Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-31
PRAISES LAKE CHAMPLAlN
Julian Ralph Writes of Famous
Body of Water.
Waking Up a Sleeping Beauty-The Rich
Past and Brilliant Future OF One of
Liberty's Cradles Attractions
of the Champlain Valley.

was never more impressed by promise
Of brilliant future than in making
voyage from end to end of Lake Cham
plan. 1t is never safe to draw bold con-
illusions about "A matter with when one
is but slightly acquainted, yet TINS miKhtJ
and beautiful lake appears to have pas
sed it's days of extreme usefulness as q
national highway without having come TO
its supreme glory as a scat of summer and
pleasure life.
The water caravans of commerce are still
to he seen, like islands of boats by day
like lighted towns atloat at night, yet they
count for little more than do the aban-
doned and brokcn-down forts of the
French and English epochs-mcre remind
crs Of what has been. The promise for
the future is read in the mansions ana
Villas and the summer annexcs of the old
| towns seen through the foliage and against
the mountain sides. They are nearly all
the wrong side of the lake at present-on
the New York side starting across the
ll,e at the fiat but rich farms of Yer
mont.
In time there will be thousands upon
thousands of homes whore those farms
meet the lakes edge for 1t Is as seen from
the Vermont side that Lake Champlain
presents its real beauty and grandeur,
because the view from Vermont is
a view Of the green hills and purple and
black mountains of the Adirondacks
| ranges. Then, again, it is on the eastern
shore that GOODNESS dwells in constant
hrcozcs.
The tide of summer folk into the North
| Woods has been the rush of a great army,
and its camp followers and stragglers are
these people who have gone no further
than the great lake and there have built
themselves homes taken summer board
| in the watersde hotels.
$50 MILES LONG.
For those who need the information, 1t
may be mentioned that this water, which
"a q
fore the pilgrims saw Plymouth Rock, is
about 100 miles long, or nearly as long as
the Hudson between New York and Al
hany. But in its volume OF water it would
make many Hudsons, for 1T possesses one
great reach that is u miles in length while
as far down as Ticonderosa 1t is three
quarters of a mile wide. And 1t contains
depths of hundreds of feet in places.
There are three large islands at the
northern end of the lake-Grand Isle,
North Hero, and Isle La Motto. The first
two have been connected with Vermont
and with civilization by stone causeway
which is the main line of a new railway
| connecting New York with Montreal
| This massive stone road causes the trains
to seem to leap from the shore above Bur
lington into the freshwater sea, and thus
to make their way like some new-fangled.
swift torpedo boats. over to these Islands,
which up to this time have been seen up
on the maps, but trod by very few tour
lists. They very beautiful islands of
great extent and rising high above the
lake with deeply indented and wooded
shores, affording small harbors and hotel
and cottage sites in scores. and of an at
tractiveness not easily matched even upon
this ma jestic lake
! went to these islands eagerly, expect
ing to find them colonized by French
Canadians who had been so long isolated
as to preserve the habits and manners
of the ancient Bretons in a great deal
purer form that their brethren under the
British flag. In this l was disappointed.
Even upon Grand Isle there are only suffi-
Gent French to support small church.
and they are very scattered. The visitor
therefore Is obliged to content himself with
the sight and pleasures Of very rich farm
ing regions, with a few hamlets here and
there. peopled by the old yankee families
tho newer but abundant Irish who over
run Vermont, and but n few "habtants."
AN IMPENDING CHANGE
1t is certainty that these islands, like
the lake in which they lie, about to
change their character They have been
iAc seat Of a none too-rcmunerative farm
ing industry, but the waterslde acres, the
bluffs. and the promontories are soon to
lie the sites of summer hotels, summer
villas, and summer settlements. The
camper is the pioneer in such move
ments Just as the missionary used &c
roam far in the vanguard of civilization
to-day the camper seeks places for his tents
far North in the forests of Canada and or
our own country's borders, and here or
these beautiful islands his tents alread
CLEAN among the trees and his canoes rock
in the diminutive harbors.
He has found that from one shore OF
these Islands he sees the mammoths OF
the Green Mountains clad with a greer
fur of trees, from the other shore he looks
out upon the purple ranges Of the Adron
dacks, while from the higher ground he
sees both the mountains of New England
/
which there can be none purer. perhaps or
earth. 1t is an atmosphere of the blend
ed breathings of an island crystal sea- oi
a wilderness covering seven counties. anc
of the balsamic verdure of Both the White
and Green Mountains.
From Burlington where several New
Workers have this summer bought fine
places because of the great beauty anC
hoalthfullness of the little, spraying town
| went up the lake by steamer. To g,
south is to go up, because the waters
run down to the north. This is almost
as confusing a statement as the trick ques
ton which young ladies put to each new
acquaintance they meet; What is it tina
YOU can't put up a waterspout up, bu
which you can put up a waterspout down?
tIhe answer being IAN umbrella
1t was pleasure to he able to engage
passage on the old lake favorite, the Yer
mont, because she is finishing her final sea
son of usefulness and is to be replace
led boat. This broad. roomy steamboa
dates from an era of nautical splendor carl
Ter and richer than that which may be cal
led the Jim Fiske period.
LUXURIOUS CRAFT.
The famed craft of the Mississippi II
the days OF greatest planter prosperity
were not nearly so fine. Her saloon com
panonway is finer lin the noblcness o
its dimensons) than many a ducal pal
ace boasts, its saloon is made ornate will
abundant carving, arabesquerie, and gold
its seats are luxurious, its cabins are al
most 1T to be called bedrooms, and i
could accommodate couple of regiments
OF passengers without discomfort
Its engine. all brasswork and pollshe,
steel Is presided over by a man in a lit
tie parlor- like room, after the fashion o
thirty to fifty years ago, and its "ex
haust' sounds like the sleepy breathinl
of a giant as its paddles buckets beat tn
water with evenly timed strokes. 1t il
a thousand pities that such queens of tn
waves must give way to the smaller NOR
practical, but far less comfortable vessel
OF the iron steamboat type.
If we can imagine an object so near =
thing of life having thoughts and sen
sations, we may well fancy that the oil
Vermont has decided herself to be tn
highest contamination of mans art in boa
building, The lake craft she sees and pas
Sos every other day would warrant thi
concet.
| do not know what was the shane an,