News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-09-06
Along the ST. bloomsbury and Lake
Champlain Railroad.

st. Johns bury anu Lake Nudlhl pam
railroad always clasp each others
hands. from their respective posts,
going around particularly sharp
curves, and thereby ''keep their cour-
ace up" People who doubt this,
1 haven't been over the road. There
was once fence on an Illinois farm
so crooked that hog which crawled
/ through. found himself on the side
from which he started. People who
never saw the fence do not believe the
story. Scribe never saw the fence.
He has, however been over the Lake
road, so called for Short but gen
orally called the Piano-P. and o.
by denizens of this locality.
The Lake road. formerly the Yer
mont division of the Portland and
Ogdensburg, is wholly in Vermont,
extending entirely across the northern
and wider part of the State, from
Lunenburg, on the Connecticut river,
to Maquam Bay, on Lake Champlain,
on which SwantOn is located, 12O
miles from Lunenburg. Railroads up
mere 70 Will JuC SI'tlll VI IuC pIiUC,
usually, Just as one finds it easier to
white ''with the grain" of the stick.
The road we are speaking Of was
meant to be the Vermont link in
direct line from Portland, Me, to
Ogdensburg, n. Y, but these "best
laid plans" failed, as the line is con-
trolled by four separate corporations,
not at all harmonizing, and no through
trains are run between Portland and
Ogdensburg.
\ recent trip from st. Johnsbury
/ to Maquam, covering ninety-eight Of
the l2O miles of the Lake road, re-
vealed some remarkable railroad build
ing for this part Of the country. This
road goes against the grain" Of the
country. zone might also add that it
goes against the grain" Of the Cen
trail Company to see its young rival
transport coal. But we digress.)
Coming over the heights from Lunen-
burg, the road descends into the Pas
sumpsic valley at St. ,Johnsbury.
From this point the line westerly goes
across both ridges of the Y made by
the Green Mountains. Through the
east ridge there is no pass, and con-
seQuently the road climbs up over,
running along the tops of the ridges
and occasionally in the valleys be-
tween, with high and crooked trestles
where the guIches are crossed, one
trestle, in Walden, being 100
feet high and spanning & dry ravine.
One may look from the car window
over his shoulder, toward the rear,
and see the identical rails over which
the train is vet to pass. No, the road
isn't the most remarkable in the world,
and is even eNcelled in the way Of
scenery, by the eastern division, the
P. and O. proper, in the White Noun
tain notch; but the part of which we
speak is worth gong over, even if the
traveller may 90 little out Of his way
to do so. Scribe's enjoyment of it
was not enhanced by 4 railroad pass,
cither* From St. JohnsburY 10 Dan
vile, the first station west, it is, by
not over straight highway, seven
miles by rail it is twelve. And for
half that distance, nearly, the passen-
ger is in sight Of Danyille, although
many curves and reverse curves in
tervene. From Danville heights, on
the east range of the Green Noun
tains, the view includes the White
Mountains, Connecticut valley, and
the west range of the Green Noun
tains. Walden, nineteen miles from
st. johnsbury, IS 1000 feet higher
than the latter town.
! Greensboro Bend is remarkable as
| the place where the road in seven
miles gains but one For thee miles
in either direction from Greensboro
station the traveller is in sight either
of the road which he has recently
traversed or is yet to 90 over, it lying
parallel a few hundred rods distant.
Going west, this curl e, the most re-
markable, probably, in the Eastern
United States, is entirely 4 steep down
grade. West of IIardwick the curves
are not 50 sharp or the grades as bad
as they are to the eastward, rs the
Lamoille valley IS entered at this
point, and the west side Of the west
range Of the Green Mountains is thus
gained through the LamoilIe pass,
eight miles north Of Mount Mansfield.
There are, 10y the way, only two other
passes through this range, the Missis-
quot, to the north, being utilized by
the Southeastern railway, of Canada,
and the WinOOski, to the South, by
the Central Vermont railroad. The
Lake road, running parallel with the
range, then gains the Missisquoi
valley and thence the lake shore, end
ing in V, the terniW Of which are
Swanton village and Maquam docks.
Reader, if you are going over the
st. j. d L. c., take one of the eX-
presses, because they run slowly, you
can enjoy the scenery, won't be jolted
to destruction, can get out and see the
villages and pick raspberries-Scribe
did-while the railroad men are
throwing wood ut the engine, and the
conductor, if he is the same genial
young man we rode with, will have
time to tell you about those crooked
est Of crooked crooks.
Except it is camp meeting time, the
car won't be crowded. Only one
thing troubled the writer: Whcth-
er the large party Of young ladies who
invaded the car, and were seated by a
young man distinguished by his bicy-
fla Irnifnrr,, ,,roro No,p,ol c.Lcpl 11i-