Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-01-28
NUMBER 4S.


home raised eggs. and 100000 for
eggs imported. According to the census
report, II years ago, the market value
OF eggs in New York, exceeded that of
all the swine in the state. and was equal
IN value with all her cattle. Boston
uses SS.000,0 worth of eggs yearly,
London S20.000,000 worth, the entire
! product of silver in the United States in
1884, was 100000, and yet as Gov
Rusk says, '-all the caekling of the hens
over the ninety-one and a half million
dollars worth of eggs did not make so
much noise as the silver men before
Congress. New England's egg crop
is worth more than her apples.
The evening was devoted to ban
quet at which the following list of toasts
were given.
| Our Guests
Responded to by j. W Murphy
Our Hosts.
Responded to by Hon Matt Anderson
| Grant County-May she ever bes sranted
| peace and prosperity.
| Respondedto by Hon. j. V. Holman.
Nature-The genial mother OF us all; may we
| devotion.
| Responded to by Aaron Broughton
The country boy in the city--Has he found his
niche?
Responded to by Prof Hutton
The lawyer the farmers equalizer OF profits
| Responded to by ID. j. Gardner
| Sunshine in the home as well as on the farm
Responded to by Prof. Beck.
| A farmer boys first visit TO the city. His ex-
| perience.
Responded to by o. NJ. Richards as follows
| Most worshipful and ever to be feared toast
master: In the meridian OF life we sometimes
meet with incidents that turn mind back to
our youthful days, when is presented pictures
that may not be altogether pleasing but absolute
| ly painful to contemplate. Such picture is re-
called TO my mind by being called upon to re-
| spond to this toast. Away back to the neyer-to-
Oe-forgotten time when whisky was cheap
politicians honest, and newspapers told the
| truth-when the dye-pot stood in the chimney
corner, sending its incense up to heaven-an in
ciaent occurred that had more to do in shaping
| our fnture course than anything | ever met
| with. It's this that propose to relate. In
my early youth | was delighted to hear about
cities. As soon as learned to read l read
aoont citle.,until an almost uncomfortable desire
took possession OF my mind to visit city. My
/ Imagination pictured to me the delight of beng
considered an oracle in city matters. 1t was with
wonderful pleasure that thought of being able
| TO tell my barefooted, tow-headed. rag,a-mufin
associates of the sights that had seen in the
| cities. Now want to be entirely accurate as
most that shall say is, and presume all should
| DE matter of history You who are familiar
| with the early history of the state OF Illinois,
know that about the year 1898 the state went into
an elaborate system of railroad building A rail-
road was surveyed. and in many instances graded
before nearly every mans door who happened TO
be in the Illinois legislature at that time. The
only road that was completed and put in Opera
ton by the state was sixty miles of road running
from Meredosia, on the Illinois river. TO Spring
| field, the capital of the state The manner of
railroad construction at that time differed some
what from the present. The top OF the grade
was made wide 40 that in case the train left the
| track it would have good ways to run before il
tumbled over the bank. and in the meantime
might be pulled up. The track proper was con-
strueted by first laying what was called a mud
Sill, on these wood stills were placed the crossties
| in notehes in these crossties were then placed
wooden timbers or rails as they called and
| these wooden rails were fastened in the notches
in the ties by means of wooden keys or wedges
An iron bar two inches wide. half inch thick
with beyel joints at the end, and spike holes
about every foot was then spiked to these wood
en- rails. This completed the track. The engines
| mad but wo driving wheels aud without
CAB, pilot or whistle. The cars had but few
! wheels. the passenger coaches were seated omni-
bus fashion and were just about as wide. In OPP
| Grating the road the spike at the end Of the
! rail would get loose and the point of the iron
| rail turn in making what railroad men at that
| time called snake head, making a first rate
| thing to catch the iange of the wheel and scoot
| the train from the track. Sometimes several
/ spikes would get loose near the end Of the rail,
| then the bar would take different course going
| up on the wheel with sufficient force to punch a
hole In the floor OF the car. and even tearing the
| tusutDus ptiOTe lHe Train COulu De stopped. Inc
iron was eften breaking at the spike holes and
often foot of the iron rail would be missing
| The conclusion of the wheels on the wooden
rail would soon wear that down making what was
called chuck hole. The state operated the road
| as long as 1t could run an engine four miles an
hour on It., then it was rented TO parties who
| operated IL by mule power. The operators would
| couple two cars together and to these two cars
they would hitch two mules tandem. The bust
ness OF the conductor was to 90 ahead on foot
| and point ont the chuck holes to the drivers who
4 would uSl he ei6 Of he
next to the chuck hole. this would incline the
wheels nearer to the rail on the opposite side.
