The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-09-09


On the summit, the proprietors (and ria
it seems singular that all our great natural
curiosilies must have ''proprietors;" nature
cannot make wonder that man will not
invest in, the PROJECTORS have built an
observatory one hundred and fifty feet high,
which, think, detrac!s from the sublimity
Of the spectacle, and makes the mountain
resemble very corpulent alderman repo-
sing under little steeple-crowned hat. On
the south side Of the mountain the ascent is
gradual and comparatively easy. One of
the attaches of the hotel informed me that
half the distance was ''naUigGble on horse
back" but as there were but two horses
unengaged, and our party numbered four,
We concluded to walk. The rock is clean
and smooth, but by no means level, and the
path from necessity, in many places, runs
in a spiral round the mountain, which
makes the route longer, but less fatiguing.
Many spring rains have watered the face OF
the mount, and washed the little soil there
was away into the interstices Of the rock.
We were nearly 2 hours winding to the top.
From the lookout" on the summit of the
Observatory we enjoyed magnificent pros
pect OF great amount OF horizon, with dis
iant hills standing in their places; lazy senti'
nels, gazing at the broad good natured coun-
tenance Of the setting sun. The great plain
was thickly scattered with a wilderness oil
parti-colored trees, and the eye was relieved
by little miniature $50 and 500 acre patches
Of corn, cotton and wheat could hardly
bring myself to believe that those spots
which looked like quite small garden plats,
were really very large plantations. The
sun was doing up his days work by an
unfortunate attempt TO give us photogra
phic likeness of the features Of the noun
tain; and he made an extravagant carica
ture of it, by extending the shadowy out
line much too far into the dim Eastern
distance, so that the golden ball on the
lightning rod Of the Observatory could no
fnd a place to rest its head this side Of the
horizon.
The ruins of former tower are scatter
ed in confusion all around the summit. 4
rather apocYphal story is told, viz: tina
this tower was built by the previous propri
etOr--the foundation was made very firm
and everybody knew that it would neve
blow over or fall down. The owner deter
mined $50 make assurance doubly sure,
and therefore attached to it lightning rod
but he had miscalculated the distance, ant
the iron extended only three-fourths Of tn,
way down; so in fit of inspiration he fast
ened the rod securely to the side Of tn
wooden tower, saying that-''if the blaste'
lightning gets that far it will go aheat
mighty easy, because it knows the road.
Day after day for nearly two weeks tn
tower stood safe, and was the great sourc
Of admiration Of the natives for miles around
Early one morning, after heavy shower
the proprietor was congratulating kimsel
4 on the eternal fxedneSs Of his tower, whel
he looked at il out of his bedroom windoy
and saw only the top Of the mountain; h
rubbed his eyes and looked again; but hi
pet tower had no local habitation--the light
ming had not left one stone upon another
The remains OF very extensive ancien
ratification are still visible OH the plai
} surface at the summit of the mountain
J The building is evidently executed in tn
= oldest style Of mud mortar architecture, ye
} the fortress, from the great amount and hug
blocks Of rock used in its construction
, must have been almost impregnable.-
J When was it built? by whom? and why! ar
! questions for the antiquarian to form unsa
islactOry conclusions about. When III
} unwritten history Of the Indian mounds
published in an authentic form, we may Ell
pect an appendix containing the annals G
the ''gTanite mountain citadel.
This mountain is mostly bare rock, bu
in few places it is covered with little rag
J ged bits Of moss; and embelished wit
stunted, crooked, black Jack oak, whic
resembles great vine overgrown and gnar
ed, half its trunk is devoted to half starve
} roots which suck industriously for food i
crevices Of the rocks for many feet aroun
their original starting place. Like poverty
stricken scavengers in a greet city, seekln
} scanty subsistence in various dirty street
} and interstices of cutters.
Ii is said that this rock is susceptible G
something like polish, and | know tn
, quarry is sufficiently extensive to last tn
. good people of Cherokee Georgia Will
they build houses enough to shelter on
thousand times their present population; fc
the mountain is more than Z miles in eli
conference at the base.
On account Of its healthy location, tn
pureness and GOODNESS Of the air, and tn
wonder of the rock, the "Stone Mountain
is frequented as summer resort by thol
sands from lower Georgia every season.
I. B. F..