Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-07-04
DOWN THE OHIO RIvER.

scenery is not grand, but it is beautiful and
the eye is attracted and pleased with the
variety presented by the hills and plains
orchards and vineyards, the grass, grain
tobacco and corn fields, on each side Of
the river.
Your correspondent took passage on
the Ge'lsrGI LSttIe, one of the steamers Of
the Cincinnati s. LOUISVILLE Mail Co., for a
short down river trip. At the appointed
time the steamer backed out into the riv-
er and "walked the waters like thing OF
life" Out in the river, we get splendid
view of the suspension bridge, and can
more fully realize its grand proportions.
1t is magnificent work, and looks as ii
built for all time to come.
The temperance people of Cincinnati
have not been very successful in the pres
ent anti-whisky movement though much
good has been accomplished and the
work is still going on, rather quietly.
There is strong and combined opposi-
ton; beer and whisky have immense in
terests st stake, in and around Cincinnati,
and every inch of the ground will be
fiercely disputed. A blind, selfish inter
est Is the worlds main spring of action,
and where its treasure is, there its heart
will be also. But while moralizing, the
Gen. Lyttle is moving swiftly down the
river, and as we sweep around an immense
bend in the stream, Cincinnati, With its
babel oc tongues, its miles of saloons, its
confusion of churches, synagogues and in
fidel halls, its splendid buildings, its
smoke, dust, heat and toll, and its 100000
inhabitants, quietly disappears behind the
hills.
The dinner gong is sounding, and so
we step briskly into the cabin to secure a
place at the table; but glance shows US
that the glory of river travel has depart
ed; the small tables are not filed. FIf-
teen years ago, the cabins of these mail
steamers were a grand sight during din
ner; the tables extended from one end of
the cabin to the other, and were literally
loaded with delicacies, while walters in
white, with pompous parade, attended to
every want. In those days, when the
dinner gong sounded, there was crowd
ed and universal rush for the dinner ia
BILE; but things have greatly changed;
railroads run down each side of the river,
offering to the traveller swifter convey
ance, and as every one travelling appears
10 be in desperate hurry the quiet, easy
river is avoided for the luxury of the
rushing, dusty, screaming cars. Never
theless, if one is travelling for pleasure or
rest, good steamboat is floating palace,
in which home comforts are not sa crifced
and the pleasure of travelling fully enjoy
ed.
A steamboat dinner has its own pecu-
liar features; it always begins with soup
and ends with ice-cream and cake-the
cake cut up in cubes about al inch square.
Between these two standard dishes, there
is medley composed of very small quan.
titles of every thing, served up on a null
tltude of small dishes. The most satisfac-
tory dinner is. obtained by emitting soup
and ice cream, and making a careful Sc
lection from the medley. Public soup is
a suspicious compound, and travelling ice
cream is very apt to have tiaYors not
waited from Araby, the blessed. But in
paying for your ticket, you pay for all
the privileges and luxuries of the dinner
table; so you are exactly in the position
the Dutchman was, when he gave utter
ance to the classic sentence, 81 pays mine
money, und dakes mine shoice." So
take your choice then walk out on deck,
for the scenery IS beautiful and the breeze
pleasantly cool.
Six miles below Cincinnati is North
Beud, in Indiana. Here is the old Harri-
son Farm On hill overlooking the riv-
er, and surrounded by cedars, is General
Harrison's grave, IN full view from the
steamboat Gen. Harrison was born in
Ohio in l773 and died 1s41. He was elect
ed President, 1s41, served one month, and
was murderously dealt with, to make way
for the southern traitor, John Tyler, who
was Vice President After passing North
Bend, there is nothing for an hour or
more, on either side of the river, to attract
attention. Presently, down the river. on
the Kentucky side, tall chimney looms
up on the bank, betraying factory of
some sort, but ii is a distillery. and the
little, dirty, dilapidated looking village
of perhaps fifty persons which is huddied
around this distiIlery, is called Peters
burg. Here the steamer makes landing,
delivering mail bags, one or two passen-
gers and little freight, and on we 60.
Soon fine, busy town, built on beautiful
bottom land, comes in;o view on the In
diana side of the river; this is Lawrence
burg, the place where Henry Ward Beech
er began preaching, and where, at first,
his hyacinth garden made a greater sensa-
ton than his pulpit efforts; but trans
forming the flowers of his garden into the
flowers of rhetoric, he charmed a church
in Indianapolis and moved there. His
stay there was not long, and his next
move was to New York City, where his
fame as a preacher has become part of
the history of Brooklyn. Blessed be flow
ers. Lawrenceburg was the home of Mr..
Buell., the pork packer. aud father of Maj.
Gen. Buell., who cut very small figure
during the slave holders rebellion, and
whose loyalty was a subject OF lively and
continued dispute. This famous little
city is good, substantial looking place,
and boasts of the finest court house in In
diana. Railroads and river combine to
give it every commercial facility. The
people of Lawrenceburg are just now
greatly excited over the discovery of
whole family, consisting of mother and
three children, all murdered, in lonely
little house outside the corporation limit.
The heads of each of the unfortunate vic
tins had been dreadfully smashed in with
blunt ak, which the murderer left near
the house. Evidence is coming to light,
and the tragedy will be unravelled Our
steamer discharges and receives mail bags.
freight and passengers, and we resume
our journey.
Not many miles below, and also on the