THE POND CREEK PARTY. 3 29

a new hotel, on strictly temperance principles, will be opened near the
railroad station at this place, by Mrs. ANNE BickERDYKE and Mrs.
Grerne. I made the acquaintance of both these ladies at the house
of Col. Phillips. Mrs. Bickerdyke’s name occupies a high place as an
active and laborious Christian, and also among the “ Women of the
War.” Her labors among the soldiers, in camp and hospital, were
long-continued and very efficient. I have read her biography, and
found it extremely interesting. Mrs. Greene is also an excellent lady,
Their house will be an acquisition to this town.

‘The “Smoky” continued to rise until Thursday morning, when it
began slowly to recede. Between this and Junction City some two or
three culverts and a little tressel-work were damaged, and as the river
has been up so long, it was impossible to make any repairs, and hence
the long delay. But for the water, a few hours would have sufficed to
have put the road in running order. I think the Company will now
raise the road-bed in a few places between Junction City and this
town. Above this it is all right, and below Junction City the trains
have run regularly. The flood in the Solomon and Saline was, I am
told, unprecedented. The Smoky Hill has not been so high since 1858.

To show how fast they do things here, may mention that the
Methodist Society have reared a neat little meeting-house from the
foundation since I have been here, that is, this week, and expect to
hold a quarterly meeting in it on Sunday next.

The weather is quite warm. Day before yesterday the thermometer
rose to 80 degrees. Yesterday it could not have been less than 90
degrees, and to-day it is equally high; but the fine, fresh, invigorating
breeze prevents it from being oppressive.

Yesterday two of our friends of the excursion, Hon. J. L. Thomas,
M. C. of Maryland, and BE. D. Kennedy, Esq., of Pittsburgh, came
down here— having left the party going to Pond Creek —and are now
water-bound like myself. They went as far as Big Creek, fifty miles
beyond Ellsworth. They represent it as a still better country than
that around Fort Harker and Ellsworth. The first day or two the
party were drenched with rain, but had very fine weather afterwards.
They had killed four buffaloes, one of which, a big bull, stood quite a
siege from the whole line before he succumbed. They left the rest of
the party, led and commanded by General Hancock, well and in good
spirits. We shall return down the Kansas together.

This morning [ had an interesting conversation with a man of con-
siderable intelligence and an accurate observer, who has spent some
time in the neighborhood of Big Creek, where the railroad line crosses
that stream and follows its valley for about twenty-five miles. This