Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-01-23
A Letter From ST. Louis.
ST.. LOUIS. Mo-.
January 10, 1901

made upon me in this great middle
west city of St. Louis would.prove
interesting reading matter TO some
of the COURIER subscribers.
will preface my letter with the
statement that when young man,
starting out to engage IN lifc's
battle, more than half century
ago. this city was an objective
point with me, consequently | am
impressed with the marvellous
growth and wonderful changes
that l see, so characteristic of the
progress of the age in which we
live; and all the more impressive
taken in connection with retro
spect of changed conditions for
travelling since l was here. At
that day the B. & .. Railroad was
completed only to Cumberland,
MI. Travel west or south from
there was by the old-fashioned,
tiresome stage-coach over the Allie
ghany mountains to Wheeling or
Pittsburg, thence by steamboat
down the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers. My recollection is that
owing to low stage of water in the
Ohio river / was twelve or fifteen
days getting here then, whereas
now, from the same starting point
and over the same railroad, / took
passage at 6 p. m. one day and
arrived here at 6 p. m. the next
day, a distance of 115O miles.
Steamboats, on the Ohio, Missis-
sippi and Missouri rivers at that
day were floating palaces. and one
enjoyed association with pleasant
travelling acquaintances, in addi-
ton to every comfort on board
equal 10 that to be had at first class
hotels. But by way of contrast,
to use an expressive word | hear
out here. Geel these through trains
going west at the rate of 60 or 20
miles an hour make your head
swim and almost take your breath.
st. Louis is now a big, grand
city in the fullest sense of that
word. Grand in its business en-
terprises and resources; grand in
It's public buildings and mercantile
houses. l went frequently just
before Christmas in the shopping
districts and the packed condition
of the streets and stores could only
be compared to bees working their
way in, through, and out of hives.
The great taste displayed in deco
rations and characteristic Christ
mas Ornamentation of buildings and
stores were beautiful and beyond
description on my part. The
stores, wholesale and retail, are
not the only big things TO be seen
in st. Louis. The Union depot,
where all trains enter and leave
st. Louis, | am told, is the largest
railway depot in the world. 1t is
used by % railroads and has 32
tracks. The joint ticket Office re-
ceipts at Union station Saturday
and Sunday before Christmas for
traffic in and out of the city the
Post-Dispatch stated was over
$4,000, $32, 900 of which was
taken in on Saturday. greater than
any day during the Worlds Fair
period.
The famous Fades bridge over
the Mississippi river which cost
Sl0,000,0O0 and seven years to
build it, has impressed me also
with admiration for such wonderful
and immense structural work to
meet the great travel and traffic
demands of constant stream of
steam cars, street cars, heavily
loaded wagons and vehicles of
every kind. 1t is better than a
gold mine to its corporate stock
holders, Judging from the exorhi-
tant tolls. for aside from the other
traffic | have mentioned as crossing
1t, foot passengers pay 3 cents
each way and if you go over in a
street car it is 10 cents each way.
The city, however. is now prepar-
ing to build 4 free bridge as soon
as location is agreed upon. The
Mississippi river frontage here is
20 miles; 20 public parks ornament
the city; Forest park, where the
worlds fair was held, is the largest
In any American city, comprising
1875 acres. Shaw's Garden, OF
the Botanical Garden it is called
covers so acres, and in the summer
CnncAu rso.et L., a - ,>oook Il