The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-06-28
From East to West.

0uiIS 10 tdS LHOlttu VI ldIo ud1S anu roses ,
the month par erceHence, the epitome of
brightsome days that hover about the ad-
vent of Summer, of hopeful. buoyant vegeta-
ton. In Natures fashion plates the neao
shades of green prevail. The clear atmos-
phere sharply outlines the hills, and the far
off masses OF woods seem nearer, while they
grow warm or cool as sun or shadow passes
over them. The waters glisten more bright
ly and are more receptive of their surround
ings. In fine. June is a charming month,
under whose skies we first cast eyes upon
the waters so long ago discovered by the
French adventurers-the famous Mssis-
sippi.
A pleasanter route to the Mississippi than
by the way of Hoosac Tunnel. Suspension
Bridge and Canada Southern to Detroit AID
Chicago cannot be conceived of. A first
class passage to ST. Paul costs only thirty
six dollars and fifty cents, and journey Of
over sixteen hundred miles, which few
years ago it took weeks to accomplish is now
over in about four days. If we leave Port
land at noon we easily connect with the
Fitchburg train that leaves Boston at 6 p. m.
and takes US rapidly into the heart of Massa-
chusetts among the hills of Berkshire.
Here we strike the Hoosac river, which is
certainly most tortuous in its course, re-
minds one of our Crooked River in Maine.
We rode through the Deerfield and Hoosac
valleys under bright moon, and the scene
was picturesque one Our sleeper was at
the rear of the train, and from its rear plat
form We obtained perfect view of the glo
rious picture, subdued though it was. Fol-
lowing the banks of the river the cars sway
to and fro as they clatter down the valleys.
At times We seem topping into the stream
trembling into the bright moonlight, and
then we hug the shadows of the overhang-
ing mountain. The trains over this road
make excellent time, and by eleven o'clock
we swing down around jutting spur of the
mountain, and have entered the east end of
the Tunnel where the whirlpool of smoke
and cinders drive us into the car and eigh-
teen minutes after we burst out into the
moonlight, but the Hoosac was left behind
The Tun mel is one of the feats-ef modern
engineering and is one of theffrst of its kind
in this country. Its bullying was suggested
as early as 1925 and was strongly favored by
the Massachusetts, Commissioners Report
of 1928 in which year three SURVEYS were
made of as many different routes to the
Hudson, -6ne of which was the Tunnel route
via Deerfield and Hoosac Valleys, but the
Report led to the building of the Springfield
route, which was the most southern; but for
all this the Tunnel was not lost sight of and
in this same year application was made for
a charter via Deerfeld and Hoosac Valleys
to State line, but it was not till 1854 that the
Troy and Greenfield Railroad Co. was grant
ed leave to tunnel Hoosac Mountain, an en-
terprise to which Massachusetts was to lend
It's credit.
The then estimated cost was 81 ,94S, 557
Several contracts made for its construction
fell through and in 1858 Massachusetts is
sued 81, 900, 900 of bonds to push the work
aud the work was commenced which with
but two or three Interruptions continued till
1862, when the road was surrendered.to the
Commonwealth and the Tunnel was COM
pleted at an additional final cost of over So
100000. Il was in this tunnel that the IA
nous Burieigh drill was brought into use
and perfected, and ON the 9th of November
cavated, and in 1874 the contract was COM
pleted, at total cost of 14,000, 000-twenty
feet in height, and twenty-six feet wide, with
double track.
The project was success. Having safely
made our underground passage of little
oyer four miles and a half we took our
berth and did not awake till we had passed
Utica. the home of the Stalwart Senator of
New York. At Rochester we changed cars
e., 81, - f~,tl
told at Boston we should not be obliged to
do so. The scenery was fine and the Jour
ney most enjoyable, as copious rains had
laid the dust We followed the Erie Canal
most of the way to Rockport, where we left
it, crossing it in full sight of the locks which
are ten in number. Big, tub-Iike canal boats
were scattered along the way with the fami-
ly aboard. We wondered, at fir IT, what i'm
PEELED them-and some hundred Yards or
more ahead would be discovered a diminu-
tive but doughty pair of mules, moving at
a snaiPs pace, with their driver. A boy lazily
leans against the tiler with an umbrella
over his head, and by them we swept as the
present leaves the past. With but one tow
path we wondered how they got on, for
boats were going up and down. From Lock
port we went direct to the suspension bridge
where we left the Canada Southern, making
another change of cars to go to the town of
Niagara Falls. All along the way up we're
fertile fields and magnificent orchards with
large, comfortable-looking farm-houses,
many OF them built of pale kiln-dried brick.
Some of the outhouses were matched.
But here we are in Niagara Falls, beau
tiful town as one will see in journey 1t
is town of hotels, and of many good ones,
If the Spencer House is a fair representative.
Here the hackmen are bound to get your
dollars, and If you are not shrewd they will
succeed. 1t is quite useless to start out on
foot to view the Falls, as you will be pes
tered and plagued beyond endurance, and
without doubt be badgered into taking a
carriage, whose driver is most likely to be
unprincipled and extortionate. So tho best
way Is to get your carriage at the hotel, and
be sure you agree before hand what you are
to pay, and then tell your driver where you
wish to go--and go nowhere else, as these
drivers all get a commission from the toll
gatherers of certain places you visit and will
continually want you to see some place or
other which will put money from your pock-
ct into theirs.
In this way one may take comfort In
viewing the various places Of interest about
here. But If you visit Table-rock, Whirl-
pool Rapids, the Burning Spring and Pros
pect Park you have seen it all. Because to
see these you will necessarily see the rest.
Over the Falls, which are grand beyond de-
scription, pour the waters of four great
lakes as they hasten to the Gulf of st. Law
renee, and these falls are the only break in
the grand thoroughfare from the great Lakes
of the interior to the ocean. So on the
American side we find the Erie canal, and
on the Canada side the Weland. Down the
Niagara river from Lake Erie for fifteen
miles the river varies from a narrow, rapid
stream to broad, quiet spaces of water, one
to two miles wide. The sixteenth mile
down is a short one of rapids, in which there
is descent Of ffty-two feet, ending in the
mighty cataract, whose sullen roar is heard
ten miles away. Here the immense body of
water, nearly mile In width, drops in sheer
unrestraint one hundred and sixty feet, with
the exception of Goat island which is
reached from the American side and which
seems constantly being pushed over by the
turbulent stream behind and which it de
vldes. The spray of the Falls affords con-
slant shower, in whichever way the wind
may take it, producing one Of the most
brilliant ralnbows ever seen by your cor
respondent. Notwithstanding the waters
below are full of whirlpools we saw row
boats and an Indian pirogue crossing peril
ously near the base of The Falls. AT the
base of the Cataract the river is only thous-
and feet vide, and it is down this narrow
channel that this immense body of water