The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-11-11
MODERN TRAVEL.
Advantages Over the Old Modes
Of Transit.
The Marked Contrast Between the Meth
DDS of transportation Fifty Years
Ago and Those of the
Present.


The projected electric railway be-
tween St. Louis and Chicago, over
which passengers are to be conveyed in
less than three hours, excites amaze
ment when contrasted with the methods
of transportation in existence fifty years
ago.
AS q contrast, the following instances,
found in the st. Louis ost-Dispatch,
among hundreds more of like charac-
ter may be cited in illustration of the
great changes in transit that have re-
placed those of pioneer days:
In 1926 twenty-five companies of reg
ular troops which had been for some
time stationed on Green bay, some
seventy-fve miles north of Chicago, re-
ceived marching orders to proceed TO
st. Louis. With the present facilities
of transportation the trip could be
made in ten or twelve hours, but at
that time it consumed more than twice
that number of days, though made
wholly by water. A suitable number
of boats were constructed for the ex-
pedition. The troops embarked on the
bay, through which they proceeded,
then up the Fox river to portage of
twenty-five hundred yards, over which
the boats were carried into the Wiscon-
sin river, whence they again embarked
and proceeded without interruption to
the Mississippi, and thence to position
on it's banks ten miles below st. Louis,
where jefferson barracks was soon after
established.
Coming down to a later period, a
Scotch agriculturist of East Lothian,
Patrick ShiITeff, gives an interesting
account of his tribuiations in journey
from Chicago to st. Louis in 1884. On
reaching Chicago he found the mail
wagon that passed down the Illinois
river had set out a few hours before
and was the only conveyance in that di-
rection. He could not think of remain
! ing a week waiting for the wagon" i"
and, not finding a suitable horse to pur-
chase, he engaged Chicago man to
/ take him portion of the route, but the
! latter, on reaching the door of his ho-
/ tel the next morning. insisted on rails
| ing the fare, when Mr.. Shirreff, indig-
nant at this attempt at imposition,
shouldered his knapsack and trudged off
| on foot, depending on chance rides and
such conveyances as the country afford
ed. He waded streams, and at length
arrived at Pekin-on-the-lIill. For three
days he had been without shoe-ties,
both having broken after leaving Chi
cago, and the bark of trees was substi-
tuted. He made application for sup
ply at different stores in Pelxin, but
without success. In one instance he
found the storekeeper stretched at full
length, with his back on the counter
and his feet touching the roof. He an
swered inquiry about shoestrings dryly
without altering his position.
At Springfield he boarded a small
stage, leaving at nine a. m, anC
reached Jacksonville about sunset. The
next day the stage reached Alton after
nightfalL The hotels were crowded
and the passengers stretched them
selves on the chairs for the night. HC
proceeded to ST Charles, where ht
found a conveyance TO st. Louis, visit
ing the mounds and the markets Ht
counted sixteen steam boats on tn,
river, exclusive of the one plying as ,
ferryboat The town then consisted o
two ST reefs of brick houses, running
parallel to the river, and a row o
stors built of stone fronting the river