St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-07-11
The Fourth.
ST. JOHNS BURY.


thirty-tive took the morning train for
the celebration at Morrisville, and few
went to Newport for the same purpose.
In the evening there were very pretty
displays of fireworks by private parties,
from the School House Park, Court
House grounds, Railroad street. South
Park, and Col Fairbanks grounds. The
whole town WAS ont to see them, and
as the evening was dark and cloudy,
they were exhibited to good advantage,
and greatly enjoyed.
WORTHWHILE
A special train ran from West Con-
cord to the Fair Grounds in Morrisvlle,
where there was IL horse trot and bal
loon ascension. The train carried IL
goOdly number from Concord. St Johns
bury and Danvillc. and west of the lat
ter place it took the entire population.
When the train reached MOrrisville
there were nineteen well-loaded ears,
drawn by two locomotives. Frank
King, son of Samuel \. King, the aero
naut, made Il fine ascension in the bal
loon pride of Lamoille." The at
mospherc was very quiet, and the
balloon was in sight an hour or more.
Night coming on, and then morning,
and no tidings from the aeronaut, the
people turned ont Ell masse to search
for him in the forest over which he was
seen to pass. This search WAS contin-
ued through Sunday forenoon. when
just before noon Mr.. King found his
way out, 10y following small brook
which he struck in his travels He had
had nothing to eat for forty-cight hours.
and had worked up quite an appetite.
1t seems that after being up in the
clouds IL short time, he encountered a
snow storm. which so weighed down
his balloon that he could not keep it
of Eden, ca misnomer) in IL forest said
to cover about six miles square of that
and surrounding towns.
The train from this place returned
about nine o'clock. without the slightest
mishap: and there was nothing al the
celebration to ''mar the festivities of
the OccaSiOn.'
ST. JOHNSBURl CENTRE.
Thinking to escape the Noise and dim
incident to celebrating the Fourth in
our village. we took the train and went
up to the Centre to visit friends. attend
the church festival and enjoy Il little
g"iet. We were rather surprised when
first getting from the train ut the cX-
travagance of the Centre people. This
extravaganza consisted of il group of
statuary. Some five or six statues.
from boy size up, all unveiled, were to
be seen i'll the river. We thought the
locality Il good one, inasmuch as they
could he plainly seen from both the
train and highway. Passing up the
old man hoeing corn. This was Capt.
Wright. a man H3 Years old. He has Il
garden containing onc-cighth of IN acre,
which he takes care of. and which looks
as though it had good care too. He is
yet very active and one would not take
him to he upward of - years. In our
stroll about the village we went into
the Straw Board mandatory of Bacon
Il Ranncy. Perhaps few facts about
these works may he new to some of
Your readers. This board is made
wholly of straw. About three tons of
straw per day Is used, and the mill
turns ont about two tons of board. The
first process is called .'rotting." which
is done by pressing it into large watts.
and by the use of lime and steam; it is
then ground to IL pulp i'll machines call
ed engines; after which it is drawn into
II large holder and then pumped into Il
box, from which place the pulp is taken
up on felt cloth and passed between two
iron rollers, finally winding around one
of them, from which it is removed in
sheets. These sheets are dried either
by steam or the sun. They are then
calendcred by passing between two iron
rollers, where they receive Il very hard
pressure. Each sheet is weighed sepa
rately and assorted into piles according
to weight. it averaging from 30 to 60
pounds per hundred sheets. 1t is then
pressed. tied up and sent to market,
where ii finds ready sale ut from 500
to $50 per ton. There is seemingly II
good profit in this business, and it gives
employment to Il number of workmen.
The works are run day and night.
During the day preparations were
made by the young people of Rev. Mr..
Fairbanks church for il Strawberry
Festival in the evening. The church
veStry was prettily decorated with
cvergrcens, flowers and pictures, and
tables spread in tasty manner. AL
though it r;lined nearly all the afternoon
and IL portion of the evening, a gOodly
number were i'll attendance, quite Il
number coming up from the ''Plain.'
trawberries, ice cream, cake, tea and
coffee, &c, were served to all who
wished. and we are sure the party spent
Il very pleasant evening. The Pastor
was present and by his social manner
made all feel welcome guests. The
proceeds were $500 and will be ap-
piled to shingling the roof of the church