Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-03-03
Letter from Hot Springs.
Special Correspondence Independent.
Hot SPRINGS, ARK, |
Feb. DIST. 1883. |

I1OT 6PklNGS, AL KIM
Feb. Dist, 1888.
] let Martinsburg on Wednes-
day morning, Feb. 18th, and ar
rived here on the following Sum
day morning. l stopped over in
Wheeling Wednesday night, and
had the pleasure OF meeting a
number of our Senators and Rep
resentatives, among whom were
Senators Dawson and Melvin,
from our district, and Representa-
tive Evans, from Berkeley. l did
not meet Representative Hen
shaw, although / was DESTROYS of
seeing him. | also met Col. Van
diver and Geo. s. Sergeant, both
newspaper men who have fat
places in the legislature.
AT Wheeling l joined Mrs. Sem
ator Camden and her daughter,
Miss Annie, and travelled together
from that point to Hot Springs.
We left Wheeling on Thursday
morning, by the Panhandle route,
over the Vandalia line, that being
the only line that promised US
safety from the raging floods that
we're sweeping over the western
states We crossed the Ohio at
Steubenville, and here TOOK sleep
ing coach through to st. Louis,
via. Columbus and indianapolis.
We travelled through waste of
water to Columbus, but were not
detained by any mishaps to the
track or bridges in consequence.
After we got into Indiana,it SEEM
ed as if the whole state was under
water We run for miles through
a perfect sea, the water stretching
out on either side of the track as
far as the eye could reach. But
this, bad as 1t was, was not the
worst. When we got into Illinois,
we found the whole country along
the line of our route inundated.
You could see farm houses, barns,
school houses and country
churches in the far distance, sur
rounded by the waters, and look
lug like speck5 on the ocean. The
damage to property must be i'm.
mense, and the distress and suffer-
ing among the poorer classes Of
people can hardly be realized.
You may think ii strange that oar
train managed to go on in the
midst and surrounded by the vast
expanse of waters. The track
through this prairie country is u.s.
ually several feet above the level,
and trains are enabled to run even
after the whole country is inun-
dated. But, unfortunately, we
didn't go on. We woke up FRI
day morning and found our train
stuck" at the town of Effingham,
Illinois. How long it had been de-
tanned there before daylight, do
not knoW,but it was several hours
before we got away. Our track
had been submerged few miles
beyond, and was impossible. Ar
engagements were made by which
we got the privilege of taxing the
track of the Illinois Central, and
after running on that number of
miles we changed off onto another
road, and in this way managed to
skip around and finally reached
st. Louis in the evening, although
we were due there in the morn
ing. If it had not been for the
fact that we were able to change
from one road to another and thus
skip around the washOuts, there
is no telling how long we might
have been delayed. Illinois and
Indiana are SO completely grid
irOned with railroads, that train
of the standard guage, can "cut
across lots" as IL were, at almost
any point, Ii permission Is given:
! During the time until we reached
st. Louis, the weather was warm