The Portland daily press., 1882-04-12
A Winter Trip.
Five Months in Fourteen States,
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, April A, 1888.


When left Portland the last Of October for
seven months trip through the South and
West, I little thought what a wonderful Win
ter was before me. Accustomed as had been
all my life to the severity Of our Maine Win
ters, and having in my mind the heavy SHOWS
of last year throughout the West, naturally
prepared for the worst. How happily have
been disappointed.
have visited in my travels the following
States, viz: Massachusetts, New York, Penn
sylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ala
bama, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri,
Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan, and all these
save the three first mentioned, during the
Winter months
The only snow that / have encountered in
my more than five months travel chanced to be
at Dayton, Ohio, during the first week OF JAN
uary. and then It just six inches deep and
lasted about twenty hours.
The weather in Michigan during tina last
few days has been simply marvellous. The
trees are budding, the robins singing, the
farmers ploughing and sowing, and all Nature
seems to be assuming spring apparel
had thought Louisville, Kentucky, to be
the prettiest city I had visited, but as 1t seems
to me now, Detroit takes the lead. For broad
streets and avenues, fms residences and shade
trees, substantial business blocks, and wide
awake business men, it certainly excels any
city of its size that has come in my way:
1t is true liquor abounds and Sunday is a
holiday, but where in the West ia this not the
case! L can remember even now how gazed
with astonishment (as entered cleveland Tor
the first time last November) at the wonderful
array of liquor saloons. Why it appeared to
me that every other store was saloon, and
that every business block had q rear entrance
which led into an alley, which again led into
some kind Of drinking place. Lager beer Is
as free as water, and In fact Judge more so,
for doubt very much IL you could give 9ater
away, as one actually sees more beer than
water out here.
Cleveland is rather quiet and nice city, but
in Cincinnati was woefully disappointed.
Such volumes OF smoke, and such aesthetic
little fakes of SCOT which IL one attempts to
brush off never so lightly are sure to leave
their long trails behind. Being Yankee
suggested to the people there that there might
be a small fortune for the man who would in
vent a small pocket bellows, that might be
used quietly and rapidly.
St Louis is a grand city, but while its clouds
of SCOT are not quite so dense as at Cincinnati,
an elevated railway would be very convenient
for taking one over its mud. And such mud!
When boy have often started small ball
of damp snow rolling to see it rapidly increase
in size. Precisely the same principle was car
ried out by walking about st. Louis with my
=
imagine the amount OF mud was obliged to
carry had been there some time before L
could understand what made me 50 lame when
night came.
Atlanta, Georgia, is quite 2 pretty city, ana
was indeed about the only place saw in the
South that thought worth looking at, unless
I except the great Cotton Exposition, which
was really fine thing, and has been the means
OF stirring up the South in way that have
no doubt will soon be made manifest. Indeed,
T o1d hu pvaalthv nlantatiOn owner OF
South Carolina that he had already written
North offering the free use of fine water pow
er possessed by him, provided Northern men
could be induced to go South and open up
factory Atlanta has made astonishing strides
in this direction, and manufactures there are
fairly booming.
While the scenery of the South was far from
entertaining, with its red soil and wonderful
array of log huts, the sight of the batleields OF
our late rebellion was intensely interesting to
me- AS we sped along through the famous
fields of Murfreesboro, Chattanooga and Chica-
mauga, and glanced at the stern top OF old
Lookout Mountain where that renowned Bat
tie Among the Clouds" was fought, how my
mind wandered back to the scenes of bloodshed
so recently enacted there, and never have L
seen such substantial proof of the good feeling
now existing between the North and the South,
as when in turning in my seat in the car, and
putting question to rough and weather
beaten stranger who sat behind me, was
greeted with roars of laughter, as he described
to me the manner In which the Yanks hao
chased himself and squad of Confederate
soldiers across the very stream about which L
had questioned him.
1t was my good fortune to be in Cincinnati
the latter part of December, when the great
concert of the "Messiah' was gwen in Music
Hall BY the Thomas Orchestra and chorus
OF six hundred and twelve voices, with Patti,
Cary, Toedt and Whitney as soloists. What q
grand sight it was to look down upon sea OF
seven thousand upturned faces.
1t was unfortunate for Patti that she al.
lowed herself to appear before Cincinnati
audience, for the first time, in Oratorio, but
fortunate that she SO soon thereafter appeared
in Opera. Judging only by the remarks OF
those around me- and the countenances OF
large portion of those present, there was much
disappointment manifested, and without preju-
dice II may candidly say believe Gary to have
been the honored one Of the evening.
The open Winter and severe rains combine
to produce terrible suffering along the low
lands of the larger rivers, and even as far mp
as St. Louis, the sight of the rising waters and
large masses of floating rubbish indicated the
great devastation going on below. The pros
pect now is, and the universal opinion seems
to be, that large crops will be harvested this
year, and the farmers are hard at work, and
consequently happy.
L expect in few days to reach once mere
the beautiful State Of Ohio, and after spending
month or two gliding through its emerald
wheat fields, hasten home to catch with re-
newed yigor the refreshing breeZes of the old
"Pine Tree State" WARREN w. COLE.