The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-26
The st. Louis of To-day.

Looking down upon the St. Louis Of to-
day, from the high roof of the superb temple
which the Missourians have built to the meg
curial god OF insurance, one can hardly be-
lieve that the vast metropolis spread out be-
fore him represents the growth of only three
quarters OF a century. The town seems as
old as London. The smoke from the Illinois
coal has tingsd the walls venerable brown.
and the grouping of buildings is as pic,ur-
esque and varied as that OF a continental
city. From the water side, on ridge after
ridge, rise acres of solidly built houses, vast
manufactures, magazines OF commerce,
long avenues bordered with splendid resi-
dences; a labyrinth of railways bewilders
the eye; land the clang of machinery and
the whirl of myriad wagon heels rise tn
the ear Tue levee is thronged with busy
and uncouth laborers; dozens OF white steam
ers are shrieking their notes Of arrival and de-
parture the ferries are choked with traffic; q
gigantic and grotesque scramble for the al
most limitless West beyond is spread out before
the vision. The town has leaped into new
lite since the war has doubled its population,
It's manufactures and its ambition; until it
stands So fully abreast of its wonderful neigh
Dor, Chicago, that the traditional ace Ibity of
the reciprocal criticisms for which both cities
have so long been famons is latterly much en-
hanced. The city, which now stretches
twelve miles along the ridges, branching from
the watershed between the Missouri, the
Meramec and the Mississippi rivers fsnked
by rolling prairies richly studded with groves
and vineyards; which has many railroad lines
pointed to its central depo.s, and mile and
half of steamboats, at its levee, thou
sand miles from the sea: whose popu-
lation has increased from 8 900, in 1885, to
100000, in 1878; which has barking capl-
I'll OF nineteen millions; which receives hun
dreds of thousands OF ions of iron ore mouth
ly, has bridged the Father of Waters, aud
talks of controlling the cotton trade of Ar
kansas and Texds--s hut Gttls like the St.
Louis OF the days when Col. Stoddard had
his headquarters in rude cottage. and the
| United States, in bis person, had just adopt
| ed the infant city. In those days the houses
were nearly all built of hewn logs, set upon
end, and covered with coarsely shinged
roots. The town extended along The liLe Of
what are now known as Mafn and Second
streets; little south of the square called the
Place d. Armes, Fort ST.. Charles was held
by tiny garrison, and in the old stone tower
which the Spaniards had built. debtors and
| criminals were confined together, French
customs aad French gaiety prevailed; there
we're two diminutiye taverns, whose rtfters
nightly rang to the tales of hair-oreadth es-
capes told by the boatmen of the Miss ssippi.
The Chouteaus. the Lisas, and the Lab1a-
| dies were the principal merchants; French
aud English schools fourished; pe!try, lead
and whiskey were used for currency, and ne
groes were to be purchased Tor them; the
semi Indian garb of the trapper was seen at
every street corner; and thousands of furs,
stripped from the buffalo aud the beaver,
were exported to New Orleans. The mine r.
al wealth lying within hundred miles of St.
Louis had hardly been dreamed of; the colo
nists were too busy in killing Indians and
Keeping orier in the town, to think Of iron,
lead, coal and zinc.---Edlcard A!ng, Scri6-
ner s for ,Jutu.