Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-09-08

tCorrespondence of The Evening Star.l
Fcrr WILLIAM EESRY HOTEL,
LAKE GEORGE, Sept G. (
September ss as charming q month to visit
this beautifsf lake and Rounthin resort, where
revolutionary stories fti all the waters, hang
over AL the cliffs, and rustic in all the trees
as either Gully or August. The air is brighter
And more sparkling, TIE water purer and more
crystal, She boats are less crowded, and the
hotels furnish better accommodations. An
Engiisk traveller, VINO chanced to be q COM
panion, pronounced Lake George ans its noun
tain scenery to be more beautiful than Como
and Windemere, and the hotels and boats
superior to his European experience. There
are now four or i've lines that center at the
head or foot OF Lake George, so tkst tn tourists
froE the Canadas, the White anc Green Noun
taics. and the Adirondack region pass through
the Lake, while most all Of the Saratoga travel
goes one way or the other. A complete circuit
casl now be made in from two to four days, Just
as the pleasure of the traveller elects from Sara
toga TO White Hall at the foot of Lake Cham
pain by rail, thence by steamboat up the rock
ribbed and tortuous channel of Champlain
tHenty-four miles to the ruins of old Fort Ticon-
deroga, where, after an hours rest and a good
view Of the Green Mountains piled up in the
blush vault in front and above you-Meunt
|
ever to the lesser hills-you mount the Concord
stages tor ride Of four miles through the old
earthworks and trenches to the foot of Lake
George. Five of these coaches will carry over
hundred passengers, and every one who has
made this little connecting link in his trip will
bear witness that it is one OF the most charming
and picturesque OF rides. At the foot Of the
Lake the steamboat AinneAafa with its neatly
uniformed officers in command, conveys you to
the head, thrty-four miles distant where amid
the strains OF music and the roar of artillery
you are sainted at sunset, snd are landed in
that gigantic and charming hotel villa, the Fort
William Henry-standing on the site Of the old
fort where through long and bloody wars the
cross Of st. George waved defiance to the Lilies
OF France. Thence, stages three times day
convey passengers over plank road nine miles
70 Glens Falls-msking the trip in an hour
where the cars take you back to New York or
Saratoga, which ever may have been your start
ing place.
At"Old Ts9 the Lake ChamPlain boats pass
each other, and land travellers from the south
and north for the AXE George route. When
the great Concord stages are drawn up in the
grove overlooking Champlain the scramble
among the old men and the young men, the
young ladies and even the old ladies, to be an
outside passenger" is most amusing. There are
seats for nine on top of the coaches, with two
on the drivers box. Everybody at once gets
into good spirits, and such laughing and joking
with ludicrous incidents intermingled, make up
fifteen or twenty minutes OF great ielliiication.
The Yale and Harvard, or Princeton, or some
other college boys, get possession OF one coach
and some handsome girls become sandwiched
with strange, good looking men on the other.
They tell the young men TO 90 ahead and smoke
away, /" they don't mind it a bt''-not they.
OF course, there is always some old grow
Ter, with sour, long face, who can't ride
inside bee ause it makes him sea-sick; and then
IL is astOnis hing to find how many fussy would
be fashionables there are who cannot ride back
ward inside, because it makes them 50 dizzy.
But Baldwin, the stage man''-he is so quaint
and funny, with such ready answers for every-
body, that be mast have been the very IN IN
whom Ward (the lamented Artemus) knew in
BaldwiEsville-fnaily fixes up everybody all
right, and, with crack Of the whip, the four
horses spurt off; the coach rocks forward on its
leather springs; the girl behind digs the toes Of
her little gaiter boots under the coat-tails of
the young man in front to balance herself; the
others unfold their bright parti-colored travel
ing shawls and fly them as fags from the canes
aud umbrellas; young fellow on the first coach
sings back TO a friend on another
|" Goodbye, John; don't stay long"
or strikes mp the Mabel air, as he glances at
some one who failed IN the scramble to get a
good seat, Of
Cheat your neighb0r If you can;
He'll do the same by you!''
anu away 20 t96 coaches up MIL anu down dell,
by the black ruins of Ticonderogs, and through
the entertainments OF 81 and IS, to the foo. OF
The other lake. As they passed under the shadow
or "Old Ty's' ruins, Baldwin shouts a halt to
All the coaches, and they come together in q
half semi-circle. The passengers look at the
magnificent scenery Of the lake and hills below
them, and Baldwin jumps from the first coach,
runs up the sterile knoll a few yards takes of
his hat ~hereat the Champlain breezes shake
up his hair in oIatorical style,) and in a clear
thin and loud voice he makes "a few feeble re-
"GenHemen and ladies' You now see before
you the ruins of old Fort Ticonderoga, one hun
dred feet above the level of Lake Champlsin.
IL is overlooked by Mount Defiance and the
Green Mountain range, which you see yonder.
The ruins which you see were the officers quar-
tiers. The fort was built in 1856, by Gen. Mont
calm, who also constructed earthwOrks be-
tween this place and Lake George. This
was the rallying point of Montcalm before
he marched ON Fort William Henry. In
lI5S 1t was attacked by Abercrombie, who
was defeated with a loss of two thousand
men. Among the killed was Lord Howe, a
grandson era Of George the LIST In the next year
terwards became dilapidated until just before
the Revolution, when it was again occupied BY
the English. At daybreak on the morning Of
May 10, 1775. the fort was surprised and captured
by eighty -fve men from Vermont under COM
mand Of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold.
They dashed in at the entrance OF the fort; the
sentry snapped his musket and fed, but was
made prisoner and forced to pilot the party to
the quarters OF the commander, Can't. De La
T lace. lie hhu nAruly time 70 dress himself be-
fore the great old hero Allen, swinging his
sword above his head, demanded his surrender
By what authority p inquired the officer. In
the name OF the Great Jehovah and the Conti-
mental Congress- thundered Allen in reply.
lGreat applause in the stage coachesl A year
or two afterwards the British regained it, bat
after the surrender Of Burgoyne Il passed into
the hands Of that heavenly old hero. General
George Washington, who preserved our liber-
ties and nade us grand nation. Drire on them
horses. More applause"]
AS Alien did not have much regard for the
Great Jehovah and the fact that the Continen-
tai Congress had not then organized, though
called, there fs doubt expressed by Sparks and
Bancroft se to whether Allen ever gave such an
authority. careful inquiry into fdetaiis,
however, inclines to the belief that he used the
expression. The coaches passed on to near tho
foot Of the lake, when the irrepressibe Bald
win again halted them, and, taking OF his
hat this time. said
Ladies and Gent1emen Here Is q great curi-
osity in nature. In this tree (pointing to a tall
one by the roadside) there 10 a branch OF the
elm and branch OF the oak growing out from
the same trunk, One-balf Of the tree being the
graceful elm and the other half the sturdy oak
Separate usually, here their life is not divided
ANDY hat NrxI Iatl. trs.. -