Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-10-10
JOTTlNGs BIZ THE WAY.

~, WITHOUT ldkliiS lIOih
using the students ''midnight oil. .
So if NV sketches, hastily written a.
they must needs be, are faulty
lacking in spiciness, raciness, or clear,
terse and graphic descriptions of
places and objects, you will know
the reason.
Leaving Springfield, Monday, u,
NJ, by G. r. R. r, 1 soon found my
self in Chicopee, town of nearly TO-
600, largely engaged in cotton manu-.
featuring. Here, also, is the Games
brass and bronze foundry-casting
ordnance. stoves, &c. They also
manufacture swords of all kinds A
few miles above is Holyoke-a city
of $4,000, about 10000 being opera
tives in the cotton, woolen and paper
mills. There are a dozen paper mills
Parsons mill employing 1000.
One mill is manufacturing ladies'
cloaking. There is also an alpaca
mill, and Mr. Skinner, formerly of
Skinnerville, is just completing a very
large one for manufacturing silk
thread, and intends also to put in
one hundred looms for silk fabrics.
He has concluded he will not risk his
property again on "Mill River. "
The "Water Power Co." have two
immense canals 80 feet wide, so
there is no limit to the power unless
the river fails. On the hill, west,
they are building a splendid town
hall of granite, 8Oxl2O feet, with
massive tower, $50 feet.
Soon after leaving Holyoke, as the
train makes the sharp curve at the
great dam, Mt. Tom, 200 feet high,
on the left-as one of the Williston
Seminary students described it in his
burlesque catalogue of the seminary
-"lifts his bald head aloft, piercing
the azure vault of heaven, whilst the
mighty Connecticut, flowing silently
and grandZy by, aodshes has muddy
teet;" (only step from the sublime
to the ridiculousD Away to the
right looms up Mt. Holyoke, 1,OOs
feet, famed far and near for its
charming and far-reaching prospect
which Webster once said was the
finest in America-not so grand,
bold and striking as many others, but
the peaceful landscape whose frame
is the everlasting hills and mountains
now seemingly floating in this
dreamy autumnal haze, rising one
and beyond each other like mighty
pillows of the ocean when the storm
king is abroad. Still farther-miles
away northward-elearly defined
against the sky, is the observatory
on Mt. "Toby." Very euOhonioats
name.) Soon the conductor shouts
"Mt. Tom Junction." and we step
off to take the train on the new rail
road to East Hampton. From this
point, Mt. Tom Junction, a small
steamer now carries the tourists to
the foot of Mt. Holyoke. Though ]
have, in years gone by, frequently
stood upon its summit and drank IL
the exquisite beauty of the scenery,
| yet longed for another opportunity
but "business first and pleasure after
ward" and Unjust away to the place
which, next to my home, is the dear
est, most fondly cherished in memo
ry. 1t is the seat of my "alma ma.
ter" under whose loving care nearly
three years were proftaby and most
happily spent. 1t was just sunset as
passed up by the seminary. The
students in the campus" were still
at their games. just lOnged to step
in and ego IN" for game, and show
them hOl0 it should be done!
| But how changed and improved
are the grounds and buildings and
more of them! The old white chapel
has yielded to the fire, and a fine
three story brick has taken its place.
And the old maple in the rear has
gone, too-a tree which one night
sheltered two "gay and festive
youths years agone-who, after
securely barricading the door to the
6eytry on the inside, crept through
the lattice out on the ridge-pole, car
rying, by the way, a strong, black
cord, one end of which was securely
fastened to the iron tongue of the
bell, and then sliding down the light
ming rod at the farther end near the
tree, like creased lightning; they
climbed the tree, and at the ghostly
hour of three o'clock, A. M, there
was tolling, tolling, tolling of the
bell. Up went scores of windows,
eager eyes were peering out into the
darkness, relieved now and then by
the ftful flashes of lightning, from
a storm-cloud approaching, to see
the cause of all this tumuIt! Down
went the teachers, swiftly hurrying
to the belfry-but the boys, antici-
pating this said "not any, Messrs.
Teachers. Hither and thither they
rushed, but they were completely
foiled, the youths, smiling most 6euig-
'aGaatly upon their wise but baffied
teachers, kept tolling, tolling the
bell. Finally vivid flash revealed
to the discomftted teachers the luck
less youths, and there was sudden
and unfortunate finale. Do not sup
pose that "of this I was the greater
part!" Oh no! Next day there was
an eLeUen o'clock recitation IN the
PrOr's room, and after a gentle repri-
mand they were told to ego and sin
no more!! please excuse this di-
gression, but 1 could not help it.
"Out of the abundance OF the heart,
the mouth speaketh.
Next came in view the old brick
seminary, and 1 felt like going to my
old room and renewing old ac-
quaintance. On the north stands an
other large three story brick, whilst
in the rear, toward Mt. Tom, stands
the large gymnasium fully equipped,
with ''bowling alleys" dumb-bells,
and all the fixtures requisite for the
physical development and health of
the students, all under the care of
skillful teachers and assistants.
Then, still northward, stands the old
church, where twice every Sabbath,
each one-"nolens, volens"-was GER
tainly expected to fill his niche. But
we used to think when Prof. Tyler,