Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-07-03
WICHiTA'S WANDERERS
A Letter From Our Folks Who Went
Down to Maine.

WICHITA'S WANDERERS.
A Letter From Our Folks Who Went
Down to Maine.
To the Editor of the Eagle.
BosToN, Mass, june %, 1885.
a journey from the great American
desert TO the sea, is one a man may
undertake once or twice in life time,
he is not likely 10 repeat it under
ordinary circumstances. The party
from Kansas travelling with me num-
bcrcd about seventy-fivc persons. The
managers of the Rock Island railway
exeried themselves to render our
journey over their route one of CON-
fort and pleasure and succeeded to
cago on time and but slightly fatigued.
Our train on the Grand Trunk moved
out of Chicago in two sections, reach
ing Niagara Falls ahead of trains by
other routes, and giving us nearly five
hours in which TO view natures grand
est work. We passed through To-
ronto at midnight and the following
morning boarded steamer on the
st. Lawrence river at Kingston, this
was on Sunday, and we spent the en-
tire day on the water, reaching Mon
treal about 10 O'Clock. In conseque nee
of our boat being overloaded we were
not permitted TO run the Lacene rap
ids as night had already set in before
we reached the head of the chute,
disembarking we again took the cars.
which was great relief to The timid
ones of the party who have had fore
taste of what was supposed 10 be be-
fore them in the rapids already passed
over in the course of the day. There
is but one pilot on the ST. Lawrence
river permitted to steer a vessel
through this dangerous chute, he is
an Indian and has been employed at
the business for twenty years. We
took a midnight stroll through the
city of Montreal, as we. left
before daylight. | am not able TO
describe any of the wonders or novel;
ties. Some of our party visited its
grand cathedral and some other points
of interest, bat leave them to tell the
story. We crossed the St. Lawrence
river here through an iron tube. As
lay in my berth heard comrade
compare our passage through it TO a
wad rammed down a gun barrel. We
took breakfast on Mondry morning at
ST. Adams, Vermont, n place that OBJ
tanned notoriety some years ago in
conLection with the Fcnian uprising.
Dinner was had at Fabians. in the
notch of the White mountains at the
foot of Mount Washington. The
scenery as We passed through the
notch was grand, but does not reach
10 the sublimity Of Clear Creek canon
in Colorado. A cog-whcel railroad
runs TO the top of Mount Washington,
whose summit was not visible on ac-
count of fog. About midnight we
reached the city of Portland, the end
of 1900 miles journey in better con-
diiion physically than any Of u had
anticipated. Even at this late hour
the streets were crowded-in fact,
everything was jam.
Tuesday morning the grandest pro-
cession of old soldiers since that
memorable one ut Washington after
the rebellion had been snuiicd ont like
candle, marched through the streets
of Portland a distance Of four miles
The day was faultlc-s overhead and
underfoot the roads were all that
could be desired. The sidewalks, the
door steps and balconies, the grand
sand erected for the occasiou-in fact
every spot available for sightseeing
was one living mass of human beings
Kansas was fairly well represented
in the procession and received
her full medc of applause.
The number of brass bands
and drum corps in this. procession
was marvellous. Kansas was not rep
resented in this respect but kept step
to the music of a drum corps from
New Jcrsey-the best in my judg-
ment at the encampment aud far SUI
perior TO any had heard in the war.
Ii numbered about twenty musicians,
handsomely uniformed, and on each
drum was chime which lent charm
TO their fine selections of music which
is still ringing in my ears, and which
neither time nor space can eradicate,
nor do | wish it to. Another famous
band from Massachusetts, was dressed
i'm the uniform of the continental
army-knec brooches, shad-bcllied
coats and cooked hats. Their drums
were made to order after the style of
&c. They marched past the hotel at
which | was stopping, at 6 O'Clock in
the morning PLAYING "Whack Paddy's
Boys" The peculiar refrain in imi-
tation of the words in quotation
marks called me from my bed This
left on my mind impression number
two. and we shall leave it there. Some
of the brass bands are far superior TO
ANYTHING we have in the west so far
rs nv knowledge extends. There
were MANY distinguished persons oc-
cuaying the grand stand or riding in
carriages in the procession, amongst
them Gen. Logan and wife. Gen.
Black, commissioner of pensions, Gov.
Alger of Wisconsin, GOV. Robbie of
Maine, perhaps dozen members Of
congress and nearly all the prominent
Grand Army men of The continent.
Ii was field day for tbs boys As well
as for the people of Maine.
The cncampment was in session two
days and one night. This was the
third national cncampment of the
Grand Army | had attended but
could not Eclp but be struck
by the wonderful array of talent
exhibited on every delegation. Kan
sas was represented by twenty-four
delegates. amongst whom were eX-