The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-09-01
coMpAaSoN Du VOYAGE.

had for my bed fellow throughout most
OF the expedition General Rush Cowan-
well known to many Of your readers as AS
sitant Secretary OF the Interior under Cen
eral Grant, now editor OF the STATE
Journal at Columbus, O. He has an in.
finite fund OF political and personal ex-
periences and "reminiscences, which, II it
was proper for me to print, would interest
your readers, | suspect, for more than
what l have written about our journey
thus for to the Yellowstone. After mess.
mating 30 much rs have lately with the
General eau understand easily enough
how it is that he advanced so regularly and
easily from the position Of editor Of the St.
Clairsyllle Chronicle in the early days up to
the headship Of the Interior Department Of
the Government.
The most Industrious man In our party,
as a correspondent, was F. b. Plimpton, Of
the Cincinnati Commercial GdEStie, who
was always at the front taking notes when
we stopped anywhere by the way, who
began, before We were hall way through
Dakota, sending letters from the Pull
man car to his papsr. When the berths
were all made up at night and table was
no longer available, Plimpton would stand
up between the rows, under the oil lamp,
with his pad In one hand aud his pencil in
the other, and steadying himself on his
pins, would manage to Keep scribbling
away. Plimpton will never forget that
ride, Sunday night August 9th, in the
wagon. and especially in the seat in which
he and wers partners, when the driver
would sing out to bali anGe to the upper
side and when leaned agains! him at an
angle and with 4 weight that would have
done credit to the leaning tower OF Pisa.
II was our good fortune to have with US
as the conductor Of the expedition, all the
vay through from st. Paul, MIR. H, j.
Winner. chief Of the bureau Of informa-
tinn OF the Northern Pacific railroad. And
most accomplished gentleman he is; all
of us were in love with him before we got
hall way through the park. He was the
u. s. Consul at Coburg, Germany, for II
wears. and before that one OF the principal
editorsoithe New York Times. There was
no mains that he did not take, no wcari-
ness or self denial that he did not undergo,
10 make the expedition complete and
Measurable success, and under oil circum-
stances, on horseback or in camp, he was
always the same polite aud thoug httul pro-
yider for eyerybody's wants and comfort;
We voted him q great success and resolved
that the great n. F."-(aa the boys desig::
mated the Northern Pacific In verse and
prose) were fortunate in having sach an
ACCOMPLISHED gentleman at the head oil so
important a department Of i's interests
MAJOR RlcRHAN,
i have alluded to Major Billy Bickham
Of the Dayton Journal, as he came to be
iamlIlafly called. He was one of the best
fellows in our party, and though he is on
ahady side OF fifty was ons Of The jolliest
and most adventurous. The boys wSnld
all like to hSyeR photograph OF the kindly
Major as be appeared on, bIs popy IN his
corduroys, his blue shirt and his linen he'll
met AS a memento OF the expedition Ia
hang up 10 their sanctums. He was one oi
the original Argonauts of California that
Marx Twain tells about, and knew what
Western camping lie means, and hence
lhe came provided with . superab abundance
of eyerything-including mosquito petting
-and he shared liberally with the unpro'
yided.
Epeakiug OF mesquite netting, | wish you
could have saen the boys as they sat oat
under a big cotton wood tree at the Upper
Geysers," after supper, the evening we got
there. The mosquitoes were out in theii