The Newtown bee., 1899-12-22
LOCAL AFFAIRS.
A Trip Across the Continent

A AAAp ACIOSS GuS SCutluGuC
BY THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC ROUTE
INTERESTINGLY DESCRIBED BY MRS <.
L. JOHNSON OF NEwTOWN, WHO. rs
PASSING THE WINTER AT REDLANDs,
CAL. .>t
Leaving Bridgeport, October %, by
the Colonial Express running between
Boston and Washington, was informed
there would be but one change OF cars
for me between the place Of my depart
ure. and the point Of nv destination
Rediands, CAL, nearly 5000 miles away,
and that change would be at Washing
ter -. G. At New Rochelle our train
was fun onto barge and we went
through Harlem river, passing Black.
Wells Island on the opposite side from
the one Ola which the Long Island boats
pass. Then we pass into the bay, going
under the Brooklyn Bridge, past the
Bartholdi statue and SO on to Jersey
City, when we were run onto the tracks
and on over the Pennsylvania railroad,
as such express trains are in the habit
OF going. About a half hour before
reaching Philadelphia, little girl two
seats ahead Of me was frolicking with a
gentleman back Of her, and said some.
thing about Dsnbury. Isaid "Are you
from Danbury?" The father sat just in
front Of me and aaid: ssNo, New Mil
ford" And he knew everybody I knew
in New Milford, and some In Newtown.
Washington was reached at $40 In the
evening. AS descended from the car a
colored porter approached me and said
he would take my baggage. [ asked If
he was sent to meet me, and he said,
Eyes, mS'am." sent him into the car
for my valise, Which he shoulde red then
took my hand bag and went on to the
gate. where he stopped by a man who
asked me il / was Mrs johnson. Then he
tCld the porter ito take me around there"
[ supposed 1 was being taken to my
sleeper, when he stopped and rang the
bell to hotel on Pennsylvania avenue.
A lady in appearance and manner soon
appeared and said the railroad company
had made arrangements with them to
lodge the through passengers, instead Of
lodging them on the car. | had a clean
room, a nice bed, and probably slept bet
ter than | would have done on the car.
In the morning, at the proper time, an
agent came and took me to my car. AS
soon as began to take off my things q
lady came to me and asked me where l
was going? She was in the next berth
to mine, and hid little / oy three years
old. She said she always liked good
neighbors. When told her here / was
going, she said she was going to Ontario,
about % miles east Of Redlands. She
seems q very lovely woman ard takes
excellent care Of her frail little boy. I
did not quite like the situation OF my
berth, No. 5, and as No. was not occu-
pied the conductor allowed me to have it,
and the California lady also moved to
No. 7, opposite me, so we are each toler.
ably sure Of good company. Our train
has no dining csr now for this reason.
1t was too heavy train for one engine
and is run in two sections. Our section
is carrying the fast mail and is rushing
The conductor says we are making mile
a minute o great deal Of the time, but
there are such heavy grades. and the
road is so crooked, that we swing around
very lively sometimes. The train Ia to
be consolidated at Danville, when one of
the extra cars IL to 60 IN some other di.
rection, and then we will have the dining
car. There is a couple in our Car 80
years cid goirg to Los Angeles, "to
spend the rest of their days," they say.
At 6 O'Clock we are running into Dan
Vile. The dav has been short and very
interesting. 1 shall have my berth made
up early and go to bed. Passing through
Western North Carolina in the night, and
at 11.30 on the morning of the second
day out from Washington we find our
selves at Opelika, Ala. Here the quar-
antine officer came along and [ found
DR. Smiths certificate of use. We were
stopped at some point during the night
by an accident tn freight train and were
two hours and 20 minutes late at Atlanta.
| Judge by the plunging of the cars that
they are trying to make 1t up.
We had at Atlanta an addition, nice
family, young man and wife, with six
months old baby, and the grandmother,
going to Pr oe ak, Arizona. SO we shall
We were due at Montgomery at IL o'clock,
but did not reach there until / AZ p, m.
The time lost in the night was partly
made up, ,bnt the train has been stopping
a1l along at small stations to take on ex-
cursionigts for a fair in Montgomery.
They say this will make no difference in
our time the last part OF the route. While
stopping at Montgomery an interesting
young lady was brought in by our per-
sonal conductor and given q Reat quite
near me. got up to get o Whit OF fresh
air at the door, and when / came back
asked the young lady how far she was
going. She replied that she had just come
into the car while anotherzcar was being
-
been taken IF, but that she had been
I asked from what p1sce, and she said
Boston. said came from Connecticut
and she asked from what place. I re-
piled near New Haven. ''Oh ~ she said,
tsI used to live there. and have visited
there this summer. / am now going to
Redlands, Cal.r sWhv," said I, II too
ann going to Ren.ends." She asked if
had friends there, and whenI said II am
going to see my son, who is rector OF
the Epiacopal church there" she asked
ssMr johnson? Oh! / know him very
WE'LL" She said she had been very lone.
Iy in her car as there was no other lady
to day, and she wished she was in this
car, and che should come back and zee
me sgain il she might. The sky looks s
little like rain just now, and am feeling
the oppression of the heat somewhat
but feel very well and notas tired as " her
I left home. It has sbeen extreme ly in
tere sting to me to see the negro cabins
the cotton plantations, the pigs, the pick
aninnies--loEs OF them-the mllee, anC
so much else that goes 10 make up thu
| typical Southern, old-time, negro quarters
We reached New Orleans about mid
night, Wednesday, where we were rul
onto an immense ferry boat and fer rie'
across the Mississippi. Ordinarily tn
| passengers are allowed TO go out on th
boat and get view Of the city, but TIA
quarantine regulations are very strict
and as my window came directly oppo
aite partition Of the boat and not
window, I got not glimpse Of th
river. A good many people comp'aine
OF the heat but did not suffer. | wa
awake very early Thursday morning. A
the state line between Louisiana an
Texas our train stopped In the wood
4 quarantine officers boarded the train an
each passengers ticket was inspecte
and each one had to write his or hi