The Republican journal., 1910-02-17
Down the Mississippi in 1857.
From Cairo, Illinois, to New Orleans.

From Cairo, Illinois, to New Orleans.
The recently awakened interest in the
inland waterways has recalled memories
of trips on southern and western rivers
half century and more ago-the Miss
issippi, Missouri, Alabama, Ohio and
Red Rivers. In June, 1857, the writer
arrived at Cairo. Illinois, after hot and
dusty ride over the Illinois Central from
Chicago, to take steamer for New Or
leans. My recollection is that this road
had been built but short time, and al
though it ran over an almost level prairie
it was the toughest railroad ride | have
ever experienced. 1t was very hot
day, the car windows We're all open, and
the dust was sitting. Cairo is situated
at the junction Of the Ohio and Mlssls-
SIM rivers and its founders anticipated
its becoming the largest and most i'm
portant city in the Mississippi valley, but
the location was so unhealthy and the
land so low that costly bikes were neces-
sary to protect it from inundation; and
even these did not suffice, for in 1858 the
city was nearly destroyed by flood.
recall it as a very unprepossesslng place.
Upon the top of a high bank which STOP
ed to the river in front and to swamp
in the rear was string of wooden build
ings occupied as saloons and stores, and
in the swamp, surrounded by pools OF
.stagnant water, We're few detected look
ing dwellings. Charles Dickens, who
visited this country in 1912 and on his
return to England published his "Amerl-
can Notes for General Circulation, went
from Pittsburg to Cincinnati by steam
boat and thence down the Ohio on anoth-
or boat to Cairo, of which he says: AT
the junction of the two rivers, on ground
50 fat and low and marshy that at GER
rain seasons of the year it is lnundat-
ed 10 the use-tops, lies a breeding
rlar4 Of fever, ague. and death; Wanted
in Fnoland as a mine of Golden Hope,
and speculated in, on the faith OF mon
strous representations, to many people S
ruin. A dismal swamp, on which the
half Quilt houses rot away: cleared here
and there for the space of few yards,
and teeming, then, with rank, unWhole-
some vegetation, in whose baleful shade
4ha vretched wanderers who are tempt
ed hither. droop, and die, and lay their
homes. the hateful Mississippi circling and
addving before it, and turning off upon its
southern course, a shiny monster hide
ous TO behold; place without one single
mlalitv. in earth or air Or water. to com
mend it: such is this dismal Cairo.
In Martin Chuzzlewit, published one
year later. Q843} Mr.. Dickens utilized
his American experiences and. under the
name of Eden again berated Cairo.
Chuzzlewit had been induced to buy lot
in Eden Cairo and went there to en-
cage in business as an architect, but fell
III with chills and fever narrowly escap-
I'D death. and had to appeal to friends Tor
money to enable him TO return to Eng
land There is no doubt but that condl-
tons were bad enough in Cairo in those
DAYS: but Dickens was prejudlced natur-
ally and exaggerated them.
The river boats in those days had no
regular schedule and you must wait until
"A boat going your way came along and
then get aboard. The boats for New
Orleans came from St. Louis, or from
Louisville. | had supper at Cairo, and
one dish on the table-squirrel pei
had never seen before, nor have since.
After supper | sat out in front OF the
hotel. and when dusk set In the wooden
platform was alive with rats, which ran
about unmolested. | must have spent
the night there, although | have no recol-
lection of it. for a letter written at the
time. one of a series published in The
Democratic Advocate of Auburn, Maine,
saws: 1T was welcome sight next
morning to see the fine steamer Falls
CITY come alongside the wharf boat; and
after taking on board large quantity OF
coal. -four, etc., we were gliding down
river The water was about the color OF
nea sonp and of nearly the same con-
sistencv. AT night there was brilliant
STARLIGHT and the water was as smooth as
mirror. We met large steamer bound
up, She had two large red lights at
the tops of her tall chimneys and with
the brilliantly lighted saloon was beau
tiful sight This is certainly the poetry
of travel. Now and then we rassi
plantation, each one village Of itseil,
with the planters mansion and outbuild-
ings surrounded by trees and shrubbery
and the neatly white washed cabins of
the negroes. As we neared New Or
leans we came to the sugar plantations,
the large sugar houses with their tall
brick chimneys conspicuous in the land
scape, and the fields of sugar cane ex-
tending back from the river almost as
far as the eye could REACH
1t was pleasant to sit in comfortable
chair on the guard, day after day, with
book and divide your attention between
the book, the scenery and the passing
boats, with the occasional diversion OF a
landing. The boats land anywhere on