Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-01-11
NUMBER 50.

joined the excursion party from Portland,
consisting of Railroad officials, Mayor
Richardson and members OF the city gov
eminent, 10 tho number OF fifty or sixty
ladies and gentlemen, for ride over the
completed road to johnson, VI, distant
from Portland 200 miles. The day was
all that could have teea desred-the
mercury ranging at % above instead Of
40 below zero as on the previous Mo1day.
We could hardly believe our senses as we
rode through Conway and Bartlett and
beheld, in mid winter, q scene so pastoral
the loving herds and focks, grazing,
as in summer, over tho naked hills. A
sunshade would have Oeen quite wei.
come TO protect US from Old Sof5 scorch-
ing rays. An observation car was attached
TO the train ut North Conway, and the
ride in the soft balmY air through Tic
grand scenery Of the White Mountains.
robed as they now are, in their mantle OF
ice. frost and snow, was most deiigh.crl
experience. To those who have not seen
the mountains in winter, the ride at this
season OF the year affords an entirely
novel picture.
The leahess and barren trees on their
fields OF white-the dark evergreen en-.
craving "in line with snow-thcre The
solemn cliff in sombre shade. or white
with the driven snow, painting The dark
thunder or silver summer cloud on the
grand picture; and the whole mountain
gallery frinsed about and draped with
the most delicate aud gauzy net work OF
cloud and trailing mist.
The rocky cliffs and trees are moulded
and graced with their soft fret work OF
snow and frost, rounding and giving form
and beauty to every rough feature aud
struggling limb. The waterfalls, caught
and imprisoned in winters leg letters
horizontal rivers Of ice, still and pic,ug-
esque as the view caught by The pho-
tographer'5 camera, now intensely while,
and now glitteung like veil OF diamonds.
rejecting all the colors Of the prism in
the suns changing light. Aud all oyer
the grand gallery are Jets aad gems OF
ice hanging ike pendant jewels on the
mountains breast, or glitterng Ike
coronels or her lofty brow.
The strong resemblance that this
scenery bears to that OF the higher Alps
is often noted by travellers.
The party dined at Fabyans and
were there met by delegation from 3.
JohnsburY and other points, among
whom were Hon. Horace Fairbanks.
John f. Lyon and other notables.
This was the first train through to ST.
Johnsbury. and reached there at 4 ~ L.
NJ. The citizens turned out en- masse and
welcomed the party with deatening shouts
and cheers. The party took quarters at
the St. Johnsbury House and the train
went on to Johnson, 90 miles beyond this
point arriving there at O'Clock.
St. Johnsbury now has free commune
cation with Portland on the east, and IN
July will have direct intercourse with
New York via Burlington and Lake
Champlain. The Vermont Division OF
this road has had to struggle hard in
building their portion OF this road, but the
hardest point is passed. and in less than
a year they hope to have complete con-
nection from Portland to Ogdensburg.-
AS regards freight route this road must
take prime importance at once;
Ogdensburg drains the whole great la;s
region, and is the nearest point to eastern
tide water. And as pleasure route it
vastly takes lead OF any on the Continent,
and another season when our Foreign
Cousins" visit US it will undoubtedly be
thronged with visitors from all lands.
st. Johnsbury is an important point on
this road; the great scale mandatory OF
the Messrs. Fairbanks having contributed
largely to its prosperity. This firm, now
in operation 40 years has been successful,
accumulating large fortune, and dis
pensing it in princely fashion. They
have erected severa! memorials in the
form of public buildings that will be
more beneficial to their townsmen, and
more enduring TO their own name and
fame than monuments of brass and mar
BILE. They have given to the town
school building which in architecture and
general beauty would adorn the banks of
the Rhine. Also a substantial and beauti-
full town hall-and free public library
building we'll filed with 5000 vols. OF
choice, standard works-and an Art
Gallery containing some very valuable
and elegant specimens of art. We were
surprised to find in this country town a
painting on free exhibition to its citizens
and visitors. (Bierstadt's "Domes Of The
Yo.Semite"). work costing about
$40, 900, and tor look at which we paid
half dollar. quite little enough in
Boston, some ten years ago.
Such men as these ennoble humanity
and will live in the grateful recollections
of mankind. We have not time and space
to speak OF their Scale Mandatory,
whose wares are now known and in use
throughout the world. They have just
despatched five car loads TO Russia