Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-06-26
The Railroad Excursion.
ST. JoHNsBURY,
TursnAY. EVE. June o..

TUESDAY, EVE, June %.
The full list of our party after the
last arrivals at the Bostwick House,
numbered 80. Two of these went
back from Underhill on Tuesday morning.
leaving round eighty Of the Burlington
men. Messrs. Drury. Hale and others of
Essex Messrs. Geo. Beach, Howard. Mich
OILS and Fox of Westford; Messrs. Spauld-
ing, Lane. Hutchinson. Leach, L. B. Howe,
Palmer and others of Jericho. and a goodly
number of Underhill. Cambridge and John
son men Joined the excursion before we left
Hydepark.
The drive to Hydepark took about
five hours. The day was very warm, but
the showers the night before had laid the
dust, and clouds yelled the sun for good
part of the way. Barnum's show had Just
been over the road, and our procession of
some forty carriages did not make much of
a sensation, in comparison. But the people
in the villages understood our errand, and
wherever we stopped there were greetings
anu iHuioosionS VI hcaity lnttICst IN our
object. The Lamoille Valley most unmis-
takably desires to !renew its old relations
of trade and intercourse with Burlington.
A majority of the party had never been
through the Lamoille Valley. 1t is the
finest valley in Vermont. and never looked
fresher and finer than to-day. Words failed
to express the delight of the lovers OF ma
ture at the beauty ofthe varying landscape,
while the farmers looked with admring
eyes over the far stretches of meadow, and
the lumbermen pointed out the quantities
of woodland waiting for the axe.
The breaking of carriage pole by the
stumbling of horse, and the giving
out of pair of livery horses, that
had to be left at johnson, constituted
the entire casualties of the ride, and by l
O'Clock all were at IIydepark. Col. Sawyer,
OF the American, made all comfortable and
gave US good dinner. At two a special
train came in from st. Johnsbury. bringing
Hon. Horace Fairbanks, Col. F. Fairbanks,
Hon. L. f. Chittenden. Mr.. Mitchell, the
engineer of the Lamoille Valley road, and
twenty-five citizens of St. JOhnsbury. who
had come to meet US. And at half-past
three we started east in special train of
five cars. Mr.. Brigham of Hydepark, Mr..
Page of Morrisville and other citizens of
Lamoille county Joined the party here and
went on to St. Johnsbury with Us.
The eastern end of the Lamoille Valley
is perhaps not as fine as the western A.;
but it is all a very fine region, IN
both natural beauties and capabilities for
agriculture and business, and is already /
feeling the impulse from the new facilities !
offered by the railroad The clouds gather |
ed fast and hid from us the view we had |
hoped for from the alden heights of the
Green Mountain and White Mountain
ranges, but the nearer views of mountain
and stream, and gorge and forest along the
way were superb. Thunder showers all
around US, and through several of which We
dashed, cooled the air, and the railroad
ride was an exceedingly pleasant
one. Some filing remains to be
done on the road, at places where
trestle-work now takes the place of
em5ankment, for the time being, but in the
main the road is well ballasted, the track is
in excellent condition, and the station
houses are neat and tasteful
At six We arrived at St. Johnsbury, and
were greeted by numerous crowd of its
citizens and by music by the fine St Johns
bury band. After supper, at 5 O'Clock,
rousing railroad meeting was held in the
town hall. Though the evening was show
cry, 500 or GOO people assembled in the hall
The meeting organized with Hon Horace
Fairbanks as chairman, and c. NJ. Stone. as
Judge Ross, of the Supreme Court, ex
tended hearty welcome to the delegations
from Burlington and other towns lie said
it was particularly gratifying to see such a
representation of the business and capital
md intellect of Burlington, because in the
inception of the enterprise Burlington had
tile faith in it, and the representative of =
Burlington in 1857 declined to have the name
# Burlington inserted in the enabling act
or the Lamoille Valley road.
Mr.. Linsley responded for the Burlington
delegation in fitting terms. :
Hon. L. E. Chittenden. of New York,
made the main speech of the evening. lie '
Urged the absolute necessity of the connec-
ion with Burlington, and the neces- F
ity of taking immediate steps to secure it,
lie showed, in his pointed and effective II
-ay, how the relations of the Lamoile p
alley road had widened, as new interests. W
'Om Montreal to Portland and Boston. had
cen associated in the enterprise lie ~ ~
rged the importance Of an Independent
ne into Burlington, and he closed by Of Ii
ring a resolution for the appointment of a -,
of thirteen. to devise a plan for -
lie immediate construction of the route Fl
ON Cambridge TO Burlington. | shall ii
i've fuller report of his speech hereafter. II
response to an inquiry by Mr.. Linsley, R,
r. Fairbanks said the Pa o. and Eastern f.
ads would bind themselves to give to Ii
arlington permanent competing line to RI
e seaboard, by e contract, which, by its Re
rms could not be changed without the
nsent of Burlington and the other towns ii,
terested.
Hon. Daniel Roberts expressed the opinion
at the existing legislation is ample, for .h
Q proposed connection. The meeting was "a
exceedingly successful one. 1t adjourn pr
to tomorrow evening, when the com row
ttee of thirteen will tell US what is to be No,
ne to secure the new link within a twelve
nth. The committee is composed of the
lowing gentlemen l.. E. Chttenden, -
wrence Barnes, Daniel Roberts, Morillo -''
yes, L. W. Peck, D. c. Linsley, Elmore w w
hnson, l.. L. Lawrence, J. X. Drury, E. w
Lane. L. F. Terrill, Waldo Brigham ~"
Franklin Fairbanks. ,n0
Governor Taft and Robert Roberts, ESQ.,. De'
ned us here this evening. having come ~ ~,
und by rail. The plan for to- morrow is 0n
spend the forenoon in riding around st. "i'
lnsbury and visiting the scale works and 'io'
he afternoon to take the cars and go out hoo
he eastern end of the track at West Con- Rev
4. Thursday morning all will start for disc
'e- B. pa,
ArIoNAL GUARD OF VERMoNT-Company