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Tribune.)*»»*• Ueilrtul.ESCUBSION TIUP TPOH TH* MBVT toKD0» KORTBEBK RAILROAD EXTKJtSJ'Jy TO BBAT-Nrw Londcx;, Sept. 22,1866.The directors or the New London No'theni Railroad recently sent ont invitations for on excursion to be given by the i- -t - -Company to celebrate tlie event of their : , . thv«»- v, J .l' a n'r‘z-v. *“lt;1 dc- - ■ nof the i tuvH® a Sturm ofrain nr.d :u;Between Northfield and South Vernon ' we cioss a bridge over the Corneotioutri r-cr, and as we dash by we listen to the qui-; et plashing of the water against the mosey i banks of the river for an n-'ant, aud again I we ore on the sandy road this lime on route | for Brattleboro’, vemont We rcec], th*t primitive and qniet looking town as the shades of the dosky evening begin to fall,nnd Aftnr trAfiHSnir __ iliavino completed the extensionroad from Amherst, Mass., to a ratuer ou- ; t , • -------scurc place called (not ont of deference ; 0It, !? lt;l??a . ,to enphouy, certainly) “Giont’s Corner AtBrattleborough a large delegation of nimfYct i......n«ii..tr.i«, i:-„ * railroad and news, aiier men were waitingalmost immediately on the line between Massachusetts and Vermont In obedience to the summons, your correspondent took bis deiutriure, on Tuesday evening, from the huge, swarming Metro) lolis, by the Sound steamer City of Boston, Capt Williams. We ascend the rocky waters of tne I East River, and at last emerge into thatmagnificent s eet of water, Long Island ! u-mainiMSvinml inat. as llio fnditnr irlnnoa nf onr Tn i .I for us. niuong others, Mr. Rugglc, Super- 1 intenrient of the Vermont and Massoohu- i sett-lt; Railroad ; U. S. Masha! Hugh Henry, | President of the Vermont Valh-y ; Paul j Rowe and General Phelps of Brattleboro’, l a bronzed old veteran who, issued a procla- j mation of emancipation in advance ot Mr. ; Lincoln’s during the war, at Strip Island. ,Sound, just as the lading glories of our Indian Summer day are bnrying themselves in the deep o scurity of the waves. The boat touches the dock at New London in the early hours of a September morning.We are informed by Mr. Freeman Bust the excursion train Starts at. 8 o'clock precisely, aud those who loose It vrilhbe lelt behind. Reaching the depot we 'find a special train of six new and elegaai. cars, with a locomotive attached, in charge of G. W. Bentley, the courteous and experienced superintendent of the New London Northern Road, and formerly occupying tht same position ou the Worcester and Nashua Railroad.The new car which afterwards became familiarly known to tbe excursionists under the designation of “Number Three,’' is filled with the choicest edibles, oold chickens hams, together with a profusion of exquisite vintage. Halting at Norwich for ..five minutes are joined by Bromley of The Norwich Bulletin and Stedman of The Aurora. The next station is Wiliimautic, turned for its water power and the goodly number of ita mills, indicative of tbe industrial resources of New England. The piquant looking factory girls jieer eagerly and cnrionsly out of the windows iif the prison like mills at the excursionists for a few minutes and again we ore off, stopping for recraiis at Tollaod, Sooth Coventry aod Stafford Springs where tbe whole partake of a very pleasant dejeuner.At Palmer Station, Massachusetts, Maj. Frank Morgan, a kindly aud courteous gentleman of the old school, insisted that the excursionists shall accompany hhn to liis fine mansion a few yards from the depot. Leaving here we plunge into exquisite landscape forming but a small portion of the beautiful scenery of the Valley of the Connecticut. As we dash madly sloug as far as the eye can scan, we can see fields of waving grain, with acar-erows erect as s ntinels, pumpkin and squash beds, and the broad green leaves of tho tobacco plant, thousands of acres of that valuable weed being fonnd growing on cither side of the Connecticut Valley. Her* is a field of the unromantic buckwheat {poking as gorgeous as the richly colored autumn fern which blooms by its side. j^Be-over night at Brnttl-borough toi uy iis Bias. • Beyond us the rinous line* of theAuklHiow-lng Connecticut with tbe wuf^Mhbklan-cing in diamond patches through the dark foliage, and further on we have a range of hills looming bore and high, and communing in silence with tbe murmurous song of the overflowing