Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-08-31
SEEM SIGHTS WAY DOWN EAST.
Dr.. Portsrs Son Tramos Over the Native Groun
ds Of His Father.

EDITOR CENSOR: Our party from
| Nlroqua reached Boston tired, but
| happy at one p m, Saturday night,
and found the great city gay with dec
orations and all sorts Of plans for the
entertainment of guests from every
part OF the Union. Leaving the hotel
| at IL o'clock next morning we took q
trollY ride about the parks, meeting the
| RiroQua girls at Portland wharf at D.
m. Our sail out of Boston harbor was
delightful by daylight, but before morn
ing the rocking of the Atlantic mingled
with memories of the dreadful accidents
the Portland and Gen. Slocum-the
! noise caused by So many starts and
/ stops. the fog horn whistles, and ring
ing of the bell buoys, caused us some
uneasiness and with others we dressed
and started to go on deck but were
promptly sent back by the officers All
fear left as, however, when we heard
the throwing Of the ropes, and were
landing in Portland harbor A ride
through Longfellow avenue and we
were soon on the Rumford Falls train,
steaming slowly back towards the hills
of Oxford county 1t is perhaps way
back Back from the sea it is at least,
way back among the hills, in sight of
Mt. Zircou, White Cap and even hold
ing hilltop view of the White Noun
tains.
The village of Rudford Falls would
be city Of much Importance in Wis
consin 1t contains much of interest.
The largest paper mill in the country.
All the postal cards are made here and
are shipped in carloads to the large
cities The operators live in houses that
would be regarded as mansions in the
west. a collection of houses, So in num-
Der, each costing 81, 900, an emergency
hospital has Just opened, each man pays
81 that entities him to enter in case of
sickness. The falls are second to Nj
agara but the city water is polluted by
sewerage from the towns above and the
refuse from the pulp mills up the river
so they are to abandon the present
water works and have system of driven
wells, 30 in number, emptying into one
large reservoir.
Far up the Androscoggin river we see
length of rich intervales where the
crops look more like those Of cur own
state than any we have seen. The Rum
ford Falls train runs mp TO Rangelay
Lakes, the popular resort for hunting
and fishing. Trout taken from the
waters weigh 10 and "A pounds some
times. Some Of the most successful
anglers are ladies. who under the escort
|, of guides stay ont for days at time.
The weather is so cool they dress in two
heavy sweaters. Trains packed with
people carrying fish rods guns. etc, ,
even tourists from England for the hunt
ing later in the season. The rush and
push Of travel on the western roads
where we hardly get glimpse of places
is very differ snt from that in Maine
Here the train stopped and the men got
off 10 pick pigeon berries and app es
from the heavily laden trees along The
roadsides and in the woods. After rest
ing day with our friends we started
with party to climb the mountains
where the blue berries grew. We rode
ten miles TO the base in carriages from
there we had to climb almoet straight
up for a mile anu half. Ii was hard
pulling. but when we reached the sum
NIT we were well repaid. The view was
grand and the berries / could not des-
cribe. They formed a solid blue ground.
You could not find room to stand with
ont crushing them. They grow on
bushes so low that they rest on the moss
and grass beneath. We filed orr pals
and lunch baskets, ate all we could, and
gazed on the Canada and New Hamp-
spire hills and returned late in the even
ing having spent one Of the pleasantest
days Of our lives. Next day we started
for the END Of the Road Along the
base Of the mountains following Swift
river Is miles crossing bubbling brooks
that fill barrels with water every mile
or two for horses to drink, the branches
of the trees meeting over head almost
the entire distance 80 that not ray Of
sun enters. AT Coos bridge we spent an
hour on the rocks that form a canyon
that the tourists say is equal as far as 1t
goes to Grand Canyon OF Colorado, We
kept on the terminus--a little village
that is at the foot of the hills that were
on fire last summer The people left
their homes and 300 men Joined in
| fighting the flames school closed on ac-
count of smoke and the railroad spent
$40 600 before it was extinguished. The
state appropriates $40, 600 for fighting
fires and keeps three fire wardens in
every town On our return we drove
/ around by the sleepy little village of
| Byron, nesting among the hills, The
people greeted ms cordially They all
/ remembered the Charlie Porter who
| taught his first school there, and where
my fathers taste for visiting cemeteries
must have begun as they showed the
village burying ground that he pla, u 7.
The only sign | saw was one havi az
Spruce gun" upon it, The owner in
formed us that we were at Gum Cor
ner that he had retired from business
| after years of tramping the woods for
the gum that he took from the Spruce
| trees, selling enough to enable him to
| live the rest Of his days without work.
He said he had $50 pounds worth 81 per
| pound that he just apt for the accom-
| modation Of guests bat If they did not
| like IL better than we do that amount
will last them long time. On behalf
of the other Charlie Porter he brought
oft some choice pieces Of the pure stuff
| that we tried 70 manage in the scientific
| manner that the natives do, but made a
dismal failure of it, as ii covered our
/ mouth and teeth and we were unable TO
| get it together again, much to the dis
| gust of our friends. We prefer the pep
/ sin gum sold in the railroad stations.
Il rains today and 30 | write. We are
| about to dine on fresh mackerel from a
| table loaded with such variety Of good
| things as no western farmhouse ever
| boasted Monday we go to our Massa-
chusett friends for four Of five weeks,
| G. V. PORTER, JR.
! Rnmford Falls. Maine, August 2l.
I