St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-10-17
WHERE CORN is KING.


Wonderful Growth and Future Pros
Observations, Wise and Other
wise.
On Monday morning, Sept. 80, a
special train of six vestibule Pullman
cars rolled out of the Fitchburg de-
pot, bound for Sioux City, Ia. The
cry so often heard in Washington,
What are we here for?' was asked
by many in our party, and before
making any acquaintance let me
answer this question. The trip was
taken by invitation of Mr. A. S. Gar
retson of Sioux City, to whom that
city is indebted for many of its public
buildings and much of its present
prosperity and future greatness.
This philanthropist pledged $40, 200
to bring a representative party of
New Englandcrs to his city and de-
pended on the iObbers and manufac-
turers' association, better known as
the board of trade, to back him up.
Probably no such excursion ever left
Boston as this one, and certainly no
party received more hospitality, or
enjoyed better time
Making Acquainfances.
The party numbered 1O4 and in
Guided 80 of the jolliest newspaper
men in New England, besides bankers
and capitalists, LAWYERS, merchants
and men of leisure The underpaid,
and consequently overfeed porter
well described the party when he
wrote home to his best girl, Il am
travelinl- with party of New Eng
landers- every one of whom is a gen
tleman." Among those in the ''press
gang" were Hiram Atkins of the
Montpelier Argus and Patriot, E. H.
Elwell, Jr., of Portland, representing
his fathers able paper, the Tran
script, W. @. Merrill of the Lawrence
American, one of the brightest jour
nalists on the train; F. B. Whitney,
business manager of the Boston
Transcript; Capt. Frank NJ. Bates
of the Pawtucket Times, and Henry
w. Pitman of the Somerville, Mass,
Journal, whose genial ways made
him the best known man on the
train. The Boston Journal had an
able representative in Arthur T. Low
ell, and the smile of the Holyoke
Transcript proprietor, W. G. Dwight,
would drive dull care away at any
time. Strange to relate there were
no colonies on board, but among
the ''honOrables" were lilly Haynes,
ex-a1derman from Boston and pro-
prietor of the United States hotel;
ex-mayOr J. F. c. Hyde of Newton,
who as agricultural editor of the
COngregatiOnalist was SO eager for
facts and figures that he was some
times called, though most respectful
ly, for he was every inch a gentle
man, Hyde and seek" DIR. Eben
Touriee of the Boston Conservatory
of Music; Judge William E. Fuller of
Taunton, probate judge of Bristol
county, and Hon B. F. Whittemore
of Boston, who was chosen president
of the party and proved a most excel
lent choice.
"MerriIy We Roll Along"
Our Pullman vestibule train had
four sleepers, dining car and a COM
pOsite car, the latter containing a
reading room, library, smoking
room, barber shop and bath room.
The train was run by the well-known
excursionists, Raymond & Whit
comb, and every one Jared as well on
the eight days trip as at any hotel
in Boston. c. c. Harding of Boston
and Coolidge Barnard of Dorchester
had charge of the party and kept
them well supplied with reading mat
ter concerning the trip, or answered
all sorts of both wise and foolish
questions. Under such favorable aus
pieces we rolled merrily along with
our faces toward the setting sun.
Westward HO!
The old BAY State was quickly
traversed and after winding among
the hills that make the Deerfeld val
ley the train entered Hoosac tunnel,
the great bore" which is now illu-
minated by 1900 incandescent lights
Mr. Hyde entertained a small cote
RE by relating how, as a member of
the state legislature, he came here in
1857, and reported that the tunnel
project was feasible, and in the face
of ridicule and many discourage
ments, saw at last Hoosac mountain
in sharp contrast to Oliver Wendell
Holmes, who predicted in the Auto
crat of the Breakfast Table" that
the end of the world would come
When first the locomotives wheel
Rolls through the Hoosac tunnel bore"
Our first night out was spent in
crossing New York state at it's great
est width on the West Shore road.
Some of the party slept and some of
them didn't, while some of those that
did sleep made more noise than all
the rest put together, who were
awake. This led the philosopher to
remark that he never objected to a
man talking in the daytime if he
would only keep his mouth shut
nights.
A glimpse of Niagara Falls from
the old suspension bridge was afford
ed as we crossed into Canada early
Tuesday morning. The ride over the
Grand Trunk from Niagara Falls to
Chicago was a tedious one. Remem-
bering that "all things come to him
who waits" we waited on side tracks
seven hours in all, to meet all sorts
of trains from hog train for John
Squires to the Chicago flyer" AT
ter passing through rich agricultu-
raj section Lake Huron was sighted
late Tuesday afternoon and its out
let was crossed at Port Huron on a
huge ferry boat which took the en-
tire train over in one trip.