The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-07-01
EDITORIAL EXCURSION.


On Monday of last week, the members
of the Pennsylvania Editorial Association
gathered at Danville preparatory to start
ing on the Annual Excursion. The citizens
of Danville, had made arrangements to
give the party welcome reception and to
render their stay in that place as pleasant
as possible and they were entirely successful.
On Tuesday the various places of interest
around the town were visited, and in the
evening banquet was given by the citizens
to the association. The table was spread
in a pavilion erected on purpose for the
occasion, on the grounds belonging to the
.Montour House. A finer supper was
never served up. After the guests had
done justice to the food and champagne,
a hop took place in the parlors of the hotel,
where were gathered many of fairest
daughters of Danvile. On Wednesday
morning the Excursion party crossed the
river and took the cars for Hazleton, where
a stop of little over an hour was made,
during which time a visit was paid to the
splendid grounds and hot houses around
the residence of Mr.. Pardee. The Shops of
the Lehigh Valley r. r. Company were
also visited by many through which they
were piloted by the engineer of the COM
pany, Mr.. McNair, who took great pains
to make the visit interesting. From Ha-
zleton, the party proceeded to Mauch
Chunk, where they arrived in time for
dinner.
From this we must except four of the
party, the writer being one of them, who
got left at Hazleton, but who were forward
ed on an engine, reaching Mauch Chunck
about o'clock.
In the afternoon ride over the famous
Switch Back Rail Road was taken. This
part of the trip was worth going miles to
enjoy and the road is, we think, the finest
example of Civil Engineering in the coun-
try. Passengers are taken up an inclined
plain 800 feet in height, from which point
the cars are run by gravity, distance of
about miles, when by another plane of
about the same height as the first, they
reach Summit Hill. Here many of the
party visited the burning mine, "a mine
that has been burning over thirty years)-
The only evidences of the internal fire are
little wreaths of smoke that find their way
through cracks in the ground, and the heat
of the surface. Over one of these cracks
an enthusiastic young gent placed an egg,
and in a few minutes called it cooked
From this point the. road winds its way
around the hill, the cars by their own mo-
mentum running at high rate of speed,
though easily controlled by the breaks, un-
til we again reach the original starting
point, the whole distance being about 90
miles. In this ride can be seen some of the
most beautiful and picturesque scenery in
- the world, and persons who have not taken
this trip should not go to foreign lands to
hunt romantic views. The citizens of
Mauch Chunk had arranged for hop to
take place on Wednesday evening at Mount
Pisgah, but the sudden death of one of the
party, Hon. NJ. G. Trout, caused this part
of the programme to be omitted
Mr.. Trout had been with the party on
the ride over the Switch Back and was in
the washing room preparing to wash, when
he fell over and died in about five minutes,
the cause of his death being disease of the
heart. The deceased was from Mercer CO.,
and was a man well known throughout the
State. He was an Elk member Of Congress,
and was prominent candidate for COVER
ernor of this State before the Democratic
convention last fall.
A meeting of the association was held in
the evening and series of resolutions
adopted expressing the regret of the mem
bers and their sympathy with the family OF
Mr.. Trout. A committee was also appointed
20 accompany the body to his former home.
On Thursday special train was furn-
ished by the Nj. Central Company, which
conveyed the party to High Bridge and to