river beneath. The Connecticut at this point is beautiful ho vond imagination, end is nndistorbed save by the ripple ot a falling leaf on its placid surface. Over tlie elms and hemlocks on the banks of the river we could see the mists like fantastic and weird spectres spanning the gaps in the everlasting hills and it was possible barely to discern the cone caps of Mount Tom and Mount Holyoke. We have reached Amherst, Massachusetts, and as the engineer has kindly vouchsaled to us an hour’s vacation to inspect the beauties of the town, we form our battalion and make a weary ascent of the bill leading to that famous institution Amherst College, which is built on tbe brow of a hill, overlooking on its south aide the long line of the Connecticut Valley. A proposition was made by one of the excursionists that we should visit tho college and the collections of mineralogy and other curiosities and specimens which is assented to by all the rest. Tbe main builuings, comprising the college and the students quarters, are constructed of plain brick, with the old Elizabethan root once so prevalent in New England. On presenting ourselves at the door of tbe Apple-ten Cabinet for admission, we were met by a written notice on the facade inform-mg us that the doors are open between the hours of three and five. It wants but a few miuotes of three, and we accordingly sit down on the door step in the drizzling rain to await the convenience of the College clock, determined to light it oat ou that line. A rather seedy looking student approaches, with a copy of Cresar’s Coin-tuentan- s under his arm, and in answer to our question informs us that we cannot enter before three o’clock.“ Why is this building called the Apple tan C alunet I” asked one of onr iiarty of the student, who scans hs earnestly and answers slowly and with a provincial accent: Well, I suppose it’s because a fellow named Appleton bad suthin to do with it.” That is.tame and gratitude, t bought we. Alas, poor Appleton ! Colleges are not unlike republics in some instances, at least After inspecting the huge foot-tracks of the birds lound imbedded in atone, specimens of which were collected in tbe neighboring valley, and several thousand otlier interesting specimens, including a hideous lookingsrdla, we again embark alter a short de^ lay, as the Superintendent has sent our engine up the track as far as Grout’s Corner, 14 miles distant from Amherst, to discover if the last rail had been laid. After pro-ceemitg a few miles we are in the shadow ot Mount Toby, a huge hill, covered with luxuriant vegetation and splendid old trees, a resort for pic-nic parties from Amherst and neighboring t was. The road has been cut here at great expense, and the scenery, including the nigged torehead of Mount foby, is magnificent. At this juncture, a messenger returns to inform us that the last rail on the extension of 16 m les had been bud at Grout’* Corner at 44 minutes past 4 oclock that ailernonu. “Number three” wvited to toast the engineer of the load, Mr Field and his contractor, Mr. Millor, both of whom may bo credited with the success of their great work. As we leave Mount Toby tho squatters anil natives, who never saw a locomotive before, assembled in crowds, and cheering with lusty throat, receive a response from tbe excursionists as the train vanishes from their gaze.enjoy the hospitalities of the Now London Nothem Railroad directors, we start homeward at 9 o’clo k, Thursday morning, ami making stnp|iagea on ilia v ny at different stations to receive delegations of railroad and newspaper men, among others, tlie Hon. Alvau Crocker of the Fitchburg Railroad, and the representatives of the Bnr-iqgton Times and the New Haven Palladium. We arrived at Now London about 6 o’clock on Thursday morning. Here the entire party, headed by a large accession ot New London guests, under charge of A. N. Ramsdell of the New London Road, in all numbering about 200 gentlemen embark on a huge lerry-boat furnished by President Scranton of the Shore Line of Railroad, accompanied by a fine baud of music, loaned by Capt. Lowry of tlie frigate Sabine, and alter a pleasant trip of only an houi, we are consigned to the tender mercies of the proprietors ot the Peqoot House.In the evening a grand dinner was given to the guests by the New London Railroad Company; alwui 200 gentlemen sitting down to