The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-03-08
HIS WINTER VACATION.
Rev. L. L. HdnsCOm Talks of What
He Saw and Heard on His Trip.


Rev. L. L. Hanscom Talks of What
He Saw and Heard on His Trip.
People who were familiar with Mr..
Hanscom's talks in the pulpit and in
familiar conversation, we're pretty sure
of something interesting in the lecture
of last Friday evening, when he prom
ised to talk about where he went and
what he saw during his absence on a
health trip to the Pacific coast. They
were not disappointed. Mr.. Hanscom
took his audience with him on tour
list sleeper over the Northern Pacific
to Portland, Oregon, with stop oyer
Sunday in Montana. Like all stud
ents of human nature who are kindly
disposed toward fellow pilgrims in a
long journey, Mr.. Hanscom found
much to interest him on the train
the inquisitive passenger who soon
found out everything worth knowing
about the affairs of the occupants OF
the car; the old fellow who insisted
on giving bits of his biography to all
who would listen to him; and the lit
tie circle of veterans who held an i'm
promptu campfire on the train, to
which the little bronze G.. A. R. but
ton of the elder was sufficient pass
port.
The wonderful freaks of nature seen
in the Bad Lands were the first not
able natural wonders of the journey.
The speaker was reminded by the
barren and demoniacal looking crags
through which the train passed, of the
dutchman's remark, that "Hell was
not more as a mile away" Butte,
Montana, where he left the train, he
found an overgrown mining camp,
with it's roughness and vices. The
open exhibitions of gambling, drink
ing and licentiousnes, together with
the sulphurous smoke which settled
down from many tall chimneys at
times, made him fancy Butte as a
modern Sodom. He spent Sunday at
the famous Anaconda mines, where he
preached, and where he was greatly
impressed with the stagnation of the
mining industry. He said that year
ago last fall some of the people out
there wanted change. They got it.
It looked to Mr.. Hanscom as though
the silver mining industry had seen
its best days.
From Montana 10 Portland, Oregon,
was quickly traversed, mention being
made of the second longest tunnel in
the United States, about two miles in
length, through which his train car
ried him, and of other wonders of
engineering incident to the railroad
climbing on that route. Arriving at
Portland he took the famous Shasta
route to San Francisco. It passes
through the grandest scenery of his
entire route. Grand old Mount Shasta
lowered for bout two vertical miles
over the surrounding landscape, and
for hours the train seemed to alter
nately advance, recede and circle about
the wonderful mountain, without be-
ing able to get away from it.
Lack of space prevents our quoting
at length in regard to San Francisco,
Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, at
each of which cities Mr.. Hanscom
made sojourn of some length. Those
who attended the lecture hearda vivid
description of some of the horrors of
Chinatown and other slums of San
Francisco, which Mr.. Hanscom pro-
nounces the wickedest city in the
Union. He closed with genial adj
mission that he saw no town on his
travels so welcome to his sight as Red
wood Falls, no church and congrega-
ton so near to his heart as his own,
and no home or woman and children
so dear to him as the little grey par
sonage and it's inmates an admission
which was reciprocated with hearty
applause by the audience.
| ~e-
TOWN TALK
John March is dangerously i'll with organic
| heart trouble.