Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-06-13


penny dropped into his hat by some
/ literary swell Of that day, on may have,
before he became blind,
aDofTed his own to let Queen Dido pass"
while a more uneOmmercial village than
| Commerce il would be difficult to con-
ceive this side of Raleigh itself. But
| here we are at Cape Girardeau, Town
4 of some pretensions, pleasantly situated,
! but whose growth seems 90 nave Deen
checked three or four years ago, or,
rather. il may have attained It's
growth then, and settled itself down
/ 70 the delights of dolce far nie11te.
We are now some hundred and fifty
seven miles from st. Louis, and the Mis-
sissippi begins to assume tnat pictur-
! esoue combination of varied outline,
color, light and shade, which increase as
Won ascend the stream, until the scenery
on the upper Mississippi becomes as
graBdly beautiful as any TO be found on
1 this continent. Above Cape GirardeaU
| the wooded hills that rise sheer from the
margin of the river and stand out boldly
against a background of blue sky, are
at this moment worthy of more than
a passing glance. Here and there they
present a front not unlike that pre-
sented by the palisades upon the Hud-
son river, while the vegetation that
wraps its green and glossy drapery about
them is more abundant and luXuriant
than that which festoons the grim senti-
nels of the Hudson. Between these hills
cultivated farmes stretch down to the
waters edge, and cottage homes, en-
bowered in orchards, with here and there
groups of cattle grazing green pastures,
and children playing in the shad-
ows of the fruit trees, give glimpses OF
rural happiness very pleasant to the
ewes and heart of the care-laden man OF
the world. Doubtless distance lends
enchantmentn to these scenes, as 1t does
to most others of a kindred nature, but
the picture they afford the traveller is
none the less pleasant one for all that,
and hoping that they are happy homes,
we continue our Journey the better for
having seen them. If we strip life of
the adventitious aids of ornament, its
summer foliage, so to speak, and see it
only in the bare and wintry nakedness
of prosaic fact, goodbye much that
makes its burdens bearable, that intens-
ify and ennoble its fieeting pleasures.
We are approaching the village of
Grand Tower and rock Of that name,
from which our steamer derives its cog
nomen. This is the most interesting
place on the river between Memphis
and ST. Louis. The Mississippi is sup
posed to have cut its way through
mountainous rock at this point, leaving
on either shore Jagged and dismembered
ril fraa
against the sky and river that witnessed
and made the disruption of their union.
Here the TitaDs may have waTred to-
gether, or the retreating bands of Satan
supplied themselves with ammunition
when they hurled rocks and defiance at
the cOnQuering hosts ofheaven. On the
Missouri side, but separated from the
shore, stands Grand Tower, which may
mOdestly be let down as a stupendOus
humbug. It is an irregular mass of
limestone, with nothing whatever of the
strange, marvellous or picturesque to re-
commend it to the artist, scientist or
wonder-lover, save the bare circum-
stance of its being separated from the
snore and standing in the river. How
it received the name of Grand Tower Is
" one Of those things no fellah can find
village, and here we note the charming
signs of busy industry. There are two
iron-smelting establishments here, the
coal fOT which is supplied from mines in
the vicinity of Big Muddy creek, just
back of the town, from whence it is
brought by railroad. Big Muddy coal is
known to Memphis coal-dealers as not
the best article in the world to get a
clear fireside burn, but for smelling
purposes it is excellent, and can be
mad from barges at the village at from
two dollars to four dollars ton, accord
ing to quality. The iron ore used here
is brought from Pilot Knob, Uid the Iron
Mountain and st. Louis railroad to the
river at Sulphur Springs, and thence
shipped in baTges to Grand Tower,
where it is converted into pig-irOn and
shipped 20 st. Louis.
Away up the now beautiful river our
gallant steamer glides, ,dashing the foam
from her prov, and, seemingly, rejOic-
ing in her strength and speed-fOr few
boats can beat the Grand Tower in a
fair race. We have passed the town Of
Wittenburg, Chester, st. Marys and are
now in sight of the ancient village of
st. GenevieVe. In the olden time this
kllla2G as Allt ouNNEccluA AAhdl VI kJbs
Louis. An Indian trail running back
over the Ozark mountains, some three
hundred miles west, had its terminus
at st. Genevieve. To this point the
children of the forest brought their pei
try, and returned to their happy hunt
ing grounds with new blankets, tobacco
and rum for themselves, and trinkets for
their gentle, sweet-smelling squaws and
psppoOses. This was in the good old
time, ere Cooper dreamed of impossible
braves and wigwams. Captain Jack
had not then cut up his didOs, nor Shack
Nasty Jim supplied q new name to
novel-writers, which could hardly be
deemed ''very euphoniOus." But the
glory of st. Genevieve has departed.
Like Wyoming,
-sThe wild flowers on her ruined walls and
roofiess houses,
A sad remembrance brings,
Of bales of blankets no more within her
stores, of Indian braves no longer buy
ing at a splendid profit her numerous
jimcracks. But To- st. Louis, her once
rival, is in sight, now larger than ten
thousand st. Genevieves, and so, all
hail St. Louis. NIoDOC.