Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-31
CORRESPONDENCE.

CORRESPONDENCE.
To St. Louis Over the Pennsylvania Gem
| tral-A Magnificent Might Scene-From
| st. Louis to Hot Springs, Arkansas-A
Lean ReSisn-At the sprtnGs-Law and
Order Not AnnfhiIatsd - Wonderful
| Hnls-Calitn& ON the DOctor-ChswfRG
Gum in Demand-The Baths-Some of
| .sthe Sishts''-sHeII's Half-Acre''-GoOd
Old Connecticut Appreciated.
| HoT SPRINGS, Arkansas, March 26.
| To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
To imagine that this country is pretty
we'll covered by strips of iron and steel called
railroads is not very difficult when one is
standing in the st. Louis station at about
| train-leaving time. Here dozen or fifteen
trains stand ready to depart and follow as
many different roads to all points of the
compass It seems like the center of one
vast spider-web, and like the rays of the sun
the fine silver threads spread out in all di-
rectioas. Perhaps one of the most impor-
tant of these many roads which empties
daily, almost hourly, its hundreds of living
and human freight is the Vandalia, or Terre
Haute and Indianapolis line, which runs in
connection with and is part of the system of
that first of all railroads in this country, the
Pennsylvania Central The perfection to
which the managers of this great institution
have brought railroading is certainly grand.
The greater the distance the more plain do
the excellencies of this route become. Swift
ness and steadiness combined with luxurious
ease and comfort to be obtained in the ele-
CANT Pullman and hotel cars on this route are
special features. The steadiness with which
the trains run over the firm roadbed affords
passengers ample opportunity to get plenty
of rest at night One can sleep nearly as
comfortably in the wide berths of these cars
as in his own bed, and during the day the
panorama of beautiful scenery through the
Allegheny mountains, around the celebrated
Horseshoe Curve, etc., takes up 80 much of
ones time that Chicago, st. Louis, or what
ever may be the stopping place, is reached
with little fatigue and in a wonderfully short
space of time considering the distance. 1t
may be no uncommon thing for some of your
readers to pass over the Alleghanies by this
route to look down into the valleys, out of
which they have climbed, and see the noun
| tains rising still higher beyond, and to see
the train making curves which almost enable
the engineer to converse with the passengers
in the rear car. But your correspondent had
a somewhat different and less common expe-
rience Aware that the trip over the noun
tains would be made during the night, he had
no anticipation of pleasant views from dizzy
snov-clad heights, but retired utterly re
gardless of them and was soon In that peace
full sIumber that visits the just only. Not
until a. M did anything occur to arouse
him Then, awaking suddenly, he was start
led to see rosy glow filling his whole berth
The first thoughts were of fire and fire it
proyed TO be. Pushing the partially raised
curtain of the window away up and gazing
out the mountains presented strange and
lurid picture. On the west side of the
mountains, just as the grade begins to de-
scsnd and for some distance down, there are
numerous coke furnaces, several thousand it
is statedg clustered in and about the hills,
and within easy distance from and some close
to the railroad. These thousands of fur
naces, each one having front of fifty feet
more or less and furnace doors few feet
apart, ranging along their front like SO many
portholes in a fort were all busy at work
From their tall chimneys issued all sorts of
colored flames, blue, green, red, yellow, etc
lust as the quality of the burning gas chanced
to be- Many of the furnace doors were wide
open, while the others seemed to be edged
with golden rims The effect of these diff
ferent glowing lights, some away down and
across in the valley, some above and below,
on the ice and snow-oovered mountains beg
oars description. The tall trees stood out
like black armies on either SIDE of the white
valleys and one might think from the glow
ing lights reflected on the snow that hostili-
ties were at their highest point Again,
with the rumbiing of the car wheels one
would perhaps think that he had gotten into
Rip Van Wrinkles land, and that Irving's im-
mortal Sir Hendrick Hudson and his remark
able family we're having a game of ten pins
and general celebration. The scene was
weird enough to cause one to imagine almost
anything.
As is we'll known, there are many features
affording endless interest and attraction to
the traveller over this route. The finest Pull
man cars are used running through to Chica-
90 and ST. Louis. Courteous officials aud at
tentive servants, rare things In many in
stances ARE always in command and the COM
fort of the traveller Is generally looked aft
ter. An individual from the East, when he
has reached st. Louis, thinks that he is some
distance west But he will find there that it
is only one of the starting points for the
great western country. AS we are bound for
Arkansas, we look around for the st. Louis,
Iron Mountain and Southern road, one of
the great Missouri Pacific system, with which
sour friend" Gould is somewhat familiar.
We find that this road is also equipped with
the fine Pullman cars, which run through to
Galveston. Texas We also find that the
travel is SO great, this being the only route,
that it is with difficulty We secure a berth
At this season of the year there are crowds
on their way to the celebrated Hot Springs
in Arkansas, and those intending to make the
trip need to secure their berths early in the
day. For nearly four hundred miles, to NAL
yern. this road runs through the poorest and
most uninteresting country that can well be
imagined. With the exception of the Iron
Mountain, which takes its name from the
quantity of ore that crops out at the surface
lin all directions, nothing but low, marshy
land is travsrsed. It is almost worthless ex-
cepiing for the great quantity of wood with
which it is covered. Miles after mi es OF
woodland are passed until one gets sick OF
the sight of a tree, and 'nigger" hut or
black pig, until they also become plenty, are
a great relief to the weary eyes Now and
then we stop at what we would designate as
a backWoods town, and morning and noon
stop twenty minutes for refreshments The
stations stopped at as a rule consist OF rev
dilapidated looking buildings, grocery store
always being the most prominent, the rest
mainly consisting of one and two-story log
huts or shanties. From twenty to thirty
saddIed horses tied to trees or browsing
around at ease always appear and add pic
turesoueness to the scene. Cows that feed
Nd sickIy looking corn stalks and pigs that
gladly pick up anything that may be thrown
from a train, and doubtless give grunt of
satisfaction when the express heaves in sight,
are plenty in numbers but show marked
signs of living in > hard country. The only
things that look at all we'll fed are the natives
who congregate at the stations. No train in
the East would stop for such tough-looking
set of customers as these generally are, and
We don't imagine that many of them would
allow good days work to interfere with
their attendance at dog fight or horse race
We are told that the main road was built
through this poor section of the country be-
cause of the ease and cheapness of building
il there, and that short distance from the
main line on either side the country is of
better nature and many extensive farms are
in operation. Short distances in this part of
the country though, we are disposed to be-
lieve, are about the length Of our little State.
Arriving at Malvern, people for Hot |
Springs make q change, taking narrow
gauge road which runs twenty odd miles up |
into mountainous section of the country |
Everything on this road is condensed about |
one-third, and all that is necessary to make |
the ride up the steep grades comfortable is to
find some means of condensing the human
frame in like proportion. They easily man
age as far as your baggage is concerned. but
fail in the other direction. However, after
being greeted by an express agent and
hsadbiIl reading as follows you are in Hot