Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-06-09
Travelling Eastward.

AhhNehluk GhbJWhEu.
Friday, the 26th Of May, was too fne a
day TO remain at home. and your correspond
ent therefore took the Portland train at st.
Johnsbury, bent on little sigh seeing and
relaxation from business One hours ride
brought us TO the Connecticut river in the
town of Lunenburgh. This is the point of
connection between the Maine and Vermont
divisions of the p. & o. road. A three
miles ride into New Hampshire brought us
to the b. G. Il M. railroad over which the
2. Il D. train runs to reach the Fabyan
House, the p. 4 o. road not being con-
structed between these points. The ride to
Fabyan's is without incident though you are
conscious of rising into higher air, and you
get distant view Of Mt Lafayette Of the
Franconia range, aud pass near the Twin
Mountains and tho Twin Mountain House,
where the Plymouth pastor takes his vaca-
ton, preaching in the wilderness. % start
ing out from Fabyan's you get excellent
views Of different peaks of the White Noun
tains, the highest and most prominent Of
which is old Mount Washington. 1t is six
miles by carriage road from Fabyan's TO
the base Of Mount Washington. The Is.
q. Il NJ. is covering this distance with
an extension which will be in opera
ton in July. As you pass up,
up towards the notch the mountains become
grand, their snow streaked sides soaring into
the heavens. The Mount Washington rail-
way becomes distinctly visible, the little viii
lage at the base and the summit house, the
most airy house in New England. -Four
miles from Fabyan's you find the Crawford
House with good large snow drift in front
Of il. In three minutes you are in the
gate Of the notch, channel cut through the
solid rock 30 or 40 feet in depth and 10 or
20 rods in length, just wide enou Oh for the
train to pass, the highest point on the route.
Emerging from this you 6ud the train sailing
along on the side of Mount Wiley, occasion.
ally almost hanging over the rocks and trees
beneath. You look ahead and see the track
skirting along the concave side Of the noun
tain and pitching downward at the rate Of l 10
feet to the mile. % your right the noun
tain towers above, on the left is a narrow
de6Ie down which runs the tortuous highway
aud beyond, the rough, rocky sides of Mount
Webster. The scene is grand. No pen Of
ours can begin to describe it. The boldness,
the grandeur of those old sentinels Of time
that have stood and will stand for all ages,
whose grim faces have pierced the blasts OF
thousands aud thousands Of years Who
knows their history But you have little
time for contemplation. You must fasten
the picture in your memory for you are fast
moving onward. Many points of interest are
passed on the descent to the cast aud some oil
them are remarkable in history. The Dis
NAL Pool, small pond below the road
soon after you get through the notch, is
rightly named. The silver cascade and
fume, u stream which comes foaming down
the side OF Mount Webster and dives into a
hole out Of sight, appears beautiful from the
train. The Wiley slide, bare spot on
Wiley mountain from whence the earth
slid many years ago and destroyed the Wiley
family who saw the slide coming and fled
from the 'house Of safety to place Of danger
The rock which divided the slide is pointed
out. Had the family remained in the house
below this rock they would have been saved
The Kedron cascade, the Frankenstein tressel
70 feet high and 400 feet long, the cliff
bearing the same name, the old Crawford
House, now private resid ence; Naucy's
brook, near which Nancy froze to death
while in search OF her lover; the graves Of
the original Crawford and wife, in bank
so near the track that wall was built TO
to hold them in place; residence Of old DR.
Bemis aud old bach dentist of Boston who
came here and put up Gue stone mansion
almost among the clouds at a cost Of $50 900 ;
these and many other attractions are pointed
out to the passengers by the very gcntlemanly
conductors who seem to anticipate the desires
OF the passengers TO know what everything is
At Bems's, nine miles from the Notch, we
are 1000 feet below it. From this place the
scenery is less wild though still enchanting
you get distant view Of the sumit Of Mount
Washington, distinguished from all Others
by its cap Of snow. a view Of Kearsarge
mountain; the Bartlett boulder, 4 rock
weighing 5 tons, lying on three smaller ones
as though carefully laid there by some giant
hand the White Horse rocks, which from a
certain direction give the appearance oil
a white horse Mount Pleasant, with house
on its summit and Hiram's Falls on the
Saco river in Maine, most beautiful fall Of
water. In good season you are landed il
Portland, beautiful city by the sea where
you gladly accept the Inequalities offered by
her hotels, aud at once seek refreshment and
repose.
Speaking of hotels, Portland has several
good ones The most pretentious aud thu
most expensive is the Falmouth, the graudes
hotel in Maine. Among those equally good
but conducted on more moderate scale are
the United States, Preble, City, aud Perry 5
Failing IN with an acquaintance, your corre-
spoudent dropped in at the City and was
abundautIy satisfied with its accommodations
Mr.. Martin, the proprietor, has grown up ii
hotel business aud knows how to secure thu
comfort of his guests. Eugene 9. Carpenter
formerly in the st. Johusbury House, is clerl
here and knows his duties well, The hous,
has recently been repaired and enlarged, tn
rooms furnished throughout in the best man
ner and it is, as we found it, a pleasan
home for the traveller Something Rbou
Portland at another time. julius.