Smyrna times., 1888-05-23
For the Smyrna TINES.
Letter from Rambler.
CENTENNIAL OF WESTERN DEVELOP.
INSTRUMENTATION AND NATU-
RALGAS-UTILIZING THE GIFTS
OF THE ROCKS.
DoUer, Del.

Mr.. EditOr:-FOr some time my pen
has been quiet toward the TINES, be-
cause it has been busy in other mat
ters. The responsibilities of this living
age are upon me, and if we do not
move energetically we cannot keep in
sight of the procession. We are pos
sessed of the very comfortable opinion
that there is no country as progressive
as our own, and no part so active as that
now denOminated the Central States.
There is to be a Centennial Celebration
this year of the settlement of the States
in the Ohio Valley, which when it is
inaugurated will furnish many facts to
the press. 1t has been one hundred
and one years since Congress adopted
the Northwest Territory ordinance,
and the following year, 1888, it was or
ganlZed at Marietta, Ohio. Then the
fear of the Redman of the forest ter
rOriZed the people, and the yelp of the
wolf was the children's lullaby. Now
the Redman, depleted in numbers, has
been driven back to his mountain res
ervatiOn, the wolf has gone, and the
forests have been beaten back to give
place to fertile fields on one hand or to
a heritage of wealth on the other. To-
day the States carved out of that north
west territory (the term was afterwards
applied to later acquisitions of territory
i'm the northwest contains some Of our
most prosperous States and cities, Of
which Cincinnati is the centre.
There does not seem to be any limit
i'm the minds of the men who control
public affairs and constitute them
boards oftrade, but one acquisition only
seems to clear the way for another.
| About twelve years ago Cincinnati saw
railroads on every side except the
South, and they went to work and
taxed the city, organized a company
and built the Cincinnati Southern Rail-
way to Chattanooga, at cost Oftwenty-
two millions. The city is satisfied with
the investment, the bonds are popular,
all other improvements are going on,
doing nothing small. They will spend
about a million on this Centennial Gel
ebration outfit, of building space and
approaches. They have sent out
! national invitations to come and rejoice
with them from the 4th of July to the
9th of October.
We found that Indianapolis boom
has come as Mr.. T. p. Haughey pre-
dicted it would lin my letter in April
of last year, when companies should
organize and lay down large mains and
bring the natural gas into the city
| from NOblesvlle, a distance of 20 miles,
and a pressure of 200 lbs, to the square
! inch. which is sufficient for all manu-
featuring purposes as we'll as heating
and lighting public and private dwell
linps. Three companies, we under
stood. have gone into the enterprise.
| The saving is three-fOurths as COM
pared with coal and coal gas. The gas
fuel for an ordinary cook stove, rs cents
per month and gas burners, 10 cents a
month each. Small room stoves 90
cents a month and no limit set on how
high or low you may run them.
If YOU melt your stove the gas COM
nanv will not furnish a new one. One
wear ago the people of Noblesville said
the city must come to the gas, but the
neople of the capital said no; it is much
easier to bring the gas to the city, and
that is what has been done, Six months
a0o when the gas companies were or
ganized to bring it in, the prospects at
once commenced to improve, and ever
since then parties having plants requir-
ing power have been locating there at
the rate of one a week.
The new capitol building, costing
over two millions, is complete now, and
Is one of the ornaments Of the city.
Another ornament is a new Soldiers
Monument, the foundation Of which is
now in course Of preparation, in circle
square. An appropriation of $3.50 600
has been made. It is to be marble and