The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-09-22
OUR BICYCLE RIDER
AT COUNCIL BLUFFS, AFTER MUCH ToILING
OVER THE PLAGUEY HILLS OF IOWA.
"Christopher Coumbusw

| nine hundred and ninety-nlne times during
the week past, and have only used it once
| for every bad hill | have had to climb /,
and, in several instances, only once tor two
| hills. The roads through Iowa are quite
! dry and smooth, but hills-oh, my! Wed
| nesday addrooocd native Of this terrible
| state and asked him why there were no
more hills in Iowa, and he sorrowfully re-
Piled that they had no place to put 'em, or
they would surely get few more. He
said Iowa was the best state in the U. s. and
wanted to know how | liked to ride a
bicycle, and if l was "that Teller that's 60
IN through to Californy."
On Monday of last week | visited the
manufacturing town of Moline, Ill.,, and
saw the inner workings of the great pillow
works, the corn planter works, the wagon
works, the pipe and the reed organ fac
tories, the foundry and several shops of
minor importance. Moline is a very busy
town of eight or ten thousand, but very
dirty, dusty aud smoky place, as nearly all
manufacturing towns are.
Tuesday morning crossed the river into
Davenport, Ia, spent few hours looking
at that pretty city, and then again turning
my faithful Columbia wheel westward,
started on my trip across this great state.
And behold, live to say have crossed,
though don't want to cross any more in
the same way. Oh, those terrible hills !
Did you ever try 'em2
| have passed through many pretty
towns and cities on my way, and many
shabby and discouraged looking one; but
one noticeable feature of Iowa towns of any
importance, is that pretty or shabby, nearly
all have neat, welI-kep parks. Iowa City
is nice place of eight thousand popua-
ton. West Liberty, Brooklyn and Malcolm
are good little places; and Grinnell, where
Presided part of Wednesday, IS almost a
little Eden, although the cyclone of last
summer did destroy more than hundred
buildings, including college, and killed
forty-one people, besides manning an1
gripping many. went through that pGr
ton of the town attacked by the terrible
| storm, and found piles Of debris still lying
| around, while some of it was being burned
| to get rid Oft. No fences are here to be
seen, and the trees that remain are all
twisted out of shape. But Chicago-hke,
Grinnell will not remain destroyed, but is
rapidly rebuilding.
From Grinnel | betook my way to Des
Moines, where l met both the gentlemen of
the wheel and those Of the reportorial staff
OF the various papers and passed very
pleasant half day. In the afternoon, again
mounting my Columbia | resumed my
journey west, accompanied to the gates of
the city by Mr.. Ed X. Tailor, one of the
Des Moines bicyclists. The Des
Mones state fair had just closed
and been great success, and the
people of that live city were very happy
thereat. The city is good business point,
and is building up very rapidly. 1t has
three daily and several weekly papers,
and is surrounded by good country, and
seems to contain many live, wide-a-wake
hng b
point passed through quite number of
good towns: Dexter, Stuart Anita, Allan
tic and Shelby being among the number.
Iowa probably will have good corn
crop, and wheat has turned out quite we'll
this season, tho | am told, the state is not
relied on SO much for wheat as it used to
be, and that the soil is wearing out for that
product; though why it should while the
state is still so new, is puzzling question
for the unsophisticated to answer. The
ground is very rolling along the route !
came, and do not think have seen TWEEN
ty miles of even moderately level country
liOhl INC tlulC J. lclt DuNCupOIt I'LL tuC
time reached Council Bluffs. 1 have
seen many hills so steep that those who
we're on horses would get off and lead up
mercy to their beasts. / never did this
myself my animal being so modest and
backward that | invariably had to push IN
stead of lead him up the hill.
arrived here safe and sound, though
wotully tired and almost sick, and was col
Jared by Messrs. Saml. Bowly, Clarence
Judson and Will Carothers, of the Council
Bluffs whoelmen almost as soon as struck
Main street, and who are doing all they
can to make my stay in this city a pleas
ant one, so that once more feel almost at
home and not entirely among strangers.
Council Bluffs is place with narrow,
crooked streets and poor sidewalks, but it is
now doing considerable toward improve
ment 1t is on the Missouri river, opposite
TO Omaha, Nebraska, snd has about 1871 600