The Republican journal., 1882-05-25
From Maine to South Carolina.

NOTES FROM 4 CAR WINDOW. THE srRIN" OFT
LOOK IN MAINE AND MA>SACHr SETS. ruE
LAND OF TIE F. T. Us.
correspondence Of the journal
Thursday morning, 18th, right on time as usual,
"Joe" calls-"Al IL ready for the cars, and in ~hor
time we are aboard the Belfast Branch train Whirl-
ing RlIrnhumward, en- route from the soft pine hills
of Maine to the hard pine plains Of Carolina. We
reach the junction with nothing occurring Of more
serious nature than the maccountable jumping out
of Il Stacking bolt between the engine and the ears
in the wild7 of Burnham. hut Nat" goo,lnaturelly
back for us and we are on time lacking three
minutes.
1t is colt, ieaden gray morning, more suitable
10 late November than the last of May, and the I'M
lucky wights who have donncd summer nanurl-
and ulsters bewail their "soonnees." Here and
there along the route farmer is making believe
spring has really and is planting on blowing,
clad in mittens and oyercoat. 1t is picturesque Iu
not consoling
Our passenger list is not large but "hghly re
Specialize Among them notice Il prominent
denzen of our down shore seaside resort, mer
chant from Paddock station presumably on Il tlip
to the Hub to lay in a stock Of fred oil, and one
of orr city officials going to Portland ito arrange
the Governor matter, YOU know"
Along the kemebec valley the farmers are busy
scratching the bosom of old mother earth in antir
patton Of fruit and harvest time therefrom. The
river banks below Augusta are lined with the huge
houses, stored from basement to ridgepole with the
crop which the waters of Maine have never yet
failed to produce. And apropos to the subject /
open the morning paper and read the dispatch say
ing the ship Louis Walsh, ice laden, has cleared
from city for Europe which is the first load Of
irpS ont thn Iii fIn Etlr
sian war. Score one for Belfast,
After the "hansfer," just ,ut of Portland, we
pass through the noted seaside resort, Old Orchard,
which looks lonely and widowed in it, sand and
desolation The yellow, barren looking, shifting
sand has covered the walks The station is lone
some and even the mighty swell and breakers from
old ocean, which are the only beauty and attraction
of the place, seem to roll in slowly and humby as
though in keeping with the general air of lrcari-
ness. \ few buildings are going up, but there are
but few indications of the crowd which Will swarm
there in few weeks. one cannot help smiling as
he is whrled swiftly by and reads the name OF one
hotel Forest Home, over which spreads one soil
tary scrub pine, and that Il dead one. But them
whats in name"
At Lawrence we ran into snow storm which
whitened the ground, and from there into Boston
appointed in finding the trees, vegetation and farm
ing no further advanced here than in Maine tn
fact, there is no greener lawn in Boston, east
to-day than Tom. Pitchers, at home Credit another
to Belfast.
Here and there since leaving the kennebcc valley
we see an occasional white violet starred field but
spring flowers are wary, even the aesthetic ,landc
lion refusing to turn its golden cheek to the stray
I,,tt I,,
pulsaing with renewed life is apparentn the slow
ly unfolding leaves of the illow and early shrubs
the pensile delicate catkins and the high gr,s, in
sheltered hooks. The first pear tree in blossom
was seen west Of Portland, and the first apple tree
in full leaf and blossom Il few miles before reach
ing New York city.
We pass through several noted towns before we
reach Gotham. Hartford with its beautiful state
House; Willimantic of silk thread notoriety Mcr
iden of silver ware ditto, and Bridgeport noted
for its sewing machine manufactures and its
Barnum a strangers first idea of Hartford is a
city of brick, nearly all the buildings being con
structed of that material which are manufactured
extensively along this section of the Connecticut
valley the soil being largely clay and rec, sandstone
At Hartford depot we experienced 4 new sensa
ton in witnessing woman coolly turn out and
drink glass of lager beer in the public restaurant
She was well dressed, apparently Intellectual and
in all other regards but this would pass for lady
After night good sleep Saturday morning finds
us in the national capital. This is the first real
touch of spring yet experienced. Trees are fully
in leaf and shrubs in blossom, the skies smoky
warm, and the temperature so high up that over
coats are burden, yet the residents are shiycrinp
and growing about the cold weather. Wesee only
enough of Washington to fully comprehend it is a
city of magnificent distances" and that its early
moving residents are mostly sable hued In fact
as we move southwark, it is evident we have cross
ed the color line and as write this very sentence
passing into the land of the f. +. " ; along route
made historic by that great convusion which too
many of this generation fail to fully realize colored
man comes riding out Il ossroad with a bag of
ed woman rests on her hoe in the field to watch the
passing train, and ebony -hued youngsters rolling
in the dust turn up their grnnng worries in placid
contentment.
The conductor cries "Fredericks burgh," and we
enter region of country every foot which is his
torical and blood stained soil. Upon the hill at our
right is the soldiers cemetery, where sixteen thou
| sand northern boys are sleeping, and all around
evidences of the great struggle though nature
| fast covering up the mementoes We have reached
| Richmond in time for dinner Hastily
GEO. E. b.