Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-04-02
Weste,n correspondence. I.


to the mind, and il you will allow me q
little room in your excellent paper,
whose weeklylvisits are greeted with a
hearty welcome, will comply with the
request made by many of your subscri-
bers, TO furnish them occasionally with
such items of intelligence, rs, Judging
from my long residence with them, | may
deem most interesting.
Leaving Buckfield village by the
branch railroad which connects with the
Grand Trunk nj Mechanic Falls, the snow
storm which had been increasing for
some hours, changed rs we approached
the scacoast to rain, pouring down in
perfect torrents until late in the night.
Tuesday morning we took the cars for
Boston and though we had left the re-
gion of snow. drifts only the day before,
here so thinly was the ground covered
that the vehicles we saw ran mostly on
wheels. At two o'clock we reached b.,
and procuring carriage and driver,
from the numerous retinue who inicst
every Depot like set of leeches, and
often sadly confuse the unsophisticated !;
we reached the Boston Il Albany Depot
in season for the o'clock Express,
which arrives at the latter place at 10 in
the evening As we passed rapidly
through the beautiful and familiar towns
of Western Massachusetts,, we realized
for the first time that the spot which was
once "home. sweet home" had been left
far behind, perhaps never more to greet
our vision.
At Albany. we took the y. Y. Central,
the connection being made in the Depot,
as indeed they all were until we reached
Chicago, This part of our route being
traversed in the night, We only had a
sense of rapid travelling, and changed
again just rs the morning dawned, n,
the lovely city of Syracuse.
1t is an aggravating fact, that the sta
tons are invariably in the most uninter-
esting portions of all large towns. though
many small ones were spread out like
visions of beauty in this magnificent and
rapidly moving panorama. Mother
earth had put off her snowy mantle and
was already clothing herself in robes OF
green, cattle and horses were grazing in
the fields, and in one place plowmau
was turning patiently the rich soil. The
city of Rochester. our next hating
place, was indeed beautiful. yet not all
its works of art could rivet our attention
like the turbulent Gcnesec, as il plunge
into the deep abyss, where it is said the
fool-hartly Sam. Patch made his last leap
Al Ripley we were detained some time in
consequence of an accident that heiel q
passing train The switch not being
properly placed, two cars were thrown
on their sides. Fortunately no live,
were lost, though many were seriously
bruised
The managers of our train being re-
solved to make up lost time, for Il few
hours We were hurried on at speed that
was almost fearful
The Creator has laid out the Great
West on scale OF broad magniiiccnce
and whoever can cross herinighty iyers
or dash along the shores of those vast in
land seas that find no rivals in other
lands, without thrilling, overpowering
sense of their own nothingness and q
lofty inspiration thrilling every fibre Of
their souls, must indeed be low aud
groyclling.
Nature in all her varied moods,
Her grandeur and her solitude,
l. not n vciie,l. mysterious book
Where in vain for wisdom look;
But read by all who fam would know,
More than Earth's baubles here below
At Chicago, that busy mart Of the
West, we spent five hours examining
some of the many indications of industry
and wealth which abound abundantly
within its limits, and we fully realized
during our pedestrian excursion, how
admirably the rich soil of Illinois is
adapted to mud making. As the day
waned, wearied and worn we seated our
selves in the cars. to ride through the en-
tire night for the third time. At Mil
waukie, we had glimpse of beautiful
streets, and many lovely homes on the
shore of Lake Michigan, over whose
broad surface the cold winds swept un,
checked. From this time, we realized
most sensibly that we were going North
the change through the night being very
great and when as the cloudless morn
ing dawned we approached the Father o.
Waters, the keen, cutting air almost
made us believe that we had passec
from the Temperate to the Frigid zone
| The transfer across the river, from Pra
RE Du Chen. to North McGregor, a ro
mantle village nesting close to the side
of huge bluff, was worth the journey
hither. For some days the ice had beer
gradually giving away. and ms quite
number of teams had been immersed il
its cold and treacherous waters there wa
just spice of dangCrto make the pas
sage exciting. Crossing a floating
bridge we passed through small gate
way where our tickets were examined
and we amused ourselves by watching
the Boatmen as they harnessed the mules
and ponies into the huge ice-boats. These
| boats answer two-fold purpose, as they