Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-28
ARAINY DAYS OUTING.
The Excursion Of the Pittsburg Club
women to Wopsononock.
EVERYBODY HAD A GOOD TIME.
Jupiter Pluyius Couldn't Spoil the Fun on
the Mountain Top.
HOW THE JOLLY HOURS WERE SPENT
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.J

"Wopsononock" cannot be found in the
dictionary, nor in "Swinton's Complete
Course of Geography" nor even in Grams
great standard atlas. Those who desire to
learn how to pronounce it and spell it will
look for it in vain in the pronouncing geo
graphical vocabulary. But for all that it is
an immense place. Everything around it
is on scale of grandeur. 1t is mighty, ma
jestic and magnificent. 1t looks down upon
its surroundings secure in its own glory. Its
crested heights are in the clouds. Its tow
ering pine trees pierce the armament on
high.
1t has stood the storms for thousands Of
ears yea, ever since the world began
orthodoxy speaking. 1t may have been
the site of the paradise lost by Adams fall
for all we know. 1t may have been the
haunt Of ''the ineligible forms of ancient
poets, the fair humanities of old religion"
Who knows but that here Dryads and
Naiads disported themselves and held holy
sacrifices and high revels in early ages?
The pure cold springs, the spicy pines, the
sturdy oaks, the mountain daisies-all are
here, while the rocky streams suggest the
delicious trout in hidden depths. The
mountain laurel, with delicate pink and
white blossoms and great masses of dark
foliage, never spread themselves in greater
luxuriance than on this beautiful mountain.
Ferns in richest forms and largest size grow
rank as ragweed in a neglected garden.
The Origin of an Excursion.
In the dying days of last years summer
two. members of the Woman's Club came
home from happy holiday raving over the
beauty, the grandeur, the delights of
Wopsononock. 'The Isles of Greece, the
Hills of Spain, the purple. Heavens of
Rome" were all very well, of course-the
classic halls of Cliautauqua, the wave-kissed
sands of Newport, the royal routes at Sara
toga might be full of charm, but Wopso-
nonock for magnificent scenery, invigorat-
ing mountain climate, fresh, bracing pure
air, and the delights of living afar from the
fetters of fashion and ''the madding world'
simply took the rag off the bush. An
autumn outing was Immediately projected,
but owing to the uncertainty of human
affairs and divers other reasons the trip was
postponed until last week.
Some of the members spent part of the
winter in learning the pronunciation of the
name of this delectab1e mountain, which
presents some difficulty to some of them
even yet in unguarded moments. To them
tants of the region have no scruples about
shorting it to "Wopsy," and rhyming it
with Topsy. This in view of its grandeur
and high position may seem irreverent and
undignifed, but it will not be forgotten
that the ruler of Britain and the Empress
of India is familiarly known as 'Vicky,"
while the great potentate and reigning mag
nate of the United States is called "Bennie''
for short, and is familiarly known as "Baby
McKee's grand daddy"
AJo1ly Party of Women.
However, the trip to this beautiful noun
tain was at last arranged under the able
superintendence of Mrs. Ida L. Easton and
Mrs. NJ. E. Dinwiddie in behalf of the
members of the Woman's Club, the Travel
ers' Club and the Woman's Press Club, who
desired to go. Snch party of women was,
of course, enough to frighten any man
save perhaps Mr.. Thomas E. Watt, of the
P. r. R. He may have been terrified
enough-who knows-but he very effectually
concealed it if he was. Some poet has said
of man that three-ffths of him is good for
something, and two-ffths sheer fudge" yet
Some of the "beloved brethren" were with
noble factor in the general good time. More
would have been present save for the grind
of business. That those good fellows were
missing the rare pleasure of the occasion
was the only shadow upon some hearts when
their thoughts turned homeward.
No gayer party ever steamed out of the
Union station. They were bent upon hav-
ing full measure of enjoyment out of the
jaunt, and they had it, brimming over and
stood in the slop, as some wit said of
Macaulay's overpowering flow of talk.
The Heavens Wept Bountifully.
A two-hours' stop at Cresson was on the
programme by kindness of the Pennsylva-
MIA Railroad, through Mr.. Watt. Here it
rained in torrents, said one, like cats and
dogs, said another, all the animals in the
universe, said third. And truly it did
rain tremendously, but rain is nothing when
you are out for a lark. Music was called
for-something melancholy and depressing
to lower the tone of hilarity from concert
pitch, but even singing out the stations
from a Wall and Braddock schedule. failed
to fatten the key. "The Presidents cot
tage" was visited and voted unanimously
to be ga very poor show" Between show
ers the members of the party got
back to the station. The hotel was
not open, consequently the soda water,
candy and chewing gum, cake and cigar de-
Here the young fry went into business, and
with admirable alertness and dispatch dis
pensed aqua pura, imaginary sodas and in
visible cakes to the party whose appetities
had been whetted by the mountain air to an
incredible sharpness.
AT the Logan House, in Altoona, a de-
licious supper awaited the travellers, which
was eaten with amazing zest. Music and
dancing and the reception of deputation of
citizens rounded out a delightful evening.
With Wopsononock in view, they went off
to the Land of Nod amid the clatter
and splatter Of the rain, rain,
rain. 1t may be said here that
unlike the hotels at Chautauqua, the Logan
House does not serve what are called "ex-
cursion meals" The meals served to this
party were of the choicest, the service was
excellent and everything of the best This
dead-head in the crowd
Up the Mountain by Rail.
In the morning street cars took the party, |
reinforced by members of the press, officers |
of the road and Altoona citizens, to the sta |
tion of the Wopsononock Railroad. When |
the mountain was in view it looked terrify- |
ing, and it would be little wonder if some
of ''the girls said their prayers under their |
breath. However, we had come to go up to |
the summit of that delectable mountain,
stand as Moses did, and view the landscape
DER, and we were in for it, even at the risk
of being made items of in THE DISPATCH
the next day under terrific headlines.
The road had only been in operation a
few days and, under the rose be it spoken,
there were those among us who would have
preferred the old-time stages. However,
with the courage-more or less-of the 'si1
hundred" who rode into the valley of death,
we climbed into the car, all of u.s. The en-