Year: 1873

A correspondent of the Peru Herald, writes to that journal as follows:

 l read in the last number of your paper a paragraph credited to the Salisbury (Ct. NEws, in relation to the great abundance of fish in the Illinois river at an early day, say A. D. 1885, as communicated to the editor of the paper above referred to by our venerable friend and townsman, T. D. Brewster, Esq, not only in relation to the quantity and quality for table use, but also for other purposes. For instance, we are informed that that species known as the '' bull head was eagerly sought after by the settlers in town and country, especially for the purpose of obtaining their horns, which were Of enormous size, to be used, not only for hitching posts for both horse and OK teams, but also for steam boats and all other water crafts to tie up to at our splendid wharves.

 Now, MT. Editor, although no man wLo knows Mr. Brewster will for moment question bis veracity on any subject; yet, to be candid, must say the story smacks rather fishy." Be that ss it may, will leave others te judge, and relate to you an incident that really occurred on the lower end of the Illinois river in July, 1888, when the writer of this article was on his wind ing way from the Old Dominion-that State that used to be known as the mother of Presidents (and good ones at thaO, to make his worldly fortune on the Illinois and Mich igan canal, and the old, defunct 0. R. R., which were then flourishing like Green Bay horses, or, rather, should say, the rings that controlled them, to the great detriment of the State, were 30 fourishing. After weeks of dragging oyer, sparring over, and walking over numerous bars in the Ohio river, we succeeded at length in getting up to St. Louis, changed boats. and shipped on board the steamer Home," bound tor Peru. We got along nicely until we came up to the Beardstown bar, about one o'clock in the afternoon. The captain, who fully comprehended the situation, ordered the mate to tie up until morning, the night be- ing very dark, and in addition, there was a dense fog on the river that could be cut in- to chunks with either sickle or jack-knife. The mate, in his turn, ordered all hands on deck, showed plank on shore, took out the tow line and makes fast to the log above the wood pile, the darkness as above des- eribed, coupled with the fact that the deck hands were drunk, or SO near so that they knew not what they dld-in this condition, these were the men who went on shore to tie up the boat. Mistaking huge monster of catfish that lay quietly on the bank, for the aforesaid log, they accordingly made fast thcreat, came back on board, went below and turned Ill for another nap. Now, then, comes the cream of the Joke 1; his catship, after masticating on the beach for some time, betokened himself to his natural element, taking the steamer and all on board in tow. When daylight came, the captain at his post on deck taking ob- servations, pronounced the boat twenty five or thirty miles below where we tied up. All this time our watchman was sleeping soundly on deck. When the captain suc- ceeded in arousing the mate and crew who who were all below at this time, in double quick time all were on board, and orders given to make one end of the hauser fast to the windlas, and the other to be taken ont in the yawl and made fast to the bow line as near as possible to the monster hay ing us in tow for the Mississippi the order was executed as well and as soon as possi- ble; then came the order for all hands to man the windlss; then they worked and tugged for fully one hour to no purpose whatever, not being able to get one inch of the bow line back, or stop the progress we were making down stream; finally, as a last resort, the line was cut. MT. cat went on his way as though nothing had happen ed. We put our boat right about with her bow up stream for Peru, where we landed in ten days after leaving St. Louis.