects with q
direct road to 81. Paul, another intended
ultimately to reach Omaha is now oper
from Brunswick 80 miles to Pattousbnrg,
while from Richmond and Lexington
junction one road branches southwark
about 20 miles to Lexington, and another
northwest ~ miles to 81. Joseph. In
fact there seems 10 be no important point
in northern Missouri or southern Iowa, tC
which this road does not give ready &C.
Gees from st. Louis. The ride was very
dusty one, however, as any ride ovei
western roads must necessarily be at this
season OF the year, none of them having
the stone ballast, which is the only pro.
lection against this nuisance.
The mOnotony of our ride was varied
somewhat by running through a furious
storm of wind aud rain twice. Il seemed
Us though the storm area was shaped
like horse shoe, and we ran through
the two heels of the shoe. The wind
was 50 strong that for a time ii drov,
the rain through the yentilators, and we
had a shower inside the train.
We arrived at st. Louis at $50 p. m.
and went to Barnum's Hotel, at the cor
ncr OF Second and Walnut streets, where
We were at once assigned 10 an adml
rable room, and hartily welcomed to St
| Louis by Mr.. ThernOn Barnum, tn,
senior proprietor, who subsequently in
troduced ia to his courteous partner, Col
I A a. na Il
the proprietor of Barnum's Hotel il
Baltimore, and, like that cousin, know
how to make his name suggestive o.
hearty welcome and good cheer. They
are a great hotel family, and have Jus
opened Barnum's Hotel at the cornel
OF Broadway and Twentieth street, New
York, which is conducted on both IN,
American and European plans. Mr.
Freeman Robert G. Barnum, son of on
st, Louis host, is one of the prOprietors
Mr.. A. s. Barnum, formerly of Barnum
Hotel in Baltimore, Is another, and J. n
Green, another graduate of the West
from Dayton, o., is another. Mr.. Bar
mum, of st. Louis, has the white hair an,
gracious suayity which seem to be in
separately connected in gentleman of III,
old school. He might sit for a picture o
a Congressman or Cabinet Minister o
the days of Clay and Webster.
On Tuesday DR.. Theodore Il. Wolf
Professor Of Chemistry in Delaware Col
lege, who is spending the summer at hi
fathers Vineyards mt Edwardsville, M.
near ST. Louis, called on us, and we tool
% drive through the city after dinner
going out to the celebrated Shaw's Gar
den. the finest botanical garden on TIN
continent Che National Garden at Wash
ingt0n possibly cXcepted.) We had NJ
opportunity OF learning anything con
corning Tvs exact dimensions, bu
1t would take all of half-da
to pass through all its many walk
and green houses lilled with every specie
Of Hover and plant that will grow in mi
climate, either under glass or IN the ope
air. The eye is charmed on every sid
while the most delicious fragrance PEI
yades the whole vast enclosure. Tn
grounds, though the private-prOperty q
one Of the city's most wealthy men, ~
p freely thrown open to the public, and E
. great is thcuumber Of visitors that lin
! of hacks ran constantly from the sire,
car lines TO the place.
The city Impressed us strongly as
great city Of solid attachments and splei
Ibid prospects. Its leyee was crowd,
with steamers, its streets were busy wit
|, the hum of traffic, and II has great MI
!, growing manufacturing interest based a.
$ the tiim foundation of iron, Of which
i, has an nrNhauslahic supply at f.,
4, MWut,iu, where IL found the largest ~
4 one ui the beet iron ore deposits on Il
continent We zee no reason for u
> fierce feeling of rivalry which exists h
q, tween Chicago aud 81. Louis, Tut We {
n not doubt that in the long run st.. Lou
=. wll maintain her place rs the fourth
H. -ize and Importance amongst our Anne
re- can citus, or rather the third if Ne
York and Brooklyn were counted ono
~ they really are.
n By the last census the relative size W
as follows New York, 9I2, 299, Phil
drlphia, G7l,O22, Brooklyn, so, Ogg, !
Louis, SO, sGi, Chicago. 2gs,g1T. The
Y are nothing like the figures the TWO latl
a. cities now claim and each tf them h
n. been taking little census Of its own.
j. The great thing about st. Louis Is III
10 the people who live there own il.
N business is built up on solid basis, a
Y. being both manufacturing and comm
W c,al is less subject to complete prostrati
In than the purely commercial interests
N Chicago. Its business structures
ne much less magnificent than those Of
I'd last named city, but they appear equa
10 cOmmodious and many Of them are v,
n- handsome.
(y The greatest interest is displayed In
IN great bridge now building across
10 Mississippi to the Illinois shore, o.
re which NIL the trains to and from the Il
~ will pass, entering the very heart of
of city through great double tunnel Ii
4 Nnnr 1tu mil
t. great Improvement completed.
On The streets are generally wide a
of handsome, but being mostly macadami;
%. with limestone they are terribly dus
IN and have IA singularly white appcaran
as short ride through their irritating d
Sc almost reconciled me to the horri
/, rough stone payements oil our own ci
by We saw a few wooden paycments IA
aud there, but not many.
\ beautiful park is being made at To,
Hill Grove which, though as vet only
no embryo, we found sufficiently beauti
of To amply repay us for a lasty dr.
ne Through Its broad avenues. They did
nd have to make hills here, as at Chica
Oh aud they have made the best use of IN,
.u- nature gave them. There are of con
m other parks but we did not visit them.
re-, fact no enterprsing growing city we IA,
an seen is without park aud many of th
his have made them in spite of great natu
me obstacles. Our own city alone see
ns, disposed to refuse this great boon to
people and is all the less excusable eil
red nature has done for US the very thi,
wv which other cities have at great expel
Of done for themselves. We have hills d
nat woods and beautiful running streal
i'm everything in fact except the sense
VII taste to appreciate and take advantage
his our splendid opportunities.
The We spent hut one day in ST. Louis,