the feast of good things, among whom were Gov. Hawley of Connecticut, Gen. Phelps, Capt. Lowry of tlie school-ship Sabine, the Hon. A. Brandegee, the Hon. Hugh Herry of Vermont, the Hon. Aug. Brewster, Resident of the Norwich and Worcester Railroad; the Hon. A. N. Burchard of tlie Rutland and Burlington Railroad, the Hon. Alvah Crocker of the Fitchhnrg Railroad, the Hon. Samuel Cor-rutu of the Cheshire Railroad, President Scranton of tbe Shore Line Railroad, Dr. Wii slow aud Surgeon Gibbs of the Sabine, and a large number of other gentlemen, in all beir.it a very good representation of the business enterprise and Capital of New England. Speeches were made by ex-President Haven of tbe New Loudon and Northern Road, by Gov. Hawley, by President Ramsdell, A. Lippitt, ol New London, ex-Gov. Holbrook ol Vermont, Gen. Phelps, in respouso to lhe*toast, “The Army of i he United 3tates,” by Capt Lowry ot tbe Sabine in response to the t-iast of the “Navy,” and by CoL Bailey, the editor of ihe Boston Herald, in response to the toast of the “Press.” A number of otber speeches were also mode, and the company broke up at a late hour to seek the repose neoessary After a long day’s fatigue.On Friday morning the excnrsionists,by invitation of Capt. Lowry, paid a visit to tbe Sabine, and witnessed, with great i -terest, the crew of boys going through the naval exeicise and drilL The proficiency of the boys was wonderful, and the manner in which the entire broadside of 15 guns were fired, first on the starboard, and then on the portside, by these “lourteen-year-olds,” and the quickness and certainty of the movements surprised everybody. Capt. Lowry and his officers were in full uniform, sword in hand, and one might imagine here the splendid tableaux presented, as - he boys clambered into the rigging, cuiIssr and boording-pike in hand, with wild cheers to repel boarders, what a real sea fight would look like, between two vossels of the frigate class, now almost obsolete, the effect being vastly higbtened by the constant roll of the drums, the firing from the muskets ot the marines, and the hoarse orders issu -ing from Capt Lowry.After the exercises bad been concluded the party left the gallant old frigate, Gov. Hawley receiving a salute of 15 guns in honor o{ his rank as chief magistrate of a sovereign State, the same compliment having been paid him on his entering the vessel. On the return of the gnests to th^Pe-quot House, they fouud the inagnifipeut steamer City of Boston drawn up atvthe pier, with steam up, waiting to transport the entire party on a pleasure trip 20 miles down the Sound. A fiDe dinner having been dispatched with great enjoyment, the steamer was headed for New .London, and arrived there at a late hour in the a'ter-notm, and thus ended one of the moet pleasant and socialable trips ever projected or carried ont by a railroad corporation.Republicans of New London, to th Club Room, under Military Ila'I to-nightEverybody will remember that last Spring Mr. Johnson, while the canvass in New Hampshire was progressing, issued a circular, forbidding tbe assessment of office holders for political purposes, and that his course was generally applauded. Note, however, every office-holder in tbe coun try is assessed, and some of them heavily to attempt to carry out the scheme of Doo-’ jittle Co. It mokes a difference whose 0x is gored.Oregsn is added to the 8tates which have ratified the Constitutional Amendment.The Legislature of 8outli Carolina ha passed au act, which, if we trust tbe brief telegraphic sammary elsewhere given, i® an important step towards justice, irrespective of color.The N. Y. Times sees the handwriting on the wall, and comes out square for the Constitutional Amendment, and advises tlie Southern States to adopt it without de-17. What, will masters Johnson and Sew-ird say to this sudden somersault.Rev. Dr. Porter died at yesterday.Farmington'The Weed Sewing Machine Co. are abont to bring out a new and beautifnl machine At their works inHartford.To-morrow will be one of tho very days to altend the Fair at Norwich.
Newspaper Details
New London Daily Star
New London, Connecticut, US
Tue, Sep 25, 1866
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Boston P.
NA, USA 20 Feb 2025
Other Publications Near New London, Connecticut
State Temperance Journal
New London Daily Star
New London Norwich Bulletin
