Daily Republican., 1885-07-01
A Short Excursion.
FROM WILMINGTON To KENT
MERE ON THE WILMINGTON
Il RORTHERN RAILROAD
A PLEASANT TIME SPENT.

Last evening, the oOmmi. tees from
the various Methodist Sunday school.
OF this city, some representatives. of the
press and few ladies' were given an
excursion by the officers of the vii.
mingtou q Northern Railroad, from
Fifth and Mad ison streets, around to
Riddles woods, now by desire called
kentmere Grove. The latter is the
name OF the place In II q Old World
from whence the original propriesors ~
the Riddle estate came from. The mr.
pose OF the excursion WAS that the
committees mentioned might see the
picturesque scenery along tho route of
SIX miles to the grove, where the West.
ern M. Il. church intend TO hold n
jubilee pic nic on the Fourth of Julv.
next Saturday, in which that church / .
aided by all the other NetfYedi lat
churches and Sunday schools of this
city. The purpose Of the great picnic
Is 70 raise money to aid In building =
Methodist church somewhere in the
vicinity OF hsryla avenue and Lin.
den or Bird streets.
1t IN doubtful If there can be found a
more beautiful and romantic ride of Air
miles anywhere, than this little xip-zar
circle OUT around the city and down
bren1ywlno to kentmere Grove, e.
peciaily that portion of the road after
|switching off from the main line tb;s
side OF Greenville. The scenery alono
the main line to the switching of place
was not new to most Of the exonrsion-
ISIS, but for the other part OF tho road IL
was new to nearly, II not quite ali on
on the car. After Q little detour from
the switch, q considerable Of a clav ont
10 passed through and then the Kennatt
pike Is reached.
The pike here has been rsised anna
hfteen feet or more, and the track nass.
es under q very handsome bridge. such
as 1t might be expected the DuPonts
would erect. Here there is little sta
ton at which passenger was let OF.
Ihose who have been familiar with
Dr. Greenleaf's residence, Beck's
Lane, and the tasty cottages along it.
the stately shade trees that throw their
Dranches over 1t, . picture of rural fe-
llclty ana happiness, would hardly
deep cut and coming out from nm
der the Kennett pike. Hera the
real beauty of the Brandywine
commences. From here is q coptinuous
ROCKY grove down to Kentmere, The
great stately oaks, ash and hickories
cover ledges of rocks. that rise up pile
upon pile, and under these trees.
amongst these rocks along the little
babblinR stream Of Squirrel run are
puilt keg mills, carpenter shops. resi-
dences, stores a,Ahalls.
IA! Along the fo.orl ..,hs- bill a9ys -the
able stream on its good behaviour, lying
glistening under the red rays of set
ting sun, placid as still life. Away
down below there are rows of houses,
across the Brandywine are humming
factories, above there q little way
Henry Clay mills rattle on, and pleas
antly disturb the stiffness of summer
eve.
Away up above us there, too, are
houses. On the left we look down on
ridges Of roofs; on the right We look up
to see porches and gardens among the
rocks and trees Past Rising Sun
down toBanoroft's the beauty increases.
Ponderous mills peep out from behind
groves of trees on the far side of the
stream. All at once the stiffness of the
Braudywine is thrown into seething
mass OF silver spray and bubbles, by
rushing over the breast of q mill dam
Away up on the hill, picking its way
around huge boulders Of rocks, is the
snake ike trail of the railroad, Fur-
ther down is wagon road, not vet
finished. Banroft's is reached. What
a magnificent scene Mills and man
sions, groves and fields, lakes and cata.
racts, great stone quarries away down
III the very bowels of the hill and boul-
ders above. Here We are at Riddles
Kentmere woods. Across there are
the stone quarries from which the B &
p. Railroad got their stone-yes. and
the best stone for building bridges in
the world why, these men down there
split out great slabs of stone twenty
feet long, almost as easily as we used
10 spllt chestnut rails when we were
younger. But here is the grove for the
G great pic mic.
our iron horse stops to take little
quiet breathing spell, and the company
aiight from the jaunty car, and as u
matter OF choice of course climb the
most rocky cliffs to the level plateau
above where there is o most beautiful
grove that was once the resort of nearly
all the large pic-nics of Wilmington,
ihenthe people came out by foot, by car.
riages, by omnibusses any way except
Dy railroad Now they come by the
latter right into the verv heart of the
hiil. What a change and what a
trlnm ph OF engineering skill that takes
railroads wherever they wish to 20.
What town is that over there" in
CURED some of the party, pointing to
Forty Acres. "Why, tha 8 Whining.
ton, was the reply. ''Dear me, have
we been riding all this time, and are
Sill less than a quar'er of mile from
wilmington, mentally calculates the
company. A hurried tramp through
the groves. q few quaffs of fresh air to
expand the lungs, q few shouts to hear
the echoesreply, and the company EN-.
barks for home.
The representative of the REpuBIJ-
CAN being already within half a mile of
OF MS home in the city, returns, not to
be let out at the depot q mile and
quarter away from home. This is the
route over which trains will be run on
the Fourth OF Jnly, from the P.,W. &B.
trip. WV 1oAN
The little excursion was under the su-
pervision OF those gentlemanly attaches
o. the w. & N. Railroad, Messrs. L. A.
bower and MoCausland. Amongst
those who were on the excursion were
Rev. Il. ii Adams, j. T. Gardner, Jabez
Hudson, N. III. Mullin and W. B. Gregg;
also George W. Todd, Joseph Pyle, W.N.
Mcoormick and ether gentlemen, q
number of them accom- panied with their
wives and daughters.