Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-09-11
THE w AIMING WABASH
asveaies AND REFLECTIONS or =
PHILOSOPHICAL HooslGR.
Ne Returns iiems. Isspsess the Crops,
Dvsvs Cs~pssissas ssa Tee Ms.-.sha-
sits % rissss Indiana rresrsss aud In
tsiiiess~e- Expert rsstimssy.

valley has there bccn promise of 80 good
. crop all things averaged. ~ now glad
dens the granger eye OF course there
have been years In which this or that
crop did better. There was one year In
which wheat yielded A. bountoously.
three or four when corn was n good
and many when fruit was better, but
for an all around year. In which every
product dos well and some have beaten
the record. no year In our history equals
this ~ 1894. Wheat. midsummer fruits.
sarly vegetables. hay and small crops
thcse are already made and harvested,
and the prospect for the autumnal yield
il simply wonderful Equally cncourag.
ing 90 the farmers are the prevailing
high prizes for corn, hogs and hay.
Once more one sees the long lines ~
wagons hauling old corn 20 the country
depots. once more the dollar 81 the dad.
dies jinglos musically In the pockets of
the sons and rings with Wagnerian
harmony on the counters 81 the country
merchants. and all things indicate not
obscurcly the dawn Of better day.
The ros,ry of Maine.
stool the other day on q command.
ing point overlooking the hroadost sec
ton of the Wabash river bottom lands.
Five miles 10 the north and seven %
the south. from the Opudu bluffs ON the
west To the maple clad hills on the east.
stretched one vast oornheld. broken only
by tho river channel
Almighty 'adiss. bu, no, without plan.
In all that area there was not a stalk
less than 10 feet high and many over
~, but for the most part q single field
would average ~ OF i3 feet. and the
tas.cls were Just nc their loyelicst The
wind blew softly from the south, and n
the vast yellow sca waved and sparkled
In the morning sunshine the spectator
was thrilled with Joy and felt that mo.,
sublime of all pOotry-,he poetry which
cannot b. uttered
hut where IL the Walash riyol
Well, IL has not vanished entirely, ~
many smaller strcams have done, but u
has shrunk a. q mere branch can H.
waded by mere hoy at almost any
point north ~ Torrc Ilautc. The people
say that there has never b"cn n year
when - small rainfall was ~ well
distributed for the farmer. but this
drought. following the great drought II
last year. has dried out the earth down
% bedrock. Last winters rain and snow
were not sufficient % thoroughly wet
the earth. and now the rain goes straight
down wherever II strikes. This year.
drought" says an old observer. came
Just too late to hurt the corn. Just early
enough to save the wheat and hay and
at exactly the right time to leave q dry
season for the fruit and mast IL a
committee of grumbling farners-and
they are the grumbling,st people In the
wOrld-had the ordering 81 II, they
couldn't have bettcrvd it-thai l., with
no more rain to ~ on" Just the same
the fishing runs are dry. and the fish are
dead The swamps have burned over
and killed the moccasin snakes, and the
Wabash l. shrunk 10 riyulet
tn. shrsnk.a wabash.
Fifty ycars ago the Wabash was navi'
gable for good sized steamers four
months In the year and sometimes siN.
Early In March large Ohio river boats
began to land at Terro Haute. and .
month later the trip 10 Lafayette wa
made with ease The history u nayiga.
tion on this river j. the history ~ ciyili'
ration condensed. ltwas hrst the canoo
made by the Indian u q seasoned log
followed by fire, then the canoo more
gracefully shaped with the help ~ the
white mans haichet, then in rapid suc.
cession the pirogue, keclboat, fiatbOai,
or "broadhorn. and finally the steam
boat
II was In 1915 that the first steamer
went down the Ohio. The word hal
gone through the settlements that it
was % come. and the pioneers iockcd
from far aud near and campcd ON the
river bank,to see the painted wonder
moving without Gar or sail. Soon after
the first steamer landed at Terre Haute,
but by 1885 a regular trade was estab- |
lishcd. and the whistles Of the Plow.
boy. Fidelity. Victory. Republican.
Blue Wing and many other noted boats
grew familiar to the valley farmers One
year so boats went up to Lafayette aud
returned with big cargoc- Of corn.
wheat and whisky. That was the maxi
mum Now 10 i only In rare seasons
that steamer ventures north ~ Trrrv
Haute. and then the captain studies the
clouds AMI at every lanting posts him
s.lf on the state ~ the iniiowing |
streams l have breasted the waves
made BY stern wheeler 10 miles above |
Terre Hautc on tho frst Saturday IN
July. This year l0.yoar.old boy could
wade the river at the same point. Sic |
transit gloria Joyis Pluyii In oocidcnte.
delcta sylya--or words to that effect
The English of the locality has II thus:
Things amt like they used Ia b. when
we was boys
The gain. however. far outweighs the
los. Forty years ago all this country |
was ~ malariOus ~ the kOngo basin tcli'
mate a.ideA gnats, mosquitoes AMI green
head fiios ru-o from the mucky bottom
by billions Ian obsolete IIoo-ier numer'
all and for six or eight weeks In every |
summer the nights were as hot n the |
days, and the days were often hot
enough to melt the scalp OF AN Ala.
bama negro One.third Of the adult
population could not read and write In.
and when the south wind
blew softly after q rain the gnats were
20 thick that, In local phrase, ''you
could write your name In EN-" Now
the percentage % illiteracy IL lower
than In Massachusetts,, the nights are
delightfully cool in the hottest weather.
malaria 10 unknown, the mosquito !,
In scientific articles n an nj
most extinct insect. and there are thou.
sands Of voters who never saw case OF |
ague Since 1910 the average duration
Of life has increascd ~ years. and while |
the population has more than doubled
crime has decreased one.third, inten. |
perane one.half and illiteracy 20 per
cent Selah!
Glory .f the Departed.
To crown the whole. we have had