The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-04-05
Across the Continent.
Special to the Opinion.
MoNRovIA, CAL, March 10, 1895.

near something Vi my JouiuoJ "ciooo VI
continent and my stay in California, l viii
endeavOr to send letter for publication
from time to time while remain.
I Joined the Raymond u Whtcomb ex
cursion party at Greenfield, Mass, the eve
ming of Thursday the 18th OF December II
company with Mr.. Tand Mrs. Emerson Hal
of ST. JOhnsbury and on the train met MIS-
S. ). Thompson of Lynd0nvllle, she haVlht
Joined at Boston.
AS soon as possible after entering the ca
| retired for the night. 1t did not seen
very long before heard some one say
'.See the lights" and raised the window
curtain and found that we were passln&
O'Clock in the morning, and found that tnt
train was making a stop at place whicl
looked to me like Troy, but think 1t mus
have been Syracuse. AT O'CLOCK Dreak
fast was announced, and we passed lntc
the dining car where we were served 10 tne
best the country afforded. Az ~ we die rev
into Buffalo. The tram changed lines mere
and passed on to the Nlckle Plate. we
stOpped some little time and amused our
selves by trying to count the number OF
railroad tracks, but gavelt up IN vain, as
there was a perfect net work of Them Ar
ter leaving Buffalo, and passing beyond
Dunkirk, we saw many large vineyards.
At4IO %. III. we reached Cleveland and
here the party left the train and were taken
in electric cars across the city, the route
LAYING through part of Eulchid avenue,
to another depot the train meantime going
around, and also taking on supplies.
We arrived in Chicago at o.l0 saturday
which were in waiting, to the Auditorium
Hotel. The Vermont portion OF the party
were given rooms up one flight, just back
of the parlor. The Auditorium is the
prandest structure of the kind L have ever
Seen. The outer wall is of granite, and as
Of
ONYX pillars and a handsome marble STAIR
case meet his view. The dining room we
found on the top floor of the building, the
ninth story, and we reached it by going up,
up. up in the elevator. The room is 175
feet long and its floor is of mosaic. On each
end of the main part are two large mural
paintings one of a man fishing, and one of
a man hunting. The ceiling is dome Shap-
ed. with several rows of electric lights
across. We had a fine view of the lake
from the dining room.
While in the windy city we visited some
of the stores, gazed with admiration upon
the windows which had been decorated for
the holidays, and took trip to Lincoln Park.
A number Of the young people, myself in
cluded, went up to Jackson Park to see
the remnants of the Worlds Fair. We took
a cab at the entrance so were enabled to go
all over the grounds. The buildings that we
found standing, and in good state OF pres
prEALlOn were Jlt NONCluultuJ DullulllS,
the Life Saving Station, the Japanese Hoo
den on the island, the German building,
the Victoria House, the Iowa building, the
Convent, and, of course, the Art Palace.
The lions which guarded the entrance to
the Art Palace had been boxed up for the
winter, all except their tails The Illinois
battle ship seemed to be in a good state of
The Statue of the Republic
was SANDING but she had changed her
dress" she being clothed in white, and she
looked very nice in her new costume. The
intense heat of the fires which had ragged in
Jackson Park had utterly ruined the gold
leaf in which she had been draped, though
the globe and torch which she held in her
hand still remain gilded. The HOrticultu-
fal Hall was standing but it was a mere
she'll; the windows and doors were out, and
the doorwayS shorn of all their former
grandeur. Where the main buildings had
stood the ground was covered with rubbish,
old iron, twisted into all sorts of shapes,
and nails which showed plainly that they
state buildings had stood the rubbish had
been Al cl AIRED away and the ground
raked over. There was one feature of the
Fair that was no where to be seen, and
s Iesos y The driveways did not pre-
sent the smooth, well kept appearance of
the white cits Of our remembrance.
Sunday eveniAgs after dinner, we went
DOWN INTO INSTRUMENTATION connects tne
main building of the Auditorium with the
marble and is lighted by electricity. We
went through into the annex, and it SEEM
ed as though we had stepped into fairy
land. The floors, here, too, were Of mosaic,
the pillars of onyx, but the ceiling had been
sprinKled with something which glisteRed
and glittered as the electric lights fell up
on it.
Monday morning, about o'clock we left
Chicago via the Chicago Rock Island &
Pacific railway. East of Chicago we had
the Pullman. We had not gone very far
before we caught sight, off to the left, of the
city of Pullman. Soon the first coal mines
on the route came into sight; they looked
like good sized mounds of earth. We pass
ed through Joliet and on to Peru, (Which
place recognized by the sign of the ILL
nois Zinc Works. and through La Sale,
coal mining and foundry place In one
spot noticed a pipe coming up out of the
ground and steam issuing from it.
We passed village soon alter leaving
Chicago where there had been boom
Great wire works had been established
there. then something happened to the wire
people had built their houses on The Install
ment plan, and when they were thrown
out of employment could not make the pay
ments, so deserted them. The houses look
ed fOTlOrn, with the windows all out. Some
one remarked that they had taken the win
iows out and drawn the chimneyS in. We
passed prairleS and prairies. Here and
there we would see house, but there was
often number of miles between. We came |
TO Rock Island and stopped three fourths |
Of an hour, and many of us got out and |
walked on the platform. just beyond Rock |
Island we Gro sed the great Mississippi, |
over an iron bridge, to Davenport, Iowa. |
A ferry steamer was olying between the |
lwO cities. From here we followed the val |
ey of the Illinois river for quite distance. |
At nine O'Clock the next morning we ar.
rived at Kansas City, Missouri, where Mr.. |
md Mrs. Hall were met by several friends, |
Mr.. HibOard formerly of st. JOhnsbury and /
Concord, Mr. Potts, formerly of st. Johns
bury, and Mr.. Damon, formerly of Cabot,
md Mr.. and Mrs. Hall WI h other members
If the Vermont portion of the party were
aiken to Mr.. Potts house where two hours
we're pleasantly spent Mr.. and Mrs. Potts
nave a very pretty home on Locust street.
When we went back down town Mr.. Potts
0ok us through his custom clothing house.
lie does an extensive business in ladies'
aliOT made clothing. We were taken to
he depot through the tunnel. The tunnel
S on quite down grade and was quite in
erestng TO me. The depot was filed with
III sorts of people. Probably many of
hen were emigrants. On leaving the ladies
we're each presented with handsome clus-
or of rose budS