New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-13
THE LAST FRESH AIR PARTY.
THE TRIP FROM TROY TO LAKE CHAMPLAlN.
HOW Mr.. TAPPEN's BREAKFAST WAS ENJofHo-
INCIDENTS DURING THE RIDE TO The LAKE

FIJFNpuRa Clinton County n. Y. July ~
As soon as the engines Of the Belle Horton soppeu'
and the children, abont 400 in number, comprising
The TRIBUNE Fresh Air party which lott Now loiA
Sunday afternoon, having arrived at Troy were iuiy
satisfied that they were there" an lnincuia'e
diminishing began for pieces OF paper 10 wrap ten
nrop.rtIes IN: and by the time the boat was along
side of the pier every child had secured something
TO walk on there with. As soon as the gangway
was placed they began to fe of, the handful OF
people who had been standing on the shore eradu-
ally increasing in size into fair crowd.
The children we're all in great spirits. None oil
them appeared to have any but the most hazy loea
Of where they were, and many were OF the OPINION
that this was champagne" as one and all insist
on calling the lake The faces of all were iul OF
confusion of wonderment and questioning anu
looked like long string of notes OF interrogation
filing on TO the dock. AS the great serpent went on
unfolding, and fathom after fathom OF 1t poured
over the gangway, 1t looked like conjurng trick
as a man draws miles of ribbon out oil an empty
pill-box
MR. TAPPEN's HOSPITALITY.
They had been well provided for IN Troy for MT
sbepard Tappen-who is already so well known for
hi, kindness and charity to children-hsd been
busy for long time thinking how he could best make
their short snjourn happy. MIR. Happen had come
on board immed ately the boat stopped. and those
in charge had been fully acquainted with the gen.
erous arrangements he had made. Ihere was
therefore no delay of any kind. but the COL
umn streamed straight from the boat up 10 the
Harmony Hall-a large building with two big
rooms one 70 feet by 40 and the other % by 20
which is commonly used for dances and con-
certs When the children went IN, now
over they literally screamed with delight
for both halls were filled with long
IN loaded
Jugs of milk and huge dishes of meat cakes and
bananas At the first invitation they pumped into
their seats mo quarreling for places or backward
ness here, and fell to with a will The actual
quantity of food provided was 200 pounds OF meat
-corned and roast beef and ham, barrelsof milk,
| 1000 cakes, 700 hot biscuits and GOO bananas.
That sounds good deal and looked still more. but
the children thought little of it, 1t was but chds
play to them, and after half an hour during which
scarcely word was spoken by any Of the 400, but
the air was full of the din of knives and forks ana
plates the tables were almost clear. The remnants
were done up into parcels to be disposed Oh In the
cars.
During the meal Mr.. Tappen was all over both
| rooms at once, waiting an impossible number OF
| children at time, and inducing them although
| they needed little lnducement to eat impossible
ouaptlties of food He was assisted in his abors by
| some leading citizens of Troy-Charles T. Green,
assistant engineer of Fire Department; A. c. Sails
| bury, captain OF the Hook and Ladder Company
No. g and a platoon of his men F.P Allen. Andrew
| SAWYER W. C. Davis, C. II. Thayer, G. k. Davis
and his wife and Mrs. J. W. Sullivan.
AS soon as the meal was over the clamor OF
| tongues replaced that of crockery. The mouths
which had been so busy eating began to shout, and
the arms having dropped their knives and forks
began to struggle with each other For
| ohs w
| In n short time, however. the Rev. John Dooly
| assembled platform at one end OF the hall, and
after wrestling a while with an armtul of documents
began to tell off the children by companies INTO an
| adjoining room with a view to getting them into
| marching order When this was done they once
more poured out into the street. Out on the side
| walks the people stopped to stare and laugh. and
| all along Fulton-st. struggled diJolnted crowd,
and there was a solid group outside the American
Hotel, all exclaiming end laughing and selziDg
every opportunity to enter into conversation with
the children SO the triumphal procession passed TO
the station, and the goodbye" was said to Mr.
| Tappen
| THE RIDE TO THE LAKE.
| They were all put on board in very short time
and scattered in prearranged detschments through
| the eight cars Of the special train which was to
| take them to Rouse's Point at the head of Lake
| Cbamplain AS soon as any child was put into
| car he Immediately retOrted by thrusting as much
of himself as possible out of one of the windows.
and when called in pulled III, out went his hand
| aud pocket handkerchief, and when the train moved
out of the station it looked from the outside like
| some great snake that had taken a fancy for wear
| ING bandkerchiefs instead of scales. OF course
| they all cheered-cheered wildly and in every key
| and in every known and unknown method.
Bnt even children get tired, eventually, even Of
shouting. and one by one the little folk dropped
| Quietly into their places.
| Waterford Junction, where the train stopped for
| few minutes, revived faint burst of enthusiasm,
and then they all sobered down they slid out INTO
the level country. Aud now the heavy meal began
to tell many fell asleep and not few melan-
cbolv to relate. were sick. At Balston there were
a dozen broad-brimmed straw hats waiting on the
platform with men underneath them and as the
shouts and handkercheis got to work again. the
straw hats hourshcd themselves III the AR and the
| men shouted back. And that the excitement
of departure had fairly worked off they set them
selves 10 crltcise the country and they were evil
| IDENTIFY only amateurs IN the study of nature. for
the most common objects we're sufficient TO excite
delighted comment
| where the road came near the railway track; then
another and another, each one loudly applauded by
| tie children telling of the near approach of Sara
toga The children cared little for Saratoga, now
ever; il served we'll enough to shout at but there
were not enough people TO make IL really exciting.
| soon the train WAS in the rather bare-looklng
country again.
| Before coming 10 Fort Edward the track passes
| twice over the Hudson, and more enthusiasm was
still secreted somewhere IN the little bodies for IT
dubbed over again in shouts and cotton cloth. At
Fort Edward a small negro the platform had a
diference-a difference of color, perhaps-with
some of the childrenin the cars and began demon.
| sration with small stones TIL the cons abulary had
TO I've called IN TO suppress him and the children eered
and cheered together But they were now grow
| ing little weary, and they quoted down quickly
From Whitehall to Fort Tconderoga every new
hill or wide sweep of water called forth delighted
|
| living with her decks black with people, and that
| was an opportunity not to be lest; and the peo-
pie shouted back the children well satisfied TO
| move on again. They all seemed 10 think they