Ariel articles on 1893 Field Trip

       A party of geological enthusiasts left the Union depot this morning for Taylor's Falls to study the rock formations, collect specimens and have an all-around good time. Prof. Hall superintended the party consisting of a large number of our own students and professors, and the Academy of Sciences from Minneapolis and St. Paul and a party from Hamline.

     The only joke in connection with last Saturday's geological trip seems to have attached itself to Sardeson. As usual , the story has a great many different revisions, but the most authentic translation runs as follows: Prof. Hall thinking that his niece, a young lady of some thirteen or fourteen years , would enjoy the excursion, took her with him. Bent on reaching the Union depot he was obliged to leave her in the waiting room among the mad rush of students whom he must supply with tickets in his possession . Becoming entangled in the crowd he suddenly found himself on the train, still selling tickets and the train in motion. Realizing the exigencies of the situation he thought over several ways of regulating the conditions, finally his eye lighting on the ruddy and honest face of Sardeson he knew the solution was reached. Taking his assistant into his confidence he duly instructed him to leave his bag, baggage, etc., and at the first opportunity to drop off the train, make his way back to the depot as rapidly as possible, explain matters to the waiting niece and then to make connections with the party at St. Croix Falls by means of a train on the Soo road, which left about 8:30. Sardeson dropped accordingly, proceeded backward, but on coming in sight of the depot, the fact flashed upon him that he did not know the person for whom he was to look. But Sardeson is a man of resources. He made his way to the waiting room and began questioning each of the one hundred and fifty young ladies present as to whether she was Prof. Hall's niece or not. Knowing his time for interrogating was very limited his questions were brief but to the point. Carrying his watch in his hand to note the flying moments he would dart up to a young lady and accost her thus : "Do you know Prof. Hall, of the State University? " If she answered " No," he shot away , but if she said "Yes ," his feelings would rise, and he unburdened the question, “Are you his niece?” Proceeding in this manner he finally reached the desired result. The seventy-fifth person accosted being the young lady in question, but sad to relate, it was 8:35 and the 8:30 train had pulled out. Sardeson consequently spent Saturday in the city studying harder than ever.

THE GEOLOGICAL OUTING .

      About seven o'clock last Saturday morning people in the vicinity of the union depot were somewhat surprised by the appearance of numerous individuals of both sexes and consequently of various degrees of beauty, clad in all manner of fashions but moving with the same elated step, each swinging a heavy hammer and armed with an imposing basket of provisions. It is needless to say that these individuals were the constituents of the senior geological party, ready to start for Taylors Falls . The party was happy, the day was fine and the outlook for liberal lunches good. The fare was only seventy-five cents, a car was theirs, the train was practically theirs, and for a time at least the depot was in their possession. The throats of the masculine members of the party were never in better condition for active service and as a result "Ski-U- Mah" was in the ascendant. Leaving the depot at fifteen minutes of eight with about fifty excursionists in the special car, the train proceeded to the east side depot where the rest of the University contingent was picked up, starting then for White Bear at which place they were joined by several St. Paulites. The party then numbered about one hundred and twenty including members of the Minneapolis and St. Paul Academy of Sciences, several students from Hamline and the University seniors who were greatly in the majority. The expedition was under the charge of Prof. Hall for the special benefit of the senior geologists, but numerous inquisitive juniors, some of them with evi motives, had managed to intrude themselves while even an occasional post-graduate with his side-burns could be noticed. In order that the geological should not trespass on the ground of the botanical department, Prof. MacMillan sent representatives from his cohort in the persons of Ballard and Frost. Prof. Lee was there to see that the animal and vegetable kingdoms did not get mixed. Prof. Osborne guarded the interests of Hamline, Berky looked wise and took general notes on the whole proceedings, and even Sarderson started but soon departed in his vain search for Prof. Hall's niece. The train proceeded without mishap to its destination and at 10:15 reached the first of the sandstone bluffs bordering the railroad. Here the party with but few exceptions stopped, walking the remaining distance of a mile and a half to the station. The scenery was fine, most of the walk being between walls of sandstone curiously colored and streaked with iron, but occasionally a ravine was crossed, some of them one hundred and fifty feet deep, while along in the bottom trickled a small stream down to the river two hundred feet below. The most interesting feature, however, was a cliff of conglomerate marking the shore of the old Cambrian sea. Here  igneous boulders of all sizes were embedded in a sandstone cement, forming rock of queer appearance but of great geological interest. Reaching the depot about noon the party went down the river about a quarter of a mile to the Dalles where lunch was eaten, the dozen or two baskets of grapes donated by Prof. Hall disposed of, a few lusty yells given from the " Devil's Kitchen," a pot hole formed when the St. Croix was the outlet of Lake Superior, and the party crossing the river by way of the toll bridge, proceeded to the St. Croix Falls, a mile up the stream, going up by the road and coming back along the river, paying special attention to the fine example of water erosion and picking up numerous fossils. It being nearly time to leave, the party amused itself according to the inclination of the different factions, some rushing the young ladies, some playing whist while the rest astonished the animal inhabitants by emitting bars of the U and '94 yells. At 6:45 the train started, arriving in Minneapolis at 9:30, having on board a body of tired students who slept late the following morning.