Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-08-26
WAsHINaroN NEWS AND eOssIP.

JouRSEYINe IN vKRNoNr-THE VALLEYS OF THE
iwINooskI-WArERBURY- RIVER VAL
lLEY-CAPITAL DKPoTs-VERMosr VILLAGES
7 WHITE RIVER THE CoNNKcricur RTvBn--
fJoURNEyING UP ITS VALLKY-A FIux VIEW OF
tNKw HAMPsnrRK-A HALT FOR rHx NIsHr.
! Editorial Correspondence Of Ths Sta. ~
OK THE VERMONT CENTRAL RAILfoAD, ~
South Of EsssI yenftioa. n -
mo. 81 August 8, 1850 Z
We are now coursng near the bank of little
winding river on the left hand, bordered by
meadows with a turf as thick as the wool and web
of Turkey carpet, and kept as neatly as good
house wife keeps such an article of furniture The
valley Of the Lille stream, though not extensive,
Is a charming one indeed the unmistakable care
with which II Is cultivated heightening the
picture greatly. The line Of the road seems 70 be
verging to the White Mountains and now runs at
the foot of range Of hills, apparently spurs OF the
range which are cultivated nearly to their tops
The little river mentioned above, turns out to be
the winooski. that enters Lake Chaplain at Bur-
lington Its valley affords fortunate location for
a railroad; else SO PERCEPTIONS il the country
around. as that the Vermont Central could hardly
| have been built along this region. ..
After passing JOnesville. the hills mentioned
above become In some places almost wholly or
rock and otherwise too preciptous to admit OF
their general cultivation Nevertheless, the little
valley at their foot continues to smile with boun
| tiful yield Of different crops; farm hornesteads
being studded thick in 1.-THE valley. Ere reach
! ing Waterbury. we course through miniature
tunnel and see hills cultivated that are sleeper
| than any ever before saw SO completely reduced
/ to the subsection of man. Our run through the
village of Waterbury did not afford an opportunity
of scanning much Of it, which 1 regret. as it has
existed long enough to give 1t sort Of historical
character.
The valley of Onion river, which we have been
travelling for the last eight miles grows very mar
row and the hills more precipitous about Is miles
above Northfeld, the road here being made only
| with very heavy rock cutting Our route is not
through Montpelier, the State capital, which l
greatly regret the Montpelier depot being mile
and half from the town. The stopping places
| on the Vermont Central are provided better with
| passenger sheds than are usually found. At the
| Montpelier depot, the shed extends out from the
| ticket Office and freight house, and between the
| two tracks forming the junction, and insures the
| passenger against inclement weather i'm getting
on or alighting from the cars.
We dine at Northfield. Ia considerable village
| at the very centre of the State) where capita
feed put all the train in good humor, of course
Thence our course lay up the ravine in which Do
| rivers head courses rough one truly. where b,
rock cutting, and jumping first to side and ther
to the other of the little stream the road bed wal
constructed At its head is the ridge dividing
the waters Of Lake Champlain from those of tn,
White river, tributary Of the Connecticut A
rush Of hundred yards through this ridge, In
deep rock cut, opened to our view the head Of
White river valley, which immedi lately began t.
widen we soursed down it. Soon we cam,
/
had previously seen in Vermont-passing through
half dozen villages in quick succession-Rox
bury, West Randolph, Bethel, Royalton, Soutl
Royalton, where the stop for an instant lav,
seen traces of very little manufacturing enterprise
so far, in Vermont; but every spot Of SOIL six fee
square, that Is Guilty even with the hoe only
seems to have been made the most Of Suct
rocky and steep hills in Maryland and yirgini;
would he left to remain unconluered for centu
| ries to come.
Where the train crossed White river 1t is con
| siderable stream, some seven hundred feet wild.
from one abutment to the other. Not long sine,
| the bridge here was burned; and now the crossing
is made upon two tiers of trestle work seventy fee
above the water level. In few miles after ross nc
| the river We came to the White rivers junction
| with the Connecticut; where, desiring tn some
hing Of Tie valley of that Celebrated stream tool
miles up its bank. White River Junct on, is
railroad point of importance, as there the Vernon
Central crosses the railroad coursng up the Con
necticut river The river is the boundary between
| Vermont and New Hampshire. The valley 70
| some miles up is very narrow, varying tits low
grounds) from a few feet on either bank to a mil,
| in width. At some points the banks are SO pre-
| ciPitous and steep as that they can afford bu
| scanty Iasturage- Not little of this portion o.
the route is through steep Hill sides that have never
been denuded of their virgin timber. Yet where
| ever mans ingenuity may save something from
the soil towards bis sustenanoe the effort is sue
| cessfully made. Drought and remarkably COO
1 weather-frost on the 18th and 5tI Of July-bid
/ fair To cut short considerably the corn crop here
| but such oats | have seen nowhere else Surely
some Of the little fields now within sight Weld
ing nearly seventy five bushels TO the acre The
grasses do not thrive wonderfully here as on the
81 Lawrence and the head Of Lake Champlain
the immediate valley Of the Connecticut bel no too
dry and rolling for their successful culture.
We have passed half dozen SCATTERING yiIlaoc.
Of no particular interest both sides of tie
/ IN the first twelve miles from White river Tn.
| SOIL, like that Of almost all Of Vermont have a
far seen, is very light and sandy, requiring fire.
quent fertilization to keep it up to renuneratve
yielding point. The soil on this portion Of this
valley is evidently too dry and sandy for the profit
able culture, this year at least. of potatoes
Towns some of them considerable ones are
being passed every few minutes, giving me good
Idea Of the density of the population here. All
seem to live altogether by agriculture; for per-
| ceive from the cars windows no traces of manu-.
featuring to speak Of The labor and cost of keep
Ing up this portion Of the valley Of the Connect
cut 10 remuncrotive yield strikes me more forci-
| oiF as progress up it. The railroad cuts are
nearly ali through sand. and little else, from the
surface OF the earth to their very bottoms So
much the more do the inhabitants deserve credit
| for their successful culture
AS We approach nearer Wells rivcr-at point
about thirteen miles below 1.-THE valley widcns
considerably, and the soil has more consistency.
The grass, therefore looks better than before. as
well as ali other Srops in sight, except the oats
which, apparently, cannot be improved
The railroad here has assembled to a level con
sderably higher above the Connecticut bed tina n
at White river, and am able to get views
of the country, often for ten or twenty miles off
in New HamPshire-a hilly region Of which
| most possible has heen made by the inha bitants
I -