Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-07-12
At the Great Worlds Fair.
A MAINE PRESS ASSOCIATION PARTY
VISITS ST. LOUIS AND THE LOUISIANA
PURCHASE EXPOSITION.

When the Maine freSS AssOCidtiou,
at its annual meeting last winter, came
to decide upon the objective point of its
summer excursion, there was but one
sentiment-St. Louis and the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition. At the time for
, starting upon the trip, there seemed to
be almost the same unanimity among
! the members in favor of remaining at
home. So when the party rendezvoused
at the union station in Portland, at noon
of Tuesday, June 2lst, it was found to
be what theatrical reporters call "select
, and critcal"-Or at least small, which IL
another way of putting it. Those who
didn't go missed great opportunity to
put i'm two pleasant and profitable
! weeks. They also missed getting pretty
we'll Gagged out" by the strenuOusness
of doing the fair; but it is very salts
factory variety of WEAKNESS which &C
companies the recollection of the vistas
of magnificent architecture and beauti.
full landscape, and the well-remembered
vision of city of fairy palaces outlined
in fire against the background of the
night.
The party was under the management
of our old friend, c. w. Robbins of the
Old Town Enterprise, who has conduct
ed excursions for the association and on
his own account for number of years,
and who looks after all details and at
tends to the wants and comfort of the
members of his party in way rarely
equaled. ,
| Leaving Portland after lunch, over the
Eastern Division of the Boston and
| Maine. we reached Boston about \
o'clock. The day was the hottest OF
the season up to that time, but we ran
through some showers which were de-
cidedly refreshing; and l was glad to
learn later that Oxford County, which
had been without rain for almost hVe
weeks, was getting wetting down at
the same time.
Two hours in Boston were devoted to
lunch and the following of our individual
inclnations, and at 6:l9 M. we left
the city for the west. If there is any
thing on earth hotter than Pullman
car which has been standing in the sta
ton tightly closed, till You can smell
the roasting varnish, don't know what
it is. 1t was not until we had got out
side the city, and had thrown the win
dows and doors open and let the fresh
evening air blow through, that we got
down to comfortable temperature, but
the feat was accomplished.
Our route from Boston was over the
Fitchburg Division of the Boston and
Maine to Rotterdam Junction, thence
| across New York over the West Shore to
Buffalo, and from Buffalo over the
Wabash through Canada to Detroit, and
across Indiana and Illinois in very
direct line to st. Louis Through sleep
ing cars run between Boston and ST.
Louis, and the run is made in a little
over thirty-eight hours.
Darkness closed in upon us before we
reached the most scenic part OF the
route. in Western Massachusetts,. After
crossing the Connecticut River near
Greenfield. the road runs along the bank
of the Deerfield River, winding in and
out between the hills, into which 1t al |
most seems that the train must plunge |
at every turn-and it actually does TINS
when the HoOsac tunnel is reached. inns
tunnel, one of the marvels of engineering |
at the time it was completed, Is hoie
nearly five miles long, bored through |
the Hoosac Mountains. To the mex
perienced traveller, going through the
tunnel is anticipated as one of the
pleasures of the trip; but a single ex-
perience teaches. him that it is time
when all the doors, windows and venti-
lators are closed, and for twelve minutes |.
the sitting smoke and gases confined IN
the tunnel will insinuate themselves
through the crevices OF the best OF mod
ern cars, until the opening OF the doors
in the open air on the farther side brings
a sense of relief.
When the tunnel was passed, all
sought their berths, and soon the only
sound which broke the rythym OF the
car wheels was the basso profundo
rumble proceeding out of the berth oc-
cupied by the gentleman from Down
East. In the morning we woke IN
Western New York, and had ample time
to get ourselves into gear before reach
ing Buffalo and taking another train Tor
side trip to Niagara, twenty-five miles
distant.
NIAGARA.
Tn ancient times all roads led to Rome.
In this wear of grace all railroads lead to
NIAGARA. at least, the route which does
not 90 within striking distance so as to
allow the tourist glimpse of America
most stupendous waterfall, is distinctly
anot in it," We spent the day Wednes-
day at Niagara, with headquarters at the
imperial Hotel, and looked upon the
varied attractions from almost every |
point of view. The beautiful islands
above the fall, in the midst of the rush
ing waters: the sheer fall of lG1 feet on
the American side, and the enormous
volume of green water pouring over the |
Horseshoe fall; the whirlpool Rapids
below, piling up many feet above the
river bank; and the gorge OF many miles
in length, worn back by the action OF
the water through untold centuries, all
must be seen to realize the grandeur OF
the spectacle, and no one of the many
points of interest should be missed oy |
the tourist. ..,
At Niagara the aesthetic and the utili-
tartan meet in conflict, one deploring
the ravages wrought in the scene by
modern progress to secure the power OF
the fall, the other seeing in the immense
volume of water only its potentialitles IN
ministering to the wants of the twen-
tieth century man-and both right from
their res pective points of view. A large
amount of power development work has
been done on the American side, and
though factory chimneys belch their
black smoke into the air, and waste
pipes pour their water down the sides OF
the gorge, it can not be said that the
beauty OF Niagara has been destroyed,
or that the volume of water in the fall
has been perceptibly diminished A
still larger scheme Of power develop
ment is now being carried out on the
Canadian side, but whether it will ma
terially mar the scene or diminish the
immensity of the spectacle can not now
be surely known.
Thanks to the state of New York and
the Canadian government, the land on
both sides of the fall is public park,
open to the poorest as well as the rlch,
est: and the charges for carriages and
all kinds of service are regulated so that
one can see all he wishes at much more
reasonable rates than few years ago,
when Niagara and extortion were synony-
nous terms.
Besides it's large manufacturing es-
Establishments, driven by the power OF
the falls, Niagara has two leading in
ldustries-hotels and souvenir shops;
and the greatest of all three is the
souvenir shops. Dealing in nothing but
souvenirs of one kind and another, they
line both sides of the streets, and their
window and outside displays and their
insistent salesmen-and saleswomen-
fooo Won nj every stem. How such num-