The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-30
Charm of Scenery Along
the Mississippi River.
Voyage From st. Louis to st. Paul
Is One Of the Most Enjoyable
in the World, Declares
William E. Curtis.

| ". E. Curtis In Chicago Record Herald
He who has made voyage from st. Paul
| to st. Louis by boat in the sprinstime or
! the autumn has seen the finest river scenery
that may be observed from the deck of .
steamer excepting that of the Hudson and
the Rhine.
Yet few people are aware Of the pleasure
and the beauty of such trip. r5
| Perhaps IL the steamers were better, anA-
| more numerous and little judicfous al.
vertising were done 1t would attract mere. :,
| travellers. although the only through pas
| senger packets upon the river now are
maintained by the tourist business.
| I have hoated down nearly all Of he
great rivers. sesN
| The Amazon from Manoas. the great fuAss'
Der market. about 1.5o0 miles from the sea- :
| is vast. ugly volume OF water. Wfthou1s
any beauty whatever. @.T
The orinoco from Ciudad Bolivar 10 . :,
smaller edition Of the Amazon, althouGh.
| the tropical junsles which line its bankS
are supposed to conceal all sorts Of wiz "
beasts and creeping things 7n5 "
The Parana, which flows from Paraguay. q
is more like the Mississippi than any Of The
| Others except that it lacks the bold cliAD 4.
and the charming towns and villages thAk :
overlook the Father Of WaterA
The Magdalena Of Colombia, the fourth
largest river in South America, IL Q tufs
high, according as you travel In the rainy r
or the dry season Of the year. -5s+,
Its banks are lined with tropical forsstS
often impenetrable, and It changes itss
wild sort Of splendor. but It does not CONF
pare with the Mississippi in any respect. <ssS
e.se * ID
In Europe the Danube II more liksE the Il!
Mississippi than any other river and drstna 4
a similar country. -. 1t,
The ma ssenper boats ara much arnersoe
because the proprietors cater to the tovS1s&5 :
patronage ss,
For several centuries the governments
Of the provinces through which the Dam
ube runs have been improving IT'D channel 2
and walling up its banks 20 that along sxs-'
least half its course 1t b now moxO Il Anxr
artificial than q natural stream. stes5-
At ono point where Il flows through o 4.
mountain gorge IN the Balkans the sceneyx-
is more striking than any along the Xissi
sippi. but for the rest Of tbs way the lattex
Is much superior.
The voiga In Russia Il Q good deal M 2
The Missouri: tiny. muddy stream. N1ehzs
clay banks that are not at al attracttvAs -sss
The Rhine, OF course, ovorybody known. =
about. and for romance. ruins aad othe1
artificial attractions and tradition e - n.
comparable. 80
The Nile has been utilized BY tourist agsn-
cies greatly to their profit and equally - a. <
pleasure Of their patrons, although tAsRO ~
attractions are the venerable ruins, ~ K.
mysteries Of the desert through whieA Rgs.
flows and the picturesque Arab settlema1Ds sFa
that line its banks eSSnrk-
If similar accommodations for srxve1ao
that are now found on the Nile could 49,
placed upon the Mississippi and the 1saa1ssi
managed with equal skin and Mbefaltty. tA9as.
enjoyment Of the voyage would b Mue1ais
greater, but suppose people win eoutleo y
to visit and admire the attractions At 1Dssr
rope, nc matter what may b said Of thoooi ~
that lie nearer home. =.
49,. s-- .sfs
As have said. there II only one Linz % Z
through steamers between st. Px6f and 81
Louis. which carried 90. 500 passsnkA4 nSotr =
ly tourists, during the season Of 1So4 sa19 2
25,00 tons Of freight The local packets aDa e
excursion steamers. which are Aftsda n
number. carried about 10000 passengefA noe
including the ferryboats, and 13A.ooo tom e ;.
freight
The Diamond 10 Line was started nany !
years ago by Joseph Reynolds, . fameq1
river boatman. who wore . big diAm1aA /.
bosom" pin and was known among HI
companions as Diamond Jo."
When he made money enough to buy q !.
steamer he called her the Diamond Jos :
and the name has stuck to the txnnSpoY1ap !:
ton company which he founded.