Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-04-01
MAcKINAW sTRAIGHTS.
A Glowing Description by
Col. Pat DOMAIN.
OF a Far Off, Polar Like
Region.

Chicaso News. 2S.l
Colonel Pat DOMAIN is a latter do.
Columbus. He, within as many years
has discovered a bonanza in Mexico
Billy the Kid, Dakota's bonanza belt
the unproftableness of the late wa
from a Southern standpoint, ant
thought be had found an honest poll
tician, in exploring for whom hi
lengthy and manifold journeys hav,
been undertaken. Disguised Will
this search he took another trip, anC
nearly found the north pole among thu
iceburgs of Mackinaw straits. He 60
back to Chicago yesterday, fully con,
vinced that. if he had not found tn,
pole, he had at least experienced a
much Arctictravel as the present con
dition of his zest for discovery Graves
Incidental to that were some remark
able finds in tho matter of romantic
scenery along and near the meeting
points Of the three great inland seas
Superior, Michigan and Huron--oi
which the Colonel disoourses alter his
own liberal and vigorous fashion Of
using the English tongue.
II understand, Colonel, that you
have just returned from the Mackinaw
region; it is rather novel winter trip,
is it mott" was asked Colonel DOMAIN.
Novel is no name for it. | found
the whole trim a prolonged revelation
It was perpetual surprise, a contin-
uous thousand-mile- long Lesson in
geography, natural history, and nearly
everything else. Do you know that
With all our American Dragging about
our glorious free schools and universal
education, ! think we are, upon an
average, about as ignorant as donkeyt
or congressman didn't know how
much / didn't know until / started
out on this Mackinaw jaunt. No mat
ter how conceited about his acquire
ments and attachments fellow may
be, a very short journey into any grand
new region, Of which he has only
known through books, sufices to take
the conceit out of him and set him
down on self erected Ounce block
with emphasis enough to make every
tooth in his head rattle, and
the bigger his conceit the
greater the rattle. | thought
knew America about as well as if
had made it, but | learned thousand
things during my flying journey into
the Michigan terra ihcognita that
never heard of before. Young man
let me turn this interviewing auguI
other-end- foremost. Did you ever
know that Michigan only lacks $1,000
square miles ofbeing as big as all the
New England States put together, and
that it has coast line half as long al
from New York to Liverpool-nearly
as great as all the Atlantic States com.
bined, Florida alone excepted"
The reporter had, with humiliation
of soul, but with truthfulness, to con.
TESS that he never did know these
things.
SALT, LUMBER AND FISH.
"Neither did |" said the Colonel
aud yet they are facts. Did you evel
know that Michigan produces nearly
half of all the salt produced 10 thu
United States. and more lumber anC
fresh water fish than any other one
State, while as a wheat producer i
stands fourth, being outranked only BY
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois,"
Again the reporter had to own hi
ignorance.
II was ignorant of these facts, fo
facts they are, ten days ago." contin
ued the Colonel, but these are merel,
atoms from a whole world Of igno
RANGES. ] knew before that Michigan
had, in the Calumet & Hecla, th,
grandest copper mine the world ha
ever seen, paying mere dividends thar
any gold or. silver mine in America
but never knew, and have learned
with amazement, that it contains th,
greatest iron mines upon the globe
and that its copper and iron mine
yielded last year vaster profits than al
the gold and silver mines OF Californi
and Colorado combined. To give an
other twist to your inverted inter
viewal corkscrew, did you ever know
or dream Of any such things2"
The reporter again shamefacedl
acknowledged his benightedness.
you are doubtless as well informeI
as ninety nine hundredths Of the mos
intelligent people in Chicago, or tn
country in genera" soethingly re
marked the Colonel. Il might 20 Of
by the hour with the additions | hay
made to my own assortment Of infor
nation and experience, but one or tw
more items must suffice. | hav
learned that MICHIGAN contains NOR
than FIVE thousand beautiful gem Xix
lakes, more than all Wisconsin an
Minnesota together, and they are j
many instances surrounded By glori
Gus, almost mountainous seenery, whic
is the one great lacking in the 0cono
mowoc and Minnetonka region. Ever
lake and stream sVarms with pickereI
pike, whitehsh, brook trout, and tb
gamy. delicious grayling, which wa
until recently supposed to be wholly
European fish, and which is as ia
superior in every respect to the broo
trout as the brook trout is to the mu,
cat. The climate cures hay fever an,
catarrh, and there are 10000 place
all along the shores Of both peninsula
-fOr you know, or ought to know, tina
Michigan consists of two great PENN
sulas and over five hundred islands
that can be made as charming summe
resorts as ever health or pleasur
seeker could ask or wish to find"
A TOURISTS PARADISE.
T What sort of place is Mackina'
IslandW
Excepting the Yellowstone par
alone there is no spot in all the ne
world that SO nearly unites in itself a
the glories and beauties and advar
tagos that constitute perfect tourist
paradise The island, rising grand