Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-10-03
the WORLDS FAIR.
A rRAvrLxR VINO WENT THERE, BUT
DECLINES 10 SAT- ANrrHNa
ABOUT WHAT HE SAW.

"Go, II you can, by all means. There
never has been anything like It before,
and you may never have n chance to geo
anything like Il again. You'll never
regret It." II one has had the worlds
fair bee 10 hls "bunnlt," the above form
Of advice Il what he has been receiving
from everybody who has been to the
great fair, and from lots of people who
haven't been within thousand miles OF
Il.
The members OF the Maine Press Asso-
citation had severe buzxlng OF the
worlds fair bee, and at the annual meet
Ing last winter, when the excursion
question was discussed, no other OBJ
Iective point was seriously considered.
Chairman George y. Howell performed
what he calls one of the greatest acts Of
his life when he sppolnted ss the COM
mlttee In charge Of the excursion Ken.
dali NJ. Dunbar Of Damsriscotta, Albro
L. Chase of Portland, and G. w. Rob
bins of Old Town. The excurslonists
FULLY sgree with Mr.. Rowell, after hav-
ing been piloted so successfully through
the devious ways Of railroads, restau-
rants, hotels, baggage transfers, sleeping
cars, &C. Chairman Dunbar says he
wrote no less than four hundred letters
In connection with the affair before the
excursion started, and everywhere he
Was the head centre OF information and
the point OF attack for all inquiries, sen-
sible and senseless, and had to put In
about half his time In Chicago for the
benefit OF his fellow-travelers. Robb'ns
was everywhere all at once In his usual
hustling style, and II one asked for In
formation or anything else that he didn't
have at hand, he would secure II, or
perish In the attempt. The members OF
the party extend their sincere thanks to
the committee for their indefatigable
aud successful efforts.
Out from Portland Saturday morning,
Sept. 10, over the Mountain Division OF
the Maine Central. The party was
quartered In and Just filled two Wagner
sleeping cars. Some have reported that
It was q lively party; my own observa-
ton Was that Il was very sedate, mat
ter-of-fact crowd, except In the imme-
dlate vicinity OF Howard Owen. The
smoking room was altogether the most
social place, and the ladies, appreclsting
that fact, rose In their might and drove
the men out from one OF those abomina-
lions, and they had to take refuge In the
one In the other car.
Out from Portland ten minutes late,
with a heavy train, and losing time
gradually all along. Twenty minutes
for hurried dinner at Bartlett, n. ii.
Up through Crawford Notch with show
ers yelling everything but the nearest
peaks. Through the beautiful hills OF
northern Vermont by daylight. Fifteen
minutes for supper ut MOrrisville. Soon
the berths were made up, aud each one
was pursuing sleep with more or less
success.
Through the night we crawled at
something resembling a snall's pace, and
the next morning were six hours late
and still losing time. Breakfast at
Syracuse, where We got little recrea.
ton by promenadlng the station plat
form. Then alongside the "raging
canawl" and through western New York
to Buffalo In time for late dinner,
thence to Niagara Falls.
At Niagara We were to have about two
hours Of daylight and four Of darkness,
and Immediately upon arrival everybody
"hustled" to make the most of the little
remaining daylight, some In one dlrcc-
ton, some In another. To the larger
number It was the first sight Of the great
cataract, and they made the most OF Ii.
In the evening q young moon shone In
the sky, and the crowd made Its way to
the park, to take last look at the falls.
II the falls had been attractive by day
light they were doubly so now, and the
neyer-to-be-foryotten sight Of the Inn
mense cataract under the rays OF the
moon was ample compensation for all
the delay We had had or might have.
Breakfast Monday morning ut Niles,
Mich, where there Is one OF the hand
soonest little stations and one Of the best
restaurants that the country affords;
aud. to make II complete, each member
was presented with buttonhOle bouquet,
with the compliments Of the Michigan
Central Railroad. Into Chicago early In
the afternoon, where We were taken ut
once to our quarters at the "Mecca"
Hotel.
The Mecca Is a hotel capable Of ac-
commodating several hundred guests,
built for the worlds fair, but upon such
a plan that after the fair II eau be run as,
an apartment house without remodellng.
The rooms are we'll furnished, and the
dining room, (the hotel Is run upon the
European plan) furnishes as = rule, good
food well cooked; and the cofiee-well,
"Niecca Coffee" that golden-amber fluid,
Il fragrant memory In many minds.
To be sure, when you sat down to the
table your hair would have time to turn
gray number Of shades before you
could get anything to eat, and II you
were In q hurry to get your breakfast
and get to the grounds II was little an
noying; but we must have little bitter
with the sweet.
Now for the fair, half an hours ride
distant by the elevated road, which lands
you ut the gates. You may have been
advised by some one who has been there
to proceed at once to get c0nprehen-
slve view OF the grounds by making the
circuit Of them on the lntramural Rail-
road. Don't do II. II you want to 20
at once to the Maine building and regis
IL very proper thing to do
the quickest and easiest way to 20 IL to
take the Intramural; but as for getting
any comprehensive view Of the grounds,
you can't do II. You get only gllmpses
Of any Of the buildings, and you see tile