Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-09-18
into THE WEST.
John Quill Starts on An
other Journey.
Hits the Lewis and Clark Trail
Toward the Pacific.
Sees 6reat Fields Of Wheat but No Indians
On the Great Prdiries.

j find that the travel micrube strikes
me every season, as regularly as the
house cleaning nightmare comes to the
good house wife, and has to have its
run like the measles. My attack came
on about the usual time this year, only
little more violent, possibly on ac-
count of its being an off year POLITICAL
ly. When l found had the real :lrti-
Gle, | did not hesitate but broke open
my little tin bank. packed my "nightie"
and joined party of friends, bound for
the wild and woody West.
The rendezvous was in Boston. in the
early part of the mouth, where We
spcl.t several days in that intellectual
pasture of culture. then came one of
the delights of modern travel. IL trip
on the Continental limited, over the
Fitchburg division of the Boston d
Maine X. Il. through the hole in the
mountain. tnat marvel Of engineering
triumph, the Hoosac tunnel.
The scenery Was perfectly maGnif-
cent, nature Was at its best. The Deer
field valley. and the mountain sides,
were verdure clad, reminding one Of
an immense art square, with a center
anu IplheI NoNtIi III W I'LL .blVNSoIilS W
various colors. With every turn Of the
wheels. the vista changed like Il gOr-
SeOus panorama, and new scenes APP
pearei on natures canvas. We set
and watched the ever changing land
scape until the sun went down ana the
twilight deepcncd ITS shadows into
evening.
From Rotterdam Junction, over the
West Shore II. r.. we saw but littl"
of the sccni.: beauties. The soft downy
pullman berth vas our excuse, even
Niagara with all its attractions failed
to arouse us. From Niagara. west. we
realized that we were running over the
iron Uc the famous Wabash II. II. that
great highway that connects the great
East with the great West. From Nj
agGrt to Windsor. ontario. we Journey
ed through the Kings domain whore
we crossed the wide river into the
states again to Detroit, the city beauti-
full. Our tarry in Detroit was brief,
and tncn out into the open country
again. goirG through the fertile fields
Of natures bread basket, the great
wheat belts Of Indiana ana Illinois.
breakfast we took on the wing in the
thing else i'll connection with the Wa
bash system is of the best.
The advent Of the railroad, with their
ribbons of steel. spanninGjand connect
ing like immense spider webs, and
reaching from ocean TO ocean. has done
much to change the b"rdcrlandS of the
great West. III fact. the railroads have
changed the entire map Of the country.
Years ago when the early settlers. with
rifle in hand, were fighting their way.
establishing a home and making his
tory, the states of Illinois and Indiana
were considered and looked upon as in
the far West, but noW every state this
side Of the Father of Waters. the Mis-
sissi1pi, is claSscd in the eastern group.
or Middle West. Year by year The bor-
dcrlaad has been pushed farther west.
The numbering prairie schooner. the
early settlers mode Of conveyance. Is
a thing Of tine past. in the middle West.
ana the modern Pullman, with its COM
Portable coucheS and doWny beds have
taken their place.
Across the Hoosicr state, with its