On the Northwestern road, in the past two weeks, three men have lost their lives.
BRIDGE.--Geo W. Henderson, of Clinton township, will build the bridge in Wall Lake township, across a branch of the Coon. Sac county is getting its bridges built cheap these times, the competition being lively.
DELAYED.--It is not so easy gathering corn since the snow has come upon it.
THE GRASSHOPPERS.--In some of the counties north of us and in Minnesota, farmers have been investigating the eggs deposited by the grasshoppers last season. Can not some of our Sac county farmers do the same and report the result to us? A good way to determine whether the eggs are still sound is to place the earth in which they have been deposited in a pan and put it in a warm place, say a stove moderately warm. If the eggs hatch we may look out for them next year. It will be a benefit to know as nearly as possible the condition, that we may rightly prepare the spring crops. Who will do this?
RAILROADING.--Mr. Stebbins, the contractor on the Maple River R. R., is at work in Clinton township, with as many hands as he can conveniently use. We do not know how much he has done, but the prospect for an early completion of the road seems good. Already emigration is setting in strong for the southwestern part of our county, and another year will undoubtedly add largely to our population.
OUR RAILROAD.-The work of grading the Maple Valley Railroad was only commenced in the early part of October, and to-day the first twelve miles is over two-thirds done and the next eight miles about half done. The Cedar Rapids Republican says:
"If they have ten days more of pleasant weather the first twenty miles will be substantially done, so that when spring comes the work of grading will have sufficient start to keep out of the way of track laying. Already a small piece of track has been laid, and the work of accumulating ties, bridge timbers, iron, spikes, bolts, etc., is going on and will go on all winter, and just as soon as spring will admit, track laying will be pushed ahead. Some of the bridges will be put in right away. The grade is first-class, fourteen feet in fills with a six-foot berme. There will be but few curves, not any large fills or cuts, and no grade exceeding thirty feet to the mile. The work is in as forward a state as the most sanguine expected, and so far as the present grading has been done it is the work of farmers along the line who have heartily turned out with teams, plows and scrapers and laid to with right good will. Anything to get a railroad connection with the outside world."
BUYING LAND.--There will never be so good a chance to buy land in Sac county as is now offered. The completion of the railroad in the western part of the county will advance the price of the lands haled by the Iowa R. R. Land Company, which governs to a great extent the price of other lands in the county. Now is an opportunity to secure some of the best lands in the State, which within a year will be in easy reach of railroad privileges.
ARTISTIC WORK.--Judge Early has had placed in his new house two marble mantels of beautiful design and finish. They were placed in position by B. D. Beach, the best workman in his line who has ever visited Sac City. He can do any and all kinds of work, and the buildings put up by him here speak for his work and recommend it. When you want any work done, it will pay you to send for a man who will do it well--who can build a chimney that will not be always smoking.
SAC COUNTY TRADE.-- It becomes more and more evident that the trade of Sac county is worth looking after. Heretofore the towns north and south of us on the railroad have made but little object to secure our patronage; and indeed until the past three years there has not been so much to secure. But the rapid settlement and improvement of our county, and by as good a class of people, has made its custom worth looking after. So we find a rivalry springing up among competing towns, each one of which is trying to secure the trade. Vail, Denison, West Side and Arcadia on the south, and Newell and Storm Lake on the north, are offering inducements to trade with them. In the center, Sac City merchants, though not all as active as they should be, are offering about as good bargains as can be had on the railroad. The building of the Maple River R. R. will open up new markets in our county, and will enable us to retain much of the trade and money that now go away from us.
GRANGERS, do not send to Montgomery, Ward & Co., for goods when you can buy them of Parker just as cheap. Try him.
GOOD.--So little of the prairie was burned the past Fall that the snow will stick, and there is fair promise for a long run of sleighing. It ought to lead to several weddings during the Winter.
BEHOND THE BOYER.--Clinton and Richland townships are still saddened with the ravages of the diphtheria. Mr. Jacob Miller buried three in one day, Mr. Bower one last week and two more on Sunday, which with two of Mr. Beeler's (previously reported) make eight from three families in two weeks. Such declination of the children is a fearful affliction, and will command the sympathies of the whole community, and should admonish parents to watchfulness in the care of their little ones.
Farmers are still busy during pleasant weather gathering their corn and storing it away. Runners are perambulating this region in search of corn, offering 40 cents per bushel, scouting my opinion that it will be plenty next September at 25 cents, but such is my opinion still. I have full faith in the capacity of the Boyer land to stave off famine, until something bigger than grasshoppers appears to threaten us.
Til then I am Hopeful.
MINCE PIE.--This is the season for enjoying this fruit, and the Detroit Free Press gives the following receipt for its preparation:
To make mince pie--hash five pounds of beef with three pounds of apples, one-third pound chopped raisins, add three tablespoonsful spice, and cook three minutes; add three tablespoonsful cinnamon, and stir three times; add mace and pepper and caraway and cloves, and coriander and dried gooseberries, and salt and citron, and keep tasting till you are sure it is right; then set the pan in a chair and add one quart boiled cider, one teacup vinegar, two dozen prunes without the stones, a gill of white brandy if you can get it, a wineglass of rose-water, and four pulverized nutmegs; next add two cups butter and one cup salt; cook fifteen minutes, taste and put the spoon back. If you have anything else in the house you would like to put in, you can do so, only exercise discretion in all your experiments.
DIPHTHERIA.--Dr. Seeber informs us that children are dying off very rapidly in the western portion of Sac, northeastern portion of Crawford and eastern portion of Woodbury counties. Near Kiron, Crawford county, last week, eighteen children were buried--one family losing all their children, five in number, two of them dying the same day.--Ida Pioneer.
In Fort Dodge over one hundred and sixty children have died in the last three months. In this immediate locality there have as yet been no fatal cases.
The best thing to do is to take good care of the children; next, send for a physician upon the first symptom.
(transcribed by B. Ekse from microfilm, October, 2003)
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