Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-08-15
ovsa the suNRlsE ao0rr.
EXCURSION or THE MAINE PRESS Ass0-
cIArioN TO WASHINGTON COUNTY.

ExCuRaox or THE MAINE PRESS Ass0
cIArioN TO WASHINGTON COUNTY.
FIRST LETTER. TO MAcHIAs, AND OH
STAY THERE.
The Maine Press Association did two
long headed things In connection with
its annual excursion for the year 1889
6rst when It was decided TO 60 over the
route OF the newly built Washington
County Railroad, and second when @. W..
Robbins Of the Old Town Enterprise was
made chairman Of the committee OF ar
rangements, and as such practically the
manager Of personally conducted party.
Brother Robbins is born excursion
manager, possessing just those qualities
which are absolutely essential to success
10 the business, and the dependence OF
the members Of the party upon Hmm
almost absolute.
Is any information Of any sort desired
ASK Robbins" and II be doesn't
know he will ind out. IL there danger
that we shan't make our connections
''Oh, well, Robbins'll get US through all
right-he'll make them walt" DO the
excurionists wish to Wait some place
where there 10 "positively no admit
tance"-''Get Robbins to 60 with you,
and every bar Is let down, and every
door is smilingly set wide open.
The writer noted one rather amusing
instance Of the reliance which was plsc-
ed upon Robbins. had been wrestling
With n rather dense steamboat captain
and special schedule for the day 70 fnd
out whether we could stop an hour At
Campobello and still get back In time to
make our connection at Eastport. gave
up the captain after little and took the
schedule which he passed over to me and
studied II carefully. This showed me
that we could make the stop desired,
and so reported to the ladies OF the
party, whereupon one OF them guileless-
iy exclaimed, snow II Mr.. Robbins had
only come along, we should tnoe."
The work OF rescue which Robbins did
In the awful disaster ut Mount Desert
Ferry, where he WAS the most note
worthy hero OF the day, has been well
set forth In the papers, where he has
been credited with saving all the way
from eleven TO thirty persons. Probably
Robbins himself could not tell how
many he got out. l was not direct
witness Of any Of his work; but did
see something OF the tremendous energy
and vitality which characterize the man.
II must have been nearly an hour after
the disaster that he came up the hill TO
The Bluffs hotel, where the hslf-drowned
people were getting dried and thawed
out. He had on nothing but the under
clothes In which he had been In the
water for long time, but showed no
signs of exhaustion, and the only signs
of excitement that he displayed WAS sn
intense Joy that our party had all got
out safely. Aside from that, he appear
ed slmost ~ calm as II he had simply
been arranging hotel rates or railroad
transportation for the party.
But TO the excursion Itself.
The Washington County Rsilrosd-she
"Sanrise Route az IL IL colloqutally term
ed BY the railroad mems the realized
dream of many years. dream which for
a generation has been frequently 20 near
reslir alton that the people Of Washing
ton County actually had TO pinch them.
selves to make sure that they were
dreaming. For several sessions OF the
legislature, Col. Greene, promoter Of the
ashore Line Road" was one Of the most
familiar figures at Augusta. He never
directly realized his dream, but the road
has been built. II started running reEu-
lar trains the first OF the present year,
and by the time for the summer sched-
ule to be put on Was In condition to al
iow Of fast time being made, although
the bsllssting Il not entirely flushed.
Before this railroad was built, the whole
of southern Washington County WAS
without railroad connections Of any sort.
The county seat At Machiss, although
on tide water, was more than forty miles
from railroad, and q large extent OF
lum herring and fishing and hunting terri
tory could be reached only by 4 long
drive with teams. The road runs from
Washington Junction, short distance
below Ellsworth on the Bar Harbor
branch OF the Maine Central, l03 miles
east to Calais, on the New Brunswick
border, with branch running TO East.
port, and another up the st. Croix River
from Calais 10 Princeton.
The members Of the Maine Press As
sociation excursion party rendezvoused
AZ Bangor, at 8 o'clock on the afternoon
Of Monday, July 3lst. Those from the
western portion of the state took the
Maine Central at Portland, or come one
Of the functions on the road. 1t took
only q glimpse Of the train TO show that
the tide OF summer travel was setting
strongly 10 to the playground OF the
nation" A heavy train was filled TO the
limit of comfort.
The train steamed rapidly along
through the beautiful scenery OF Maine,
and reached Bangor at 3P. NJ. Here Mr..
Robbins appeared, with his hands full
Of three kinds Of bundles and fifteen
kinds OF business, and the several men,
bers Of the party gathered from their
scattered situations and shook hands
with one another and fired questions at
Robbins.
A special car Was attached to the rear
Of the train, and the party, which then
numbered about forty, and was increas-
ed by several additions during the
course OF the week, comfortably flled it.
We put on our badges Of red ard blue
ribbon and settled down to renew old
scauaintances and make new ones.
These badges, by the way, were quite
expansive, and rather conspicuous, but
they were better than passport, and
ensured us the best of everything every
where we went, and courtesies innumer-
able.
The ride from Bangor over the Bar
Hsrbor branch was delightful one, with
a moving panorama of lakes and woods
and rocky hills; though one almost won
ders II the engineers made their prelimin-
ary survey along snake track, the road
winds around among the hills In such .
tortuous course.
We strike the Washington COUNTY
road at Washington junction, which l.
about as interesting waiting point-if
you had to wait there-as Dsnville juno
ton. Our car Is attached to the w. G.
train which stands on the track, and we
are OF for the sunrise.
There Is some magnificent scenery in
Washington County, but such as there
Is in the western part Of the county the
railroad manages 70 keep out of sight Of.
1t runs through the freshly cut woods,
over q soil sometimes swsmpy and
sometimes gravelly, with nothing in
sight most Of the way except the wall OF
trees.
At Cherryfeld we come into the first
break of any size 10 the woods Here Ia
q pretty little village on both sides Of the
Narrsguagus River, with several water
powers and Q number Of lumber mills.
An excellent view Of the village is OBJ
talned from the railroad, and In the light
| Of the hour before sunset Il made q
charming picture. Only . few miles from