Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1847-07-23

with me, ] will try TO give YOU some facts BY
which you may Judge Of the fitness Of the terms
employed. Take the spire of the loftiesI church
IN your vicinity; perhaps it is one hundred and
hiiy feet IN height If so, transfer II IN imaglna-
on 10 this place and let it stand under this bridge.
The lofty splre riH not reach 10 the under side
OF that magnificent arch! Take two churches
snll higher; let them be built uP solid to the
height Of their respective slceplcs, and place
them ninety feet apart; across the SUBMITS lay
another. and you have then bridge that will in
someof its lsdimcnsions compare with the one before
US. Do you now begin 10 feel the yastness of this
stupcndous work. From the uppersurace ofthe
Bridge to the stream below, the distance is 2l5
feet: the Bridge is 90 feet long, 80 feet wide and
55 feet thick; solid, massive, motionless: on each
side a single pier shoots up 10 thar lofty height,
aud then one arch, so light, so graceful, in the
very form for beauty 10 span so narrow a dche,
an ellipse as perfect as if the engineer with sci.
entifc skill had planned aud built up: Look at it;
study it, admire IL II grows upon you, till you
feel that il is the handlwork Of God. Never did
this impression seem more real TO me than when
standing here. Ii ought TO be a work Of art. 1t
is. A Bridge should be the work Of man, and
when looked al this and saw how far its males-
ty and strength and beauty surpassed the loltiesI
conceptions and executions Of human gunius and
power, felt that the fingers Of the Almighty
fashioned II, and the impress Of his mind and
might was revealed in the rock before me. Now
let us pass along still farther down, and stand be-
meath the ovcrhanging arch! How insignificant
are we by the side of this towering wall. Far
above us that solemn lonely arch is resting, as il
has rested since the world bcgan generations
long since forgotten have trodden over il: worlds
have been found and peopled while that solitary
link has held these piers together, but there II
stands, firm and 'unyelding. like the decree Of
Him who made it. Now we reclined upon the
rocks aud looked up toward the heavens! The
effect of this position which had found so beau
/ tilully Elusive at Niagara, to hide all objects
but The solid piers and the transverse arch which
was rhus raised to height far above the reality.
1t seemed to be just under the sky, and the clouds
swayed over il as if they would crouch on its
breast: the sun poured its strength lhourgh the
rayine aud made brilliant the cliffs and cragS,
while we quietly rested ourselves under the shad-
ow of the great rocks and adored the Maker OF
hills and sun and sky.
There was mystery lowering over the scene
that added to the sublime. Whence came this
strange construction! Was it from the begin
ningi Has some great conyulsion Of nature cIo-
ven the mountain asunder, and opened this deep
rayine, through which this gentle riyulet winds
It's way and murmurs softly and forever! This
lis Jcharson's opinion in his Notes of Virginia.
Did lake once lie beside this hill through which
Ilhc water found course, and finally worked out
'Ihis wide and mighty channel, leaving the crest
Of the hill as bridge over the otherwise impas
than to suppose the hill to have been torn by an
earthquake; such a cause might have made the
Igulph, but would it have left bridge!
On the piers the names of visitcrs with the
dates are inscribed in the solid rock: the initials
I"G. W." have stood there since the Father of
his country was n boy, and othersmore ambitious
than he have written their names still higher up,
hut have been forgotten. On the side opposite
, Ito that which bears the initials of Washington
The rock is shelving, and an athletic young man
+ could easily climb to agrealhcight three or Ioui
I have been known to make the ascent from the
, base to the summit. Marvellous stories have iol
many years been told of the pcrilous climbing OF
s a youth who wished to inscrbe his name above
J Washingon's, and getting up so far that he could
not get down, was compelled to keep on and up
, cutting holes for his hands with his lack-knlIC
! which was finally worn to the hlt; and many
other circumstances of terrible interest havebccn
added making thrilling story. heard EIhu
Buriu, the learned blacksmith cXpatlae on this
, incident on certain occasion, aud his pretended
narrative of fact was very widely publlshed.-
lie described the boy, as have already mention.
! ed, toiling up, the news of his peril spreading
, over The surrounding country, muutudcs assem-
bling, his distracted mother hanging IN agony
over the brink and gazing down upon her eXhaus'
ted boy, trembling and ready TO fall into the aw-
.nI chasm, to be dashed into atoms on the Jagged
rocks below. at lasla rope with a moose is skill.
.fully dropped over his shoulders and the breath.
, less boy is drawn to the bridge above, and, said
The graphic blacksmith, there was JOY in the as
sembled multitude such only as is felt among the
angels whena Iostsinner isbroughl home TO God.
Now all this may yanswerthopurpose we'll enough
for a story but there is not word OF truth IN IT..
The young man, now n very respectable gentle
imam in the city of Washington, James IL. Piper,
Esq, climbed for his own amusement, IN the pre-
senco of TWO or three of his fellow students in
Washington College; on his way up he threw of
his shoes and coat, and without help OF rope OF
Imck-knile, reached the summit and came down
around the hill immediately TO meet his compan-
ions, who were on their way TO join him. Since
that time others, was told, have done the same
thing, whichoppcarod tomonot half so hard ashis
"-- to climb the steep
Where FAME's proud Temple shines aiar."
That was very pleasant afternoon which |
spent at the Bridge. The silent grandeur of the
scene, the gentle melodyof thomounlan stream,
the deep green of the faithful trees which cling
to the torn sides of these boeting crags, and more
, than all aud above all, that huge gateway which
, The king Of glory in his chariot might ride
through TO his lhrone,--l dwelt on each of them
and all of them, and when the approach of night
reminded US that we must go, left the spot as
il had been the mansion of monarch who had