and the car would pass over the chuck hole with
| ont getting off the track The speed attained
Was usually IL miles day, sometimes more and
sometimes less, altogether governed by the num-
Der of times the car got off the track NV pa
rents, at the time Ct which l speak, resided at
Morgan city, twelve miles east OF Meridosia and
] twelve west of Jacksonville. The car-hands con
ductor and all made our house their regular stop
| ping place. by dint of much practice with their
/ long whips | had become expert mule
whacker. Now that good fortune which had al
ways been chasing me up and down in this world
had so ordered things that one of the drivers was
taken sick and 1 employed to drive his
team to the city of Springfield. Here at last were
my fondest dreams TO be realized We made
| Jacksonville the first day without serious mis-
/ hap. The only trouble that we had was with the
/ brake which was pole bolted
TO the side of the car and could be made to bear
on the wheel and the friction thus produced by
the driver swinging on the end Of the pole
would stop the car. My weight was so light that
| made about as much impression on the car
wheel az a woodpecke r would make on an iceberg
| At about 10 O'Clock the third night after leaving
home | arrived safely in Springfield and was
about to reach at last the goal of my ambition
My sleep was not OF the quietest that night and
l was up Defines in the morning and soon
started out to see the city. | had forgotten to
| take one thing into account that had good deal
to do with the pleasure Of my visit. and that was
| that / might be dressed somewhat differently
/ from the city boys. To describe my aecontre-
ments; My boots had staying qualities; the
| leather was tanned by my grandfather who was
tanner, and manufactured into boots by the
same hand for he was also a boot and shoemaker
/ There had been ample provisions TO accommodate
the growth OF the feet. My pants were made
| out of the good old fashioned busternut colorcd
| homespun kersey. The cnt of the pants az far IS
the legs were concerned was very mach like the
present fashion for | had to fold my boot legs
| In order to get my pant legs down over them hut
in the seat and waist they were o. the most gen
| erous dimensions. The waist came Hp 10 nv
armpits and ] may be safely SAID to have been
hanging in, my pants by the arms, To epar
| damages the pants had sustained in the rear
| when running through the prairie grass
| there was square quarter section of a patch OF
new cloth and of darker color NY roundabout
or shortabout was of black valiant dyed mi cIot
| and 1t too was made to stay / had been grow
ing but the roundabout had failed to grow 40 as
to meet the requirements of the case and | had
| grown through II several inches at the arms and
had t not been for the length of the waist Of the
| pants there would have been a painful failure 20
make connections. A cap OF hristly sealskn but
| ntEOIne
on tip as the pate OF a baldheaded darkey. con.
stituted my head gear. ! coon noticed That |
| was an object of marked attention. The gentle
| men gave me o scfntlnizing look and passed on
The ladies greeted me with peculiar smile, in fart
| | don't remember OF having been greeted with
| just snch smile from lady from that day to
| this. The little boys we're following me in trooDs
| and finally one little scamp who has likely been
hung long this. yelled ont Hello Baggy. who
cut your breeches = Then for the first tirle the
| popularity OF my outfit flashed through nv mind
l imagined that the eye of every man, woman
| and child that there was in the city Of Spring
field was on that patch which was literally break
| ing my heart. ] could not turn around In nv
| pants but could turn the pants around me 40
| reached around and gathered together as
much as conld of the patch and transferred it 10
| the front, then made for my boarding place
| as fast as my boots would allow me 10 90 when
l arrived at home had no long stories to tell
my associates, and from that day to this have
avoided cities. 1t was owing to this more than
to any other reason that one farmers BOY did not
leave the farm.
Music: Heavenly Maid. che min.ly possessed
by the young people of Plat sville. under the di-
rection Of Prof. ID. f. Gar1ner.
Responded to by Prof Gardner
Intelligent Farming IS Dignifed Living.
Responded to by s. c. Carr.
The Press. Th. Palladium of Our Libeftie,
and the Hand Maid of Agriculture
Responded toby Hon. j. G. Bartboif
Successful Farming Implies Better Ways ant
Methods Better Education ana More Brains
Mixed with it.
RESP Jnded to by T. L. Cleary.
Our Mothers, Our Wives and Our Daughters
God. bless them.
Responded TO by Hon. b. F. Adams
The Boys and Girls, God blsss the kids Til,
nope OF the country.
Responded to by Prof. c. L. Whitney.
The Book Farmer. shall we cruelty HIM