Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1842-11-23
The Delaware water Gap.

! ing the past season visited nearly every town
and settlement in New Jersey, in the pursuit of
materials for general history ofihe State, from
its earliest settlement, and whose researches
appear TO have been well rewarded, gives The
following account Of a visilto the Delaware
/ Water Gap, in letter from Newton Sussex
Coz 10 The New Haven Herald:
Or each side Of lie Gap the mountains are
seen rising to The height of nearly one-third Of
a mile, I4eIr sides clothed with the towering
hemlock, and other forest trees. In many pla-
ces huge ledges Of rock, hundreds Of feet high,
stand frowning forth; and on the Jersey, or
right side, descend precipi!ously TO the waters
edge In The distance The mountains appear
lower, more graceful, and cnrving around to the
left, shut out farther prospect. From between,
the Delaware comes winding down in all her
majesty, like one vast sheet Of liquid silver, and
giving The finishing touch 10 a landscape Of
surprising grandeur.
As evening approached, proceeded to the
Tavern, seen al The basis of the mountain. Sup
per was soon ready. Capacious dishes filled
almost to oyerhowing will! desirable variety,
we're piled promiscuously, IN 'country fashion"
on the board. While helping myself TO the
good things, and partaking of the best of coffee,
the landlady, hale, robust, elderly woman,
amused me with stories of rattlesnakes, and
other reptiles that infest these regions, until L
almost irembled a,the thought Of ascending The
mountain on the morrow. Among the rest, she
related The following, as having occurred 10 her
self Ii is almost incredible, but | have no
reason 10 doubt its truth.
When a young woman, as she was coming
home one evening, barefoot. she was bitten be-
tween the toes by rattlesnake. 1t felt like
The sting Of bee. The part soon became
numb; the sensation being like ones foot wax
ing from sleep By the time she arrived al the
house, the effects of the poison had gradually
ascended the limb, and was diffusing itself all
over her person. In an hour she was so swol-
len as 10 be incapable of moving, and could but
slightly wave her hand The skin broke in
several places. blood and poisonous matter
oozed out She could neither speak nor see.
| Her tongue proruded from her mouth and blood
ran lherefrom ina stream Her heart seemed
as though it would burst--and her agony (ac-
corling 10 her expression) was as grea, as
though she had been dipped in cauldron of
boiling water. She nomenarily expected death.
By this time some warm milk was procured,
and poured down her throat This felt like cold
water on burn giving instant relief. The
swelling partly su5sided, and she could draw
in her tongue For niEe days she was con-
fined 10 her bed, unable to help herself, suffer
ing great pain. and vomiting almost continually:
| Meanwhile. she was nursed with pilot rooI,
boiled in milk Al the expiration Of this period
the neiehbors, who had killed several snakes,
al last (as she believes) destroyed the identical
one that had bitten her. TO this, in conformi-
ty with popular belief among The mountainers,
she ascribetl her cure; anu from hat time gained
rapidly In fortnight she was up and about
the house Although twenty-five years have
elapsed, there is al times, particularly in the
autumn, numbness and pain in the bitten foot
which frequently deprives her OF sleep.
While in that vicinity, | saw several who
had been bitten by poisonous snakes; and from
what there learned, warm fresh milk drank
freely, together with salt and soap mixed, aP.
piled 10 tile wound, usually effects cure, un.
less The poison is absorbed into large vein
when death almost invariably ensues. These
reptiles still abound here, and are frequently
killed; vel The inhabitants stand in liitle fear
! The snake rarely strikes above the anele, ant
a thick boot is certain protection. The plo
or eopper-head Of The Sonlh is the most feared
!; because il is sly and malicious, being rarely
seen until il bites. The rattlesnake is gene
rous animal II seldom attacks, without frs
giving warning. The oil fried from lis fat is
highly valued by thu ignorant as an universal
specific in almost every disease.
After dark, went into The Gap, and there
Witnessed novel method Of fishing. Severa
lines were stretched across the river, at tha
lplace about forty rods wide, 10 which were at
iached Smaller ones with hooks. Once IN ar
hour or two, the fisherman would row across
The stream take in their lines, gather the fish
and then reset them Not wishing 10 JOIN II
SO unscieniiic method Of angling, | seated
myself alone on fallen trunk, under some
trees, beside the river bank. shall never for
get that moment On the opposite side, hlgi
in air, in gloomy grandeur, arose the Jersey
j Mountain; lis rough, craggy precipices, ant
deep, fearful chasms, just dseemed through 'ht
Iblackness ofnighi, were reflected boldly onills
lsurface of ile river. which appeared dark ant
unlalhonlabIe as eternity. a few stars were