Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-08-13

THE READsBoRo RAILROAD THE nEEBFIEID VAL.
LEY, AND THE GOOD TOWN OF WILMINGTON As
SEEN BY A NORTHAMPTON THEoLoGUE
From letter to the Northampton, Mass, Gazette by
Howard A. Bridgman.l
At Hoosac Tunnel a change of cars is made
and "Oh the difference to me, in all matters
Of external convenience. The easy riding,
comfortably cushioned cars of our North
Adams line are exchanged for the stuny,
squeaky, hard-seAted shanties on wheels bear
ing the name "Hoosac Tunnel and Whining
ton" This is rickety little narrow gauge
railroad which runs up from the Tunnel ten
miles to Resdsboro, and is the outlet for most
of the freight and passenger traffic Of that
and neighboring villages. Built principally
to carry TO the IIoyoke paper mills the pulp
ground from spruce logs, it goes in this local
ity under the name of "Newton's tow path,
and has about all it can do to carry the TWEEN
ty five tons of pulp turned out daily from the
mill at it's northern terminus. One does not
expect the best of accommodations from this
dminutive railway, but as regards scenery he
is no loser by his change of cars. The road
runs along on the east bank of the erhtld,
at times within an arms reach of its dancing
waters. The hills grow holder in outline and
their wooded sides slope down precpitousy
to the rivers edge. Hardly human habita
ton is seen in the hours ride, but ali sense Of
| loneliness ia lost in the feeling of security
which comes from lifting ones eyes to the
| hills whence man has ever drawn strength
and courage. The little engine ding dongs
| into Readsboro, and the train hands congratu
late themselves that another run has been sue
oessfully made. Thence ten miles Of staging
along the now familiar Deerield, brings us to
this hamlet Situated in a valley, but sur
rounded on all sides by hills. 1t is a good sam
pie of the thrifty little villages tucked away
here and there throughout the Green Noun
tain state. The founders of the town emu
lating Romulus, built it upon one of the hills,
but like the water courses the settlement in
due time drifted to the valley, and now lies
entirely in the basin, leaving here and there a
farm house dotting the hillside.
In the matter of population the town seems
to be noted for two things its minimum of
foreigners and its excess of widows or the
former there are only three, thrifty, industri
GUS Germans but the name OF the latter is
said to be legion. Here, at the centre, they
count up forty five, one street bearing the sig
nifcant name of Widowville, while nobody
has had the courage TO number those in the
outlying districts. l find, too, that this place
claims the honor OF sending out more maple
sugar than any one town in the world A
good many farmers make from 500 TO 700 gal
Ions annually, and judging from the tne su-
gar orchards have seen, and the best OF ap
pliances for turning sap into syrup, should
say that 1t justly plumes itself on being the
banner town OF the banner state in maple su-
gar. The lover of handsome cattle should
not pass by Wilmington in his search for
sheep and oxen.
Indeed, the village is known through all
the country around as a leader among cattle
raising towns. The soil is well adapted ia
Grazing. and the farmers look well to their
stock, with an eye to worthy exhibition al
the annual October fair, when thousands are
said to congregate here, coming from within
and without the State to see genuine cau
show.
|. Though this place is twenty miles from 6
decent railway, il boasts one of the recent
: DEVELOPMENTS Of civil cation, the skating rink
or course, being 80 far from the corrupt val
lev towns, the institution is still highly reput
able here and being one Of the accessories o
this comfortable tavern, where we are quar-
tered, determined to try the sport the othel
! afternoon, when the hall was deserted,
was nv first venture, but under the patiep
tuition of fair friend made rapid, though
not particularly graceful, progress. My tx
annie was contagious, and soon another thee
IoOne and then a full fedged minister wer
anblipg around the hall. We all feel We
qualified now to express our views regarding
a this new diversion.
4 DEATH OF A DISTINGUISHED NATIVE or VIII
I. MINGToN
b The daily papers of Thursday had thi
q notioe "Dr Frank II. Hamilton one of tn
q nhysioiaus who attended President Garfield
In his last illness, died in New York Wednel
= day. He was born in Wilmington, VI, IL
1918 and was graduated in medicine at tn
3 University of Pennsylvania in 1888 lilo the
4 ssttled in Auburn, N. Y, but in 1860 remoye'
o to New York, and in the civil war serve
4 successively az surgeon OF the New YORK BIS
regiment, brigade surgeon, corps surgeon
: and finally medical inspector of the army
i He was one Of the founders of the Bellevu
4 hospital medical college, professor OF surgeT
i there for fourteen years, aud visiting surgeo
/. 10 the hospital till within three or fou
t wears. during which he has been on the cor
Il sultipR staff. DIR. Hamilton was distlngnishe
!. for his great knowledge of surgery, aud b
+ has not only written many books on surgery
d but also invented number OF valuable surg
10 cal instruments.
b Mrs. King and daughter are at Ei~ar
= Titus's.
!. q. w. Bissell and j. w, Bassett are
u tending the Moody meeting at Nor1hhold'
I, Mr.. and Mrs. Hastings are entertslnin
" Mrs. A. NJ. GOodell OF Hoosiek Falls NJ l
- and w. Adams and family of Windham'
!, The recently elected officers OF the Goo
n. Templars lodge are O. T., Q. O. CLARK v. 1
Ie Ida o. Harris sec'y, Annie NJ Johnson