The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-30

You are Just in time he said; Sin another
day should have been gone"
''Gone where2" asked
ITO Brazil, replied the Captain. "Dcm Pedro,
the Emperor has done me the honor to ask me
to come and examine the mouth of one of his
rivers"
''Your fame as an expert in riparian dentistry"
l began-but he shut me up by proceeding
1.-THE Rio Grande del Sui is the southernmost
river in Brazil-close to Paraguay. 1t has
good deal of commerce. but this is constantly OBJ
structed by serious bars at the mouth. 1t has
been examined by eminent civil engineers, and
they have reported what ought to be done. The
other day had letter from his Majesty, In
which he kindly said he should feel better salts
fed if l would come down and examine the spot
l shall go by the way of Liverpool WHICH,
curiCuSly enough. is our shortest way"
The Captain did not feel warranted in handing
over the Emperors letter to me, though offered
to wrestle with the Brazilian French in which IL
was written; and When | asked him about the
snip railway he referred me to Mr.. E. l.. Corthel.
the civil engineer in charge Of the work, per-
spring in wrinkled coat in the next room.
Him / saluted. and congratulated on the sud
den collapse of DeLesseps and his $500, 00O 900
scheme.
''We have no pleasure to express in the mis-
fortunes of anyone" he said. ''We only speak
of our own project This we know is feasible.
This is easy to realize. This will pay q large
income on the investment-15 per cent, and we
believe % per cent See what it would do for
the far Pacific coast we not now even com
petitors The cereals of the Pacific still so
around Cape Horn-10, 900 miles out of the way.
Tehuantepec lies near the aXial line of commerce,
which passes through Hong Kong, New York
and Liverpool and the natural conditions are
every way favorable, with good harbors"
asked if he could describe, briefly, so that it
could be understood by the average reader, the
means by which he proposed to carry ships
across an isthmus 134 miles wide.
Generally" he said. 1--WE lift loaded ship
from the ocean by we'll known methods, transport
1t over the country and place it in tho opposite
ocean by the same method. The details embrace
lifting dock, with system of hydraulic rams,
so arranged as to hold up and perfectly dis
tribute the weight of the vessel, and system of
shields or carriage supports conforming TO the
position of the rams and actuated by them,
under the hull of the vessel There are 100 sup
ports for the vessel, giving it twice the
support that ship has in drydock. and ninety
trucks, with four wheels each. These run on
six steel tracks, laid side by side on steel ties,
and L estimate that three sixty fve-ton locomo-
tlves will haul an ocean steamer over there. up
grade twenty feet to the mile at the rate of
fifteen miles an hour If we get the ship-rail-
way built by 1889, we can have 1000, 600 tons of
freight to carry over that year. at price that
will be an enormous saving to the owners Of
vessels and tremendous profit to u.s."
STORY OF THE NORTHWEST.
l see by the Minnesota papers that Col VIM.
T. King is rich again, having had restored to
him by the courts of the State the immense
estate of 1000 acres in the city of Minneapolis
which Philo Remington got possession of under
deed of trust, and has for years been trying to
dissipate. Not more than half dozen men in
the country are better known to American poll
tlcians than King.
Ut was in 1853 that first saw him. was
editing my first newspaper at Sc. Anthony. and
he came in with fiery letter against the railroad
fraud known the five million loan" The
protest was published, and thereafter he kept up
steady fusiade till the great swindle triumphed,
to the lasting sorrow and disgrace of the State.
King had just come from the East, and he
brought with him the title of Colonel attained
| believe, in full-dress parades as a member of
the Governors staff. He was a phenomenal
character-good- natured, witty. jocular, and a
good story teller, sociable, strong as horse and
QUICK cat, courageous-the natural leader
of every company in which he found himself.
About year after he came there incident
occurred which brought out his full strength.
Under the bred Scott decision Southerners ven
tured to the Territory in '56 and 81 from Ken
lucky and Tennessee to spend the summer,
bringing their slaves with them part of their
property. After the Territory had become
State this practice was cautiously continued,
and so profitable had the sojourn of these visit.
orS become that a good many of the farmers
who sold them butter and eggs that were other
wise unrequested kept quiet and said nothing.
a
aroused. So when one Colonel Freeman came
up there with his family accompanied by
woman whom he held as a slave, w. D.. Babbitt
John D. Brown, Deacon Harmon and others got
writ of habeas corpus. and compelled the
alleged owner to bring ELIZA" to the court
house. She was declared free by Judge Wander
burgh. amid much excitement. AS she was
being taken away crowd of hundred South
erners and their champions outside attempted
rescue. King placed himself on the steps, and
in a roaring passion, defed them.
He was unarmed and almost alone, but he
STROBE to and fro upon the upper step and
shouted the Indignation which he felt Brown
told me about that speech afterwards. IL had
felt like hugging him. 1t wnsnt
blasphemy at all; it was sort of
vOciferOus invocation He called them every
mean name he could think Of Take her. will
your he cried, as they rushed toward the steps,
You lay hand on her at your peril! You -
- niger thieves! You cowardly pimps!
You kidnapers of women and sellers of babies
- your impudent souls, coming here to tree
State to enforce your niger fogging practices!
''They sureed around the steps, shouted back
and threatened to attack the three or four of us
who stood there when Old Deacon Bemis sidled
up to King and said: I never did like swearing
but if it ever was justifable it is now and put
in his hand cane with a eaden head.
Another attempt was made to take the court.
house. but King held the steps and threatened
to brain the first thieving. white livered -
that stepped upon them. They knew he would
do it. and the mob soon broke up after Eliza
had been spirited away to place of safety. That
was the end of slavery in Minnesota"
On the meeting of Congress in 1861 King was
made postmaster of the House, position which
he held for some ten or twelve wears. and during
the last half of that time no man in the country
had greater influence than he in forming cur
rent legislation. During these years. too, he
saved little money, which, invested in the
broad praries outside Of what was then Mime
apolis, became the foundation Of his fortune
In 1874 King was elected to Congress- but be-
fore taking his seat the Pacific Mail scandal
broke out and created tumult. 1t was shown
that King had nothing to do with the legislation.
but he had stock transactions with leading officers
settled by the company's agent i'll Washington.
The committee of investigation called upon Col
King to appear and explain. This he refused to
do nreferrinp to snend his time arnnnn tho d,,las