Mineral waters cure the rheumatic and lame, Restore health to people and give the river fame; Thus good health and pleasure come from river and bank, And give the location a standing high in rank. On either side the river a railroad runs along, Thus accommodating the gay and happy throng, Who gather for pleasure and spend a little wealth, In hearty enjoyment and in renewing health. How beautiful to see steamers passing at night, When brilliantly lighted by the electric light, Showing on the waters their pictures as they pass, As lively and pretty as in a looking glass. Travellers who have seen the Rhone and pretty Rhine, And rode on the waters of the blue Danube fine, Have seen the famous Nile and the great Amazon, Say the St. Clair excels in beauty ev’ry one. ’Tis not alone beauty that gives this river fame, Its great utility adds glory to its name; When constructing the earth wise Nature took a halt, And under this river made a vast sea of salt. In many factories this salt is now refined, And no where in the world is found a better kind; The farmers raise fine crops for man and beast to eat, And large refineries make sugar from the beet. Large mills manufacture flour, staves, hoops and lumber, And other industries exist in large number, The plodding explorer finds reward for his toil, As the land on the shores bears sulphur, gas and oil. In the towns there are built fine ships of wood and steel, By workmen as handy as ever laid a keel, And these ships are handled by men as smart and brave, As ever left a port, or rode upon the wave. No bridge was ever built over this mighty stream, But beneath a tunnel so strange as it may seem, And cars by the hundreds pass thru it ev’ry day, Bearing a large commerce upon its destined way. Far greater the traffic that daily passes thru, In the thousands of ships that sail thy waters blue, Sailing ships and steamships, and boats of ev’ry form, Fit to sail a river, or face an ocean storm. How wonderful the change since five score years ago, From the Indian canoe that was so small and slow, To the mammoth steel ships of immense size and weight, Large enough to carry eight thousand tons of freight. Numerous are the styles, between these two extremes, And various in size with which the river teems, There are skiffs and light sculls, that carry only one, And row boats, and yawl boats, with room for half a ton. Sailing yachts for pleasure, quite safe when handled right, Glide across the water and furnish great delight, Fast electric launches and naptha boats are seen, And beautiful steam yachts, nice enough for a queen.