The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-04-19
EunEKA SpRINas, AnK.,
APRIL ie, 1889.

springs are always at or near the base of the
mountains, 1t is brought to us in great tanks
on wagons hauled by mules, and sold around
the city, as it is in Cairo or Jerusalem, or
with pals and bottles we go to the springs
and get it pure and sweet. We prefer the
latter method, and so with pail and bottle
we go each morning to the Dairy spring
for our daily supply of water. This is only
for cooking; we have cstem at the house
and all our drinking water from comes the
Basin" spring of which more anon. The
Dairy spring is somewhat more than quar-
ter of mile away, at the foot of an inn
mense mountain in the midst of the most
charming valley in the world. Right at the
spring is little store kept by pleasant old
gentleman-for the Dairy is away out of
sight and hearing of the city. We have
made his acquaintance, and so we go in,
rest and gossip with him, get points, leave
our pail and bottle, and go up the opposite
mountain, climb clear to the top, look out
on other peaks, down in pleasant valleys,
filled with sunshine, and into dark rocky
gorges where is perpetual twilight. We sit
on rocks, take in great draughts of pure air,
sing or shout to hear the echoes dance from
crag to crag, gather boquet of wild flowers
for the sick girl across the way, then slide
down the mountain. fill our pail and bottle,
and reach home tired but, happy; then an
hour for rest, for books and papers, of which
we have plenty. After dinner each with
bottle, we start out for the ''Basin' spring,
postoffice, etc. This is called Basin because
when discovered it fell into an immense
cavity in the rock like caldron or basin.
We are about one-half mile from the Basin
which is the most famous of all the springs,
and which is surrounded constantly by
great crowd of drinkers. To reach this
spring we have our choice of half dozen
ways. We may go from our cottage straight
down the mountain, which we can do with
safety, if the breeching don't break, or we
don't step\on a loose rock and turn series
of involuntary sumersaults to the bottom, in
which case one comes out in a rather bat
tered condition, as | can testify or we may
go by the crescent steps, stairway about
sixty rods long or by the crescent boulevard.
magnificent thoroughfare, worked out
from the side of the mountain upon which
the hotel stands, a beautiful work of engine
ering skill, smooth as a pavement, crawling
like huge serpent along the edge Of the
precipice, returning upon itself, making
a
sharp curve to get around an impossible
chasm. it finally brings us by an easy grade
to the lower level or to what is known as
Spring street. Having procured our mail
and sent off letters home, and elsewhere,
we visit the Basin, drink all the water we
can hold, and then stroll around town, or
perhaps sit an hour at the spring watching
the crowd come and drink and stay to gos-
sip, or wander off. Some of them are well
dressed, fashionable appearing people,
many ragged, unllempt, squalid some eaten
with scroffula or cancer, many palsied.
Sometimes we climb East mountain, and
get better view of the beautiful Crescent
hotel, across the city, while the whole town
lies spread out at our feet This is splen
did view, but it costs muscle, for the noun
tain is very steep and fearfully rocky.
Then when our eyes are weary with looking
we tumble down the mountain, fill our bot
ties at the Basin, toll up the home stretch,
bet,-hungry as wolves, to our
supper, letters, papers, books, may be gos-
sip with the Cong'l. minister who lives close
by, and so the day is passed. We never go
down town at night, nothing to go for, and
we are usually sufficiently tired to be Nglad
to stay at home. And so, for more than
month we have lived this careless, wander
ing, Bohemian life, positively without q
care or q thought of the morrow. If we
were only in tent instead of rooms i'm
neat comfortable cottage, there could be
nothing left to be desired.
This is certainly a very curious town.
There are streets every where, well defined,
with residences ON them, but there are scores
perhaps hundreds of houses, that are not
only not on any street or alley, but not ac-
cessible from any street only by climbing
long flight of stairs and crossing aneighbor's
premises. If place is specially wild and
there Is sure to be cot
tage. If l can sell my Owosso aud Big
Rapids railroad stock, shall invest the
money here in pneumatic guns, to shoot
people up to their houses.
The effort here is to have it appear that
this is not pleasure but health resort
People are to come here not for fun or to
show off fine clothes, but to drink, to bathe
and to breathe mountain air.
The early history of Eureka Springs re-
minds me strongly of St Louis in our own
state. You will remember that when
patients must be dragged through twenty
miles of bottomess mud, or over racking
cordoroys, and suffer every conceivable in
when they got there the miner
nj water was marvel. But when r. r.,
hotels, etc., made it possible to reach and
stay there without martydom, the illusion
Very much so here. Ten years
ago some sharp spectators discovered
curative properties in these
springs, notably the Basin. The place was
utterly inaccessible, except to people wild
with fear and fright over real or imaginary
complaints. During that summer 10000
people came here, all sick or attending upon
sick people. They lived in tents, in covered
wagons, and slept under trees, intent only
upon one thing, to drink Basin water and
live. Long lines of people would be formed
reaching many rods, each with cup,
fhnee In front youldt drink fall out NJ tho