Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-04-07
ILLINOIS LETTER.
BIT. STERLING, ILL. March 28t


'hoca interest to a person who has
read OF the great plains, but never
travelled them. The Bear River can.
yon, between Pocatello and Ogden,
is one of the grandest sights ON the
road. To grade the railroad on the
side Of an almost perpendicular gran
ite bluff, hundreds of feet high, men
were let down by ropes. Through
this canyon the train moves very
slowly, passing from tunnel to high
bridge until the river is left
Through Wyoming the country
presents nearly the same appearance
as Idaho as regards mountains, but
timber Is very scarce, none being in
sight at times for hours as we sped
on. The second night after leaving
Ogden we reached the Platte about
3 o'clock in the evening. This stream
was followed to within few miles of
Omaha, where we arrived at lilo
A. M. Omaha, with her factories and
smelters, the screaming Of locomo-
tives, ringing of street car bells and
immense gas works, is indeed a
busting city, although the people
were complaining because the town
had gone ahead in size too rapidly on
a boom. Six thousand houses have
out signs "to let." Here | took nv
first ride on an electric street car.
1t is surprising to see them run up
grades that would be steep for heavy
wagons. After remaining in Omaha
until 4:20 P. NJ. took the "hyer" for
Burlington, Iowa, where we arrived
at 2 o'clock A. NJ and remained until
$40, when we left and arrived at
Quincy, Illinois, three hours later.
| Quincy is great manufacturing city
on the Mississippi Just above the
bridge large sawmills are running,
and along the bank in the lower part
of town the black smoke from ma
chine shops, packing houses, tobacco
I + / & l. . fna,
The Gem stove works and those oi
other companies keep transfer wagon:
busy hauling their goods.
Mt. Sterling is beautiful town ii
Brown county, forty miles east o.
Quincy. All of the streets are pro
vided with good plank walks, and the
blocks are all surrounded with sugal
maple, elm, hickory, walnut and oal
trees, while pine and fir adorn the
homes of those who can afford to pro
cure them. The people are pIeasan
and agreeable, and my visit her'
with Mrs. j., the little Jonesie and ou
folks has been happy one.
Last Wednesday morning my broth
er.in-law, Archie Irwin, myself anC
$50 Others of Mt. Sterling, boarded
the excursion train for Springfield t
attend the Democratic rally in homo
of the election to the y. S. Senate o
that old warhorse, Gen. John NJ
e Palmer. We passed through man
! very pretty towns, among which wa
: Jacksonville, city of 10000 lnhab'
tants, where is situated the asylum
for the insane and dumb and bIn(
We arrived at Springfield at moo
l. and commenced our roam throug
the city, which is filled with bullt
: mos of four to seven stories high. 4
| o'clock we entered the capitol, I'll
finest State building in the Uno'
d not even excepting the capitol at a
i. banv, New York. To describe 1t a
curately is impossible, as the stru
tu,e is so immense days must be r.
ouired to pass through it. TO give
= fa;rt idea as to its extent | will sa
. that it is 399 feet long, 2S6 feet wild
,r s66 feet high, has 16S rooms, ar
g the stairs contain 361 steps from tt
st 4th floor to the top of the dom
There is not a piece of wood in tt
structure. The main building is
,e Granite, the framework iron ar
N orass and the inside marble. l'
Sc very large rooms are set apart I
id natural curiosities and the show case
or hundreds of feet in length, are hIl'
or with shells, petrifactions, stun
ne b,rds and animals, insects, serpen
lie &C. Another interesting room is |
r. armory, where there are hundreds
at relics of the rebellion, such as ia
Of the different Illinois regiments
OF cannon ball in a log, cannonS' gu,
ed clothes worn by prisoners &C. /
ut first flag that was raised over ia'i
DIS Richmond occupies Appointment pia
Two elevators are used ior Pass'