The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1899-08-10

paid for IL IN III an1..aht by the j ne
Of county hold-. l. may not be - .lu
as the road may he IN condition + u, 2
time 10 take The liability from hc
county, but "a ruIp, the people LUX
! upon II a. contribution BY the county
of $500 600 tor the sake Of having the
rond. Moi II the people are r,cobcilrd
! /" The In deh aHd believe be- adVbhta e
more han cnnpen-ates for The cxprudi-
turr. tut soma, particularly thos IN
towns of he liHe If he road de- NOT
regard 1t With favor. They feel that the
burden placed upon the taxable property
/ of persons IN towns that have no dire
hput III is al Injustice and hardship.
This from the nature of the case is to b
expected. A public enterprise cannot
benz fit all equally and it is possible for
individuals aud even individual towns
in Washington County to be injured By
the building of this road. But the
great majority of the towns are the
gamers and it must be to the great and
lasting advantage of the county as a
whole.
The two cities Calais and PASSPORT
ard the large towns like Cherryfield,
Machias and East Machias show much
in the way Of Improvement, in the way
Of water works, electric lights, tele-
phone lines. etc, and We expect to see
thesr places take on new activity. The
opening OF the line must make all the
coast towns of the county more desir-
able rs places for summer residence
and resort, because more accessible. r.
also brings the sporting regions day
nearer 10 Bangor or Boston. The beau
ties of Washington County seacoast are
not surpassed by any coast line In Maine
and the hunting grounds and trout
streams and lakes within easy reach
Of the w. c. X. are equal to any in the
State. These attractions will in their
seasons add something 10 the revenues
OF the road and contribute to the bust
ness Of the section. The summer com
pany crop is worthy Of cultivation in
n pecuniary sense if no other. With its
forests, lakes and streams on the one
side and 10 miles of sea line on the other.
Washington County ought to get her
share OF this harvest now THAT these
desirable places eau be reached sc
easily and promptly. Already many
Well-to-do people OF other States. who
formerly resided in these delightful
Maine towns ard cities have summer
home here, where they pass the heated
season, quietly, pleasantly and sensibly.
This is likely to be considerably iucreas
ed in the early future, likewise the mum
Der of sportsmen, now that the facilities
for travel are 50 greatly improved.
The hospitality Of the citizens of
MacAias. Calais. aud Eistport, the three
places visited this year was uustinted
and worthy 81 all plaise. In Machia-
teams were furnished for transportation
from the train To hotels aud TO he train
again, also Tor drives about town and
toa dihning towns. \ pleasing reception
was also rendered the party by cluzrGs.
Az Calais the party WIS met by repre-
SeutatiVes Of the board of trade and OF
the city press, carriages were provided
for all purposes, Il trolley ride in the
city and to ST. stephens in the Queens
domain. Carte Nlane was given at all
the livery stables in town for teams for
drives in the city or in the country and
a delightful reception was given tho
visitors in the rooms of st. CroiX Club.
In Passport teams were furnished for
drives about town, II fine chOWder din
ner WAS served on the shore and free
access to the races then in progress was
afforded. The city could not at that
time furnish hotel accommodations for
the party because of the crowded con.
dition of its hotels. but excellent accom-
modations were found at Hotel Ne-mat-
ta-no, an elegant and capacious summer
house at North Lubec, some miles by
steamer from Eastport.
The beauties and attractions Of these
places and the kindness shown by their
people to the "press gang" would each
furnish sufficient data for newspaper
article of reasonable length, therefore
we cannot go into particulars at this
time, and our appreciative words aud
thanks must be applied alike to the
people of the three places.
Our thanks are also due in no small
measure to the Maine Central and Wash
ington County railroad companies and
to the Frontier Steamboat Company for
favors in the way of free transportation
and polite attention of officials. A
special car was provided by the former
at Bangor which the party used until
it reached Maehias and the latter fur
nished a special car for the use of the
party from Machias To Calais and from
Passport to Bangor,
Our excursion came uncomfortable
near a tragic ending. Fifteen of oul
party left the train at Ellsworth, Satur
day, for the purpose of going to Bal
Harbor, and did take the excursion trair
for that resort Sunday morning, arc
unfortunately were upon the gang plank
or slip at MI. Desert Ferry when the
break occurred by which hundreds were
thrown into the water and twenty lost
their lives.
Mr.. Chester W. Robbins of the Ole
Town Enterprise, Who was manager OF
of the Press excursion, and who put
forth heroic and very effective efforts Il
save the lives of those unfortunate
people, as those acquainted with hin
well know he would under such circum
stances, sent printed postal card to tn,
other members of the party, one OF
which we received, Monday afternoon
as follows;
i Old Town, Aug, :, 1899
Friends of the Maine Press Association
Let us congratulate ourselves upon
the successful termination Of our Wash
ingtOn County excursion and the fact
that none of the party of fifteen who
remained in Ellsworth Saturday night
to visit Bar Harbor Sunday, were lost in
that frightful accident nj the Bluffs, not.
withstanding every one of US WAS on the
slip when it broke in twoN and thirteen
of us were precipitated into the water.
Mr.. and Mrs. Campbell succeeded in