The Portland daily press., 1883-12-29

Esridge-The Basefai Effects of Beer
and Whiskcy.
st. Louis, as everybody knows, is the
great city of the West, city of dense smoke
and smut, and drinking water from the Mis-
souri, in color like weak coffee. When one
comes to the wash bowl the thought is:
What is the good of washing in water like
that? But one soon becomes accustomed to
it, and the washing deepens the color by
many shades, by taking off the smut and
smoke from hands and face. What every
body does not know about st. Louis is, that
its people say it is the centre of the Conti-
nent, and will certainly become its largest
city. This might be, if with all its present
advantages of location, it could be moved
out upon Jersey fats, and the water there
could be deepened so as to give it better
harbor than New York has, across the mar
rows.
The growth of st. Louis is really wonder
full, exceeding in rapidity and solidity, they
say, that of Chicago, which by and by, they
add, will be left far behind in the race for
greatness. The prosperity of ST. Louis is
solid and enduring, based on accumulated
wealth, belonging to its people, they say,
while that Of Chicago is ephemeral, based on
borrowed capital, they tell you very gravely.
do not know If this feeling of rivalry with
Chicago is shared by it's people, but in st.
Louis it is very strong. Whatever may be
the relative importance of the two cities in
the future, it is certain that ST. Louis will
be very great and strong, as Chicago will
also be-
A st. Louis gentleman told me he remem-
bered the time when Alton in Illinois, thirty
miles away, was more important place,
and letters were sometimes addressed to St.
Louis, near Alton, Illinois. The latter is
now city of twenty thousand inhabitants
only. The smoke and smut of st. Louis are an
intolerable nuisance to those who visit it for
the first time, but they are not so great here
as in Pittsburg and in many English towns.
In coming away from St. Louis l stood
upon the platform at the rear of the train,
that might see the city, its levees, its null
titudes Of river steamers, and especially its
great railway bridge, which spans the Mis-
sissippi, the building of which was said to
be masterpieces of engineering genius
and skill.
The bridge saw, bit by bit, as the train
passed slowly over it; a short stretch of the
Ievee / saw, up river and down, with river
steamers moored at it, all busy taking in or
discharglng cargo; the city / could not see,
all was enveloped in dense smoke; not
church spire, not tower of any public
building was visible, for the smoke seemed
to reach the sky. The impression, on cross
ing the bridge is that it will endure forever,
so strong and solid it seems in every detail
to be. This is especially the impression
upon any one who knows how it was built,
how enormous sun were spent and great
engineering difficulties overcome, in sink
ing the foundations of the piers and abut-
ments down to the solid rock, far, far be-
meath the surface of the water-one hun
dred and sixty feet belowl
The High Bridge" at Newcastle, Tyne,
is supported by enormous cast.irOn arches; /;
the st. Louis bridge is supported by smaller,
lighter arches of wrought iron; they are
tubes, strengthened and braced in every di-
rection by iron or steel rods, so that there is
not the least trembling on DETECTION as
trains pass over it. It has double railway
track, and roadway above, spacious and
strong enough to accommodate a traffic
great as that which crowds and sometimes
blocks London ibridge.
In coming away from st Louis, passing
through southern Illinois, was struck with
Ll6 vast extent OF Ln6 HeIQS OF corn ana
wheat, which seemed to stretch away to the
horizon on each side of the railway. The
wheat fields were green with the growing
crop, while the corn was yet standing; but
in some places | saw wagons, horses and
men passing through, carrying away the
ears of corn, leaving the standing stalks be-
hind.
1t was prairie land, deep, rich, alluvial
soil, producing great crops, and with care
ful, skillful cultivation there would hardly
be any limit to its productiveness. But as a
rule the houses were small, old and poor.
and in state of neglect and slovenly dilapi-
dation, hardly any appearance anywhere of
improvement or repair. How can this be
with farmers upon land of wonderful fer
tility, easily wrought? thought the ex-
PLANTATION was to be seen in the great piles
of empty liquor casks which 1 saw at the
railway stations, as l passed them. Yes,
said an Illinois man sitting at my side, in
the beer and whiskey and in the time spent
by the farmers at the saloons, while they
should be at home, looking after their af-
fairs, as they would be but for the beer,
whiskey and tobacco.
The Illinois people whom / meet say this
state of things will not last always. The
feeling is deepening and strengthening in
this State that the saloons "must CO."
NEAL DOW