American Association for the Advancement of Science Visits Muncie, Indiana

A. A. A. S.

The Distinguished Scientists Visit

Muncie and Enjoy a Short Ride

Through the City.

The program detailed in the Times of Saturday was fully carried out as to the reception and entertainment of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The train arrived over an hour late and the plans were, in a measure, disarranged. The trip through the city and an examination of the several manufacturing establishments, to witness the practical uses of natural gas, was quite limited. The committee appointed met the train at Alexandria, believing that it would be bad taste go to Kokomo or Marion and try to interfere with any plans made by the managers of the excursions, or those made by the citizens of the town at which they would stop. The committee appointed by Muncie citizens met them at the first station before coming into Delaware county. A short stop was made at the Fay gas well, one of the strongest in the State, where many of the distinguished ladies and gentlemen left the train to see the well turned loose.

This was a great treat to all of them. Some had seen gas wells before but they will see none that surpass and few that will equal this monster, and this was the expression from the visitors. From the gas well the train moved on to the L. E. & W. station and was then switched to the "Muncie Route" road and run down to the Pulp mill which was in operation, giving the visitors an opportunity to see the process by which paper is made of wood, and the powerful heat produced by natural gas. Dr. Phinney, with the aid of some maps and charts gave a five minutes' talk, showing the boundaries of the Indiana gas territory. From the pulp mil the train was run over the belt road to where it intersects the Muncie street railroad and the announcement was made that the excursionists would leave their train and partake of refreshments that had been prepared under the supervision of Mr. George F. McCulloch and Mr. Ralph Hemingray, after which they would be conveyed by street cars through the city. One-horse towns, with one-horse street car lines, can haul possibly a party of one hundred, but the Muncie line very easily handled the whole party and the six observation cars came through the principal streets with ease. It was a beautiful sight to see the cars filled with such a large body of intelligent ladies and gentlemen, coming from every State in the Union, and the streets of Muncie never looked better than they did on Saturday afternoon. The cars stopped at the end of the route and the party disembarked and were soon on the way to Anderson where they were to take supper and witness a natural gas display in the evening. The Anderson newspapers will probably mention the matter to-day, but up to the present time the Indianapolis dailies have made no mention of what took place there, while there is a graphic and extended account of the reception and entertainment given in Muncie, in the Journal particularly, written by a member of that paper's staff who accompanied the excursion as far as the depot in this city.

While it would have been much more pleasant for the visitors, and far more satisfactory to the citizens, if the party could have remained longer than the two hours allotted to Muncie in their visit to the gas belt, when it was learned that the train was late and the stop would be shortened, what was their wish was the pleasure of the committees, and all that could reasonably be asked to be done was done to carry out their desires and they at the station and on the train in less than the two hours' time allotted to Muncie. There was a universal expression of delight with their visit to Muncie and there was also surprise on their part when they saw the fine residences, business blocks, school buildings, and court house. They expected to see a thriving town but not a metropolitan city.

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