Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-13
LONG TROLLEY. RIDE
From Terre Haute, Ind, to
SkoWhegan, Me.
OTHER ROUTES PROJECTED
Electric Cars q Substitute for Autos
in New England.
ALONG CONNECTICUT RIVER
Stately Old Historic Mansions as
Enthusiastically and An
cient Villages Of Interest.
BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
SPRINGFIELD. Mass. July 10, 1911.
You can go from Terre Haute, Ind, to
Skowhegan, Me. by trolley, although you
have to change cars good many times.
When gap of eighteen miles connect
ing the Indiana system with that OF the
Illinois Traction Company at Danvflle
Is completed you can go from
Skowhegan to ST. Louis and across
the great Mckinley bridge over the
of Missouri. The distance Of travel is
perhaps two-thirds or three-fourths
greater than by steam railroad, because
the trolley lines follow the curves OF the
highways and touch as many tQTns as
possible for local traffic. and the fares
are somewhat higher. No through tickets
are sold. You have to pay nickel at
time, according to the rights Of the diff
terent companies to collect It, and in
some places the fare is 6 cents.
For those who cannot afford automo-
biles trolley trip in New England is
delightful experience, and much more IN
teresting than in any other part or the
country, because the towns and villages
are so pretty and so near together, the
tracks usually run through shaded streets
and highways, and historical associations,
industrial establishments and picturesque
scenery are more plentiful than elsewhere.
couldn't advise any one to make the
through trip from Terre Haute to Show
hogan, for that would be too much Of
a good thing, but from New York to Bos-
ton or Portland, and up in the Berkshires,
through the Connecticut valley and on the
coast of Long Island sound are many
attractions that cannot be enjoyed by
those who travel in steamers.
Auto Makes for Independence.
The party that can afford an automobile
is, of course, more Independent and can
diverge whenever they please, but auto
mobolies are luxury. which only q small
percentage Of the population can inludge
while the trolley cars, like the rare days
of June, are within the reach of almost
everybody.
Springfield is the most convenient and
comfortable headquarters both for motor
ing and for trolley car trips in western
New England, having the best Of hotels
and being the geographical center Of
wide area of historic and picturesque
country. Within a radius OF thirty or forty
miles in every direction are several OF the
most attractive dwelling places Of all man
kind. and nowhere else. in the United
States at least, can be found such a varied
and interesting group of manufacturing
industries.
necticut river on both sides, north and
south; you can run over the Berkshires.
which many people think is the most at
tractive section Of our continent; you can
run down to Hartford, New Haven, and
reach almost every town In the Nutmeg
state: Providence. Newport, Narragan-
sett Pier, New London and other summer
resorts are within days journey, or you
can go to Boston via Worcester and the
historic towns that lie between.
The other dav We ran down to Hartford
by trolley on the west side of the river,
along the first highway laid out in the
state Of Connecticut in 1893. and passed
the first house built in that state 1t was
brought ready-made from Plymouth in
1880. and set up what was called Ply
mouth Meadow, on the bank of the Con-
nectcut river, near the quaint. old-fash-
Toned village known as old Windsor, by
ancestors Of the late John Mason Loomis
of Chicago. whose relatives have occupied
it ever since. and may still be found
there. Only q part of the original house
remains. 1t has been repaired and added
to so many times within the last 800 years
that 1t has almost lost its identity, but
the present and the previous generations.
having been educated to reverence the
old. have preserved it with jealous care
household utensils Of the same period to
make 1t look more real.
The late Gen. Loomis, who was a native
of old Windsor. left fortune which, am
told, now amounts to nearly $S,OOO.00O,
to found and endow an educational insti-
| tuition as a memorial to his ancestors at
| his birthplace The trustees in charge
| of the funds-prominent business men and
educators-have decided to make it high
class preparatory school for boys, accom-
modating five or six hundred students
but the details have not yet been ar
| ranged. They expect to get together this
summer and determine upon something
definite and ask for architectural de-
signs.