The Cairo bulletin., 1908-08-23
IMPRESSIONS OF CAIRO
Good Words For the City, the Poop c
and the Mayor--Difficulties En-.
countered in Building at
This Point
(By Hal. c. Green.)
Household, Tammany Ha

|
still blowing around through the reef
and shoals OF the Grand Chain, onl
twenty odd miles from Cairo and ha
no doubt Of reaching il in tweuty-fou
hours, Indeed, We had to reach it. ",
were in much the condition of tn,
small boy found digging at a wood
chuck's hole: Got inn" he said Il
a foolish questioner. Preachers com
in to our house t. dinner, Mister. an
no meat. | got { get I'm" Expected
checks had not reached MS at Padu
cab, and | left a forwarding address
at the postoffce, not doubling our be
ing able to make the forty.six mile
run to Cairo in from twenty-four to
| fortyeight hours We had supplies
| pig sufficient for that time, but not
much more, Two days passed by. ami
We We're only about eight miles from
| Paducah. Two days more, found us
| but nineteen miles, and the larder run
ming low. Corn was plentiful, and
cost but about six cents a dozen
'ros'en ears" Cat fish were running
free, and not hard to catch. But one
cannot live on green corn and eat
fish, at least one doesn't like to when
| there is no need of the sacrifice. An
other thing, there was the artists flax
en- haired baby as vigorously hungry
six or eight times a day as he was
healthy all the time. There was no
milk for him, and none to be got from
the farmers along the banks as there
are no dairy farms in the bottom
lands, and the troopers raise Ittlc
except corn. The outlook was net
good either for the tow headed baby.
or for the getting of my letter into the
mails. Next morning came. with
strong wind blowing mp the river, and
a friendly fisherman, lonely for some
one TO talk to.
"Whah yo' all come FROM" he
querried as he rested on his oars.
Pittsburgh" said tho Artist
"Cripes; that's all the way up, amt
it,"
The Artist had to assent to this
sentiment, and the fisherman ventur-
ed another query:
How fr down 20 alls a-goin'?"
To New Orleans he was told
"Jimminy Cripes!" he said. Say, /
that's all the way down. amt it?"
Next morning We drifted down to /
Mound City We tied up few hours /
and went on shore. 1t is a little fiat /
town named from a number of pre-
historic or Indian Mounds, some of
which are still pointed out. During the
civil War, Mound City was the site of
an important internal naval station
and marine hospital, and a national
cemetery is still maintained where
rest the remains of some 1000 Union
sailors and marines.
Arrived at Cairo.
Cairo came by its name naturally
Some wax with a play of fancy that
S likely to have landed him i'm mad
house, saw some resemblance between
he mouth Of the Ohio. spraddIed out
over most OF Alexander county and
he delta of the Nile, and dubbed the
Whole section Egypt" As the Ohio
It its mouth now confines itself tn
me channel except in very high
water, the joke is so far fetched. as to
AVE lost its point Nevertheless. /
'hat Cairo at the mouth of the Nile.
5 to the old Egypt, the new Cairo is
o the southern half of the Sucker
tate
i want to see that city of Cairo"
the Artist Il want to see
ne dents in it-must look like a piece
( rcpousse work"
Dents" | said obtusely
Yes. dents. where she's boon
nocked. No other town in America
as been knocked so much as Cairo.
oreigners coming over here. Dick.
Is. Mrs. Trollope, Captain Maryatt-
u took a fling at Cairo. The news /
apers have made it butt for their
'kes. Why from the very start of this -,
rip, I've been told that Cairo was a
DUNK town "a jumping off place" II
irty maiarial. lawless 4 town that /
cts knocked that way is bound to be g.
terestinc.
Cairo is an interesting town--a city a
splendid possibilities and prospects a
)t fully realized yet even hy IT'S most ii
)peful citizens Cairo in its infancy N
'und itself confronted with great diff T.,
culties that fall TO the lot of most ii
ew centers. Trade and commerce ,,
lie development OF vast territory de- &.
landed the building of A city at the ~
influence of these two great rivers.
he first problem. and one which has r,
ken long years 10 solve was to So r
Ire a stable foundation for such a
". Once, twice. sometimes three O. .-.
iur times a year the vast sandy pen co
suia was oyerfowed The mouth ri,
the Ohio was a delta. taking about
ven miles to pour Its waters into the
Mississippi where ether cities had a.
lly to clear away The forest. lay out q