Morning journal and courier., 1880-10-25
CORRESPONDENCE.
From Albany EGst-PIeasing Scenery Autumn Thoughts - Wildcats - The Accident in the Hoosac Tunnel.

Autumn Thoughts Wildcats - The Accident in the Hoosac Tunnel.
 GREENFIELD, Mass, Oct. p. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 The delightful weather for the past few days-in fact weeks-malzes travelling almost a luxury, even on business. I left Albany to- day at 10 o'clock, and as the train moved over the bridge that crosses the Hudson at that place, and as we wound our way east ward, I looked out of the window of the car towards the south upon one of the most beautiful scenery pictures l ever saw. There towards the south that famous river, leaving the prosperous city and going towards the sea, bearing upon it's surface craft of all sorts-of the smaller sailing and rowing kind and great steamers, the finest the world ever saw The fine farms that are on the eastern bank showed sp1endidly in the autumn sun. I looked out of the car window muslng and musing while we sped eastward, thinking, as I have so often written you before, of the boundless wealth and beauty of our "native land" I had just been reading in the No vember number of Scrib71eT'S of
 Hail Columbia-happy land;
 Hail ye heroes-heaven- born band;
 Who fought and bled in freedoms cause;
 Who fought and bled ill freedom's cause;
 And when the storm of war was done
 Enjoyed the peace your valor won."
 I was in excellent mood to enjoy the read ing of the national stanza of Judge Joseph Hop
 
 The ride from Albany to Pittsfeld IS through one of the most rugged parts of the country between the former city and Boston, and at many times in the year when else where the weather is comfortably warm, there you can see great icicles hanging to the huge rocks for miles together. Even to-day I could feel the chill ln the air, as we passed those places on the road. When we were at Pittsfield I changed cars to go up through the Berkshire hills to North Adams Those hills are almost barren of foliage now, for the early frosts have almost stripped the trees. A few yellow walnuts and just few of the faded naples are not wholly desolated, but the few hanging vestiges of summer trem ble in the chill air, or are slowly dropping. l unused on Pope's lines as I watched them fall
 Like leaves on trees, the life of is found, Now green in youth, now whitening to the ground Another the following spring supplies, They fall successive and successive rise. So generations in their course decay,
 So flourish these when those have passed away"
 seWe all do fade as the leaf,'' says the holy book, and at this season we are so forc1bly reminded of the fact that we all should stop moment and think awhile upon the short- ness of life.
 Going north towards North Adams, on the western side of the track, is a large extent of barren land, generally covered with shallow water, but now it is nearly dry, and the great stumps, with roots uncovered for wide cir | conference about them, look haggard and wild in the extreme What a splendid CD place for chills. You hasten to look on the | opposite side of the track to the farms and | woodland that present better view. Going | up there to-day, on freight train, (that stopped so long at every little hamlet that even went out and sold goods while they l were switching), was much amused to hear l some of the passengers talk with those who | sat in their farm wagons waiting for the 1 train to move, for now it was obstruct1ng the crossroad while the freight was being un- 1 loaded They talked of crops cider, poll | tics and hunting. One said his last luck in | the woods was only snake and one red squirrel, and another said he had quite an | encounter with wildcat. By the way, l saw one in a cage, just captured a little be- 1 fore and it was one of the largest I ever saw. | It was about twice the size of 8 tame ''tab- l by,' and exactly the shape and color of | the striped gray sort. It was taken | by party of hunters on the very hill we were looking upon. I could almost look up 1 in the trees and see those sharp, glar1ng, round eyes looking frightfully down upon me- I almost drew a sigh of relief when the | train moved on. A poor hunter 1 would make. for should all the while be expecting one of these savage creatures to drop down l on my back and be climbing over my sholders | and be looking up in my face. No wildcats for me- I had rather go down ln Pike county, Pennsylvania, and hunt black bears, for then | I could have something at least large enough | to see and get out of the way in case the | hunter was in turn hunted, as is often the case I am told. I like to read about such things, but with me the interest stops there
 saw tonight the frightful wreck of the Hoosac tunnel, of which I suppose you have already told your readers. Eight or nine l freight cars were smashed up with their mis- cellaneous freight there in the darkness, and 1 the glare of the torches and bonfres made bad decidedly worse. As came out saw the wrecking train on the outside having the wrecking all lit up with great lamps on poles six feet high, and the car looking as If 1t was decked for a torchlight parade. Whole l miles of trains were waiting to pass, and as we wheeled towards this place, I was left musing, and looking out into the darkness and won dering if some day would not get smashed up on some train myself. M. c. s.