Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1906 — LETTER FROM THE “OLD MAN" [ARTICLE]

LETTER FROM THE “OLD MAN"

Sojourning In the East, -While‘‘The Boys" Sweat at Home to Keep Him In Spending Money. Perhaps some of The Democrat readers will be interested in a brief letter regardig the writer’s trip east, and may be some who are contemplating visiting the eastern states this Season or at some future time may find something that will be of value to them. Leaving Rensselaer Saturday at 4:45 a. m. I went via the Monon to Delphi, where at 6:26 I took the Wabash for Detroit, Mich., the “City of the Straits ” Evidence of the lack of rain this season was seen all along the route to Detriot, and oats and hay ..are generally light. From Delphi to Logansport and to Wabash the crops were best, corn being more even than in Jasper, while wheat appeared generally good everywhere, with an occasional poor field, of course. In about Ft. Waynp for some distance the crops were better than further south, but after a few miles north they began to look worse again, and in the extreme north, near Butler, peon fields were the rule rather than the exception. About Montpelier, Ohio, was a stretch of country that looked fairly well, but in Michigan, nearly all the way along from Adrian to Detroit crops were very poor and the hay, which was being harvested, was very light.

Arrived in Detroit about noon and remained there until 5 p. m. when the boat started for Buffalo. Detroit is a very pretty city and the afternoon was pleasantly spent in visiting Belle Isle Park—the popular park attraction at this time —and a pretty place it is, being an island in the Detroit river some three or four miles from the Wabash station. Also visited Electric Park, an attraction similar to White City, in Chicago, went across the river to Windsor, Canada, etc. Several pleasure boats ply back and forth in the river here, and one, “Pleasure” is a large new picnic boat accomodating probably 3,500 to 4,000 people. This boat touches Belle Isle and other points in going back and forth' and it is said that one can take his lunch with him and remain on the boat all day for a dime, if they choose, as after you are on board once you are not asked to get off until the boat ties up at night, or about midnight, rather.

The trip via boat to Buffalo nearly 300 miles is a most enjoyable one and anyone going east should not fail to take it. If your ticket is via the Wabash you have the option of going from Buffalo to Detroit via boat without extra charge. The regular one way fare is $3.50 with $1.50 for lower and SIOO for upper berth. Week end excursions are run every Saturday at $2.50 for the round trip, so 1 bought a round trip ticket for $1 less than the one way fare and sold the return portion in Buffalo for 50 cents. The boat I was on accomodates 3,500 people, and it was about up to its capacity Saturday night. Most people took their lunch with them, although dining service may be had on the boat for about the same price as that charged on dining cars. There is much of interest to be seen as the boat passes out of the river into Lake Erie. Windsor and other towns along the Canadian side, Detroit on the American side. The lighting system of Detroit, by the way, is by steel towers 100 to 200 feet high, and there about 150 of these towers scattered over the city. A stranger wonders jvhat they are. At night they must present a pretty picture when seen from the deck of a boat some distance away. The change from rail to water, leaving the close, dusty car to the cool exhilarating breezes of the lake, a most welcome one for the traveler at this season of the year, and by eight o’clock the most of the people remaining out on the decks had donned overcoats and wraps Lake Erie is said to be the roughest of the five great lakes, it being quite shallow, but it was as smooth as a floor almost, going over Saturday night and the vibrations of the huge engines was the only perceptible motion as the boat glided through the water. These boats are luxuriously furnished and an orchestra discourses mutic until late at night, but there was no dancing that I saw. By midnight most everyone had ‘ turned in,” those not fortunate enough to secure a berth ora bunk

spread in the hallways (there not being enough berths to accomodate such a great number as was ■ft board) put in the night sitting in the saloons or in chairs, and there were many such. I could secure neither berth or bunk, but for a reasonable consideration the purser gave me a pillow and a couple of sheets and took me up to the luxurious smoking room on the upper deck and gave me my choice of the fine leather covered Seats, and I had the whole thing to myself after 12 o’clock, when the loungers are run out and the lights turned out there. It was a dandy place and cooler than the best of the state rooms. The moon shone in the side windows and I could look out over the waters and see here and there a passing craft and hear the faint chug, chug, of the engines three or four stories below. I really thought that I was fortunate in failing to secure a berth in a state room. At five o’clock the next morning I was up and went out on deck, but found hundreds of others already there before me. drinking in the splendid morning air that made one feel younger at every draught. Nothing was to be seen on either side but the vast expanse of blue water. The engines were still chugging away down in the bottom of the boat as they had been for the past twelve hours with unceasing rythm. A morning on Lake Erie such as was last Sunday morning is certainly enjoyable, ana I wished for all my family and relatives and friends and their friends to drink in the pure air as it came sweeping at a moderate breeze across the waters. At 9:30, eastern time, or 8:30 as shown by my watch, I was “put off at Buffalo,” and 30 minutes later I was speeding along on a Lakawana train for Binghamton, where I arrived at 2p. m., and had to remain there until 6:10 for a D. & H. train to carry me to Worcester, 82 miles east on the line to Albany. The Wabash and Lakawana are good roads, and the accomodations are superior to any that I have heretofore traveled over to the east, while the scenery along the latter is, to use a slang expression, “out ont of sight.” Especially is this true along about Dansville, New York. Here the road runs along the side of a range of hills with the apparently fertile valley dotted with well tilled farms lying below, while beyond stretches range after range of gently sloping hills, covered with farms, patches of timber and farm houses. Reaching from the railroad to the valley below are grape vineyards for a long distance along the road, they lying along the western slope of the hill range. This was the prettiest sight I ever saw anywhere, and I do not believe it can be surpassed for beauty. If you should ever make a trip east at this season of the year be sure to make the trip from Buffalo to Binghamton at least in the day time. There is much other fine scenery along this route, especially near Corning, Waverly, etc., near which latter place the road winds along the western bank of the beautiful Susquehanna river.

Apparently there has been plenty rain here, for crops all look well and I saw a number of small fields of corn that looked as well as any we have at home. It is, of course, a different variety from what we have, yet it is now as large as ours. Wheat, rye, oats and hay look well the latter especially seeming to be extra heavy, I noticed many large fields of potatoes, beans and sugar beets east of Buffalo, and along about Darning, Waverly and Oswego there were several goodsized fields of tobacco that looked well. The hills are dotted with timber and cultivated fields, and it looks strange to me now to see nice green fields away up on the hillside, several hundred feet above the valley, apparently as green a color and producing as good crops as the valley land. It seems as though the hills ought to be seared over brown, as they would be were the soil here the same as ours. If I dont get too far away from the postoffice and can spur up sufficent energy I will try and send something next week to keep the boys busy “sticking type. ” I write this at Binghampton, while waiting for my train, and while 1 am writing the obnroh bells of this handsome oity are chiming out “Jerusalem” and other sacred music, evidently a Sunday afternoon 'concert. I have been killing sev-

eral birds at one shot—resting a little frqm the rail trip frotq Buffalo, listening to the chimes and getting up a little early in the week fillin’ for the Democrat.

F. E. BABCOCK,