Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-09-17
JOTTINGs BY 7 THE WAY.


W. 6 G. R. R. for the T. W. 6 @. Pass
ing down the rich valley of the Wabash,
so recently the scene of the greatest food
in the memory Of man, having been
inches higher than the memorable food
Of '6S. 1 passed down through it y
miles and saw enough of the ruin
wrought How different 1t appeared,
when in May last I passed through the
same distance, and saw the luxuriant
crops of grass and oats and wheat, and
thousands of acres of corn. just being
cultivated. Now the corn was grown
but many of the fields looked as brown
and sere as if fscorched by fire-rotted.
Some of the grass looked the same. In
many fields the wheat and oats lay strewn
all about, or drifted to one end. against
or on the fence. By careful estimate
OF an intelligent traveller, the loss in six
counties only, along this river, is
$5, $50, 900 and over $1,000 900 when tax
en- in its whole length. Just above Peru,
Sc miles s. W. oft. Wayne, the river was
four miles wide. One can see on the brush,
trees and corn how high the water stood.
Many cornfelds that look all right, are
worthless except for fodder, as the ears
are blasted; the growth was entirely
stopped by the continuance of the water
Peru isea good business point, and con
tains 5000 population.
Sixt cen miles S. W. of the confluence OF
the Eel River with the Wabash, stands
Logansport, OF 13,OOO-lying on both
sides of these rivers and extending over
two miles in each direction. Broad and
Narket streets are the best, and can boast
many fine dwellings. The business por.
ton is on the fat near the rivers, but tn {
residences are on an elevated plateau
Since the freshet, which destroyed the
canal that passes through and just above
the business part, the latter part of the
city has been entirely cut off from any
water facilities, and in case of fire must
be destroyed. They are deVising some
temporary means to prepare for such an
emergency.
There are various kinds of manufactur-
ing, viz, slaves, furniture, wood pumps
plow handles, hub and spoke and ben
works, oil mills, three -four mills, two
sash and blin5, two machine shops-tht
P, G. 6 St L. R. R. machine shops
which now disburss $4,000 monthly ant
before the panic $4,000. There are
seven railroads centering here, eleven
churches, two daily and four weekly
pspers-one German. Snithson College
Universalist-is located here.
From Peru north on the L, P. 6 G. R
R., stands two towns of 1000 to 5000
Rochester, county seat of Fulton Co., q
miles, and Plymouth, 4S, west of Peru
on the P, Ft. W. 6 G. Plymouth. coun
ty seat of Marshal. is surrounded by I
splendid country, and has good trade
To the northwest, on the P, Fit ". &
G. R. R., 40 miles from Plymouth and A
from Chicago. is Valparaiso, county seat
-of Porter Go. It stands on rid ge, quit'
rolling, surrounded by rich country
A portion of the town is quite pleasant
There is a private normal school here
carried on by a Mrs. Brown, of Ohio
which last year had7OO students, AM
this year there has been 100 applicants
Both sexes are educated. So far as th'
general government and conduct of tn
school is concerned, it is different from
any other There are ao regulations as
to study hours, time of rising and retIr
ing, and students go and come when they
please. They are'putHpoR then owl
respective merits and conduct IS ladies
and gentlemen, and when -snythaAg IN
becoming in. ether is discovered, they get
ticket Observation-Disclosures home
It is said to b a very successful schoo |
but the tendency in all our colleges ant
universities is to more iberslity and free
dom in all these respeets and they fnC
that it works better than Sc many law
and regulations. Restraint is irksome to
either sex, and when there is no law L
violate the charm is removed and ther'
is little if any inclination to do the same
things. Itrequires opposition to devel
op. the mate and latent evil Tendencies or
Simon-pure mischief IN students Of eithel
sex. vIAToR.
Valparaiso, Ind, Aug. 50. '75.
On Monday last, /. retraeed my route t
Plymouth, via. P, Ft. W. s @. r. R. Fol
the greater part this is monotonous jour
ney, for with the exception Of few mile
near Valparaiso, the road passes through
the ,Kankakee marshes-oyer 20 miles lonl
and many miles in vidth-in which man,
farmers are now cutting the. marsh grass
Usually, I am told, they can use machines
but this year most will have to be cut b,
hand. From Plymouth took the L, P.
| O.. r. R. north 50 miles to Laporte, count,
seat Of Laporte Co., one Of the finest ant
richest in the State for agricultural pur
poses. Laporte has aipop. of $500. The
town stands in the centre OF an immense,
rollingprarie, where are found the best oi
farm houses, with all the surroundings IN
dicating prosperity, enterprise, ana as
far as externalsappearances would warrant
happiness. With such rich country
surrounding and tributary to it, LaPorte
has all the outside elements Of prosperity,
The town itself, stands on perfectly Level
ground, and is quite regularly laid out, and
has well shaded streets, and good, suhstan.
tial dwellings. Clear Lake, fine, irregu.
lar sheet of water, is but few rods to the
north of the city, and is place of re
sort. There are good manufacturing in
terests. The L. S. 8 N. S. R. R. machine
and car shops were located here. and their
removal has been, am told, severe loss
to the place.
As one'passes eastward:ssson the L. 5. 6
NJ. S. road, he cannot fail TO admire the
beautiful, clear lake-or rather, series Cd
lakes-on the left, whose waters are dane
ing and shimmering in the sunlight nor,
As he elides swiftly over the rich farms out
N