The Opelousas courier., 1903-08-08
A Trip to Omaha and the
Black Hills.
fContinued from last week.

4
rails of the great Iron Mountain
or Missouri Pacific Railway, and
on the following afternoon Omaha
was reached. The entire trip from
Alexandria to Omaha was there
fore made via the Missouri Pacific,
which offers the shortest route to
most points north and west, and
is equipped with the best rolling
stock in the country. A numer-
Gus reception committee, COM
posed of both ladies and gentle
men, warmly greeted the guests
of the "Gate City of the West, -
and our little party was particu-
larly fortunate in being the recip-
tents of many courtesies from Mr..
I. A. Medlar, chairman of the
general committee on arrange
ments, and his charming wife,
and from Mr.. and Mrs. S. j..
Potter, of the reception commit
tee, who subsequently accom-
panied us to the Black Hills, and
with whom a most. pleasant ac-
quaintance was formed.
The proceedings of the conven-
ton, which during our four days
stay held eight sessions, we're in
terspersed with shusic and sing
mg by the mosteminent male and
femalPartists of the city, two of
whom-Gne>~a young man, the
other past mNsale age-thriIled
and electrified every person in the
vast hail The voice Of the older
mamie is past 60-was positive
ly wonderful It was not only
clear and sonorous and, strong,
but it was sweet and musical as a
silver bell. We never heard any
thing like it before. 1t seems to
us that in the great capitals of
Europe that voice should prove a
fortune.
On Wednesday morning the AS
sociation took electric cars for
South Omaha, where the immense
packing industries were inspected,
after which a luncheon made up
of packing-house products was
served. The expeditions pro-
cesses by which thousands of cat
tie, sheep and hogs were daily
slaughtered and prepared for
market were witnessed, and not
withstanding the heat and occa-
sional disagreeable odors, the
visit proved very interesting. To
give an idea of the immensity of
this industry, we may say that the
Armour Co. alone have packing
houses in six of the leading cities
of the country, covering together
1876 acres, with a floor space of
100 acres and a cold storage
space of 600 acres. They en-
ployed $4,000 men last year, pay
ing them over $16,000,000, or
$85.47 each minute. This COM
pany slaughters in its six plants
in one year 1876, 900 cattle. L.
465, 800 sheep and 4, 100000 hogs.
That night the ladies were given
a theatre party, and the gentle
men were taken to the Den of the
Knights of AK-Sar-Ben and duly
initiated into the wonderful mys-
teries of His Royal Majesty Sam
son TX. Everybody who is any
body in Omaha belongs to the
Knights, and everybody of that
class from abroad who ever visits
the city is promptly initiated. OF
course, being sworn to secrecy,
we can't tell of the wonderful
things we witnessed; but we may
say, Judging from our limited
knowledge of such matters, that
for gorgeous, expensive, elaborate
and stupendous nonsense and
tomfoolery of the frolicsome var
iety, Omaha is far and away ahead
of every other city on the conti-
nent.
On Thursday the ladies were
given a trolley ride about the city,
and on Friday they were escorted
to the Lininger art gallery and to
the public library On Friday
afternoon, through the courtesy
of the Commercial Club of Coun'
Gil Bluffs, Ia, the entire party
was taken in special cars to that
hustling little city of 10000 in
habitants. few miles across the
river, arriving there at 4:3O, after
half AL hours ride. We were
deposited in u beautiful and shad,
park, on a magnificent lawn, un
| der grand and towering trees, ant
the delicious GOODNESS and sur
rounding verdare made the lovel,
| spot seem a veritable "oasis il
the desert, y after leaving tn
sweltering precincts of steel
brick and mortar of treeles
Omaha. For there is no dis
guising the fact that Omaha
, temperature during those fou
days was quite as warm as it
welcome-ee qua n Fest pas pea d5re
as our readers have seen. But W
, may say. in extenuation and miti
CATION, as it were, that durin
: that warm spell, quite unusus
/ over there, twenty or thirty PEI