Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-05-24
THE SOURCES OF THE PoroMAo,-No. ".
BEvERrr, RAsDoIrH COUNTY. vIRslstA,

Since my Lost letter was written my companions ana
have composed section of country measuring in width in
direct line only thirty miles. but compehendng of
the most truly savage portions of the Allegheny mountains
We ascended Seneca Greek distance Of ten miles spending
two nights there, and enjoying day of the trout
fishing The first night we harbored with one William Ad-
an,son worthy and intelligent Irshman, who keeps
store for living, and irsicks considerable extent in
the fur trade He and his family treated us with the utmost
kindness and when s depart he positively refused
to receive single penny for his hospitality His cabin stands
directly on the margin Of Seneca creek and within few
PAGES of his door beautiful poo WHERE Just the day
breaking threw fly for about ten minutes and caught
three fine trout measuring nine, ten, and thirteen inches
and while in the act Of landing the last of them,
fortunately disturbed another he endeavorng
trout for his breakfast This Bit Of sport with what
had heard respecting the trout of Seneca creek excited
party not e and we devoted the whole day to the SPORT
The stream, which might be termed large brook, runs
throughout its whole through ravne of the
tains full Of poo and but for the undegrowh Of bushes
would be perfect angling stream. The number captured
by the party during the day much greater than hum
ded and very few Of the fish measured less than inches
while Of them reached the length of sixteen inches
My companions used the and the fy, and though
they beat in numbers beat them in weight The only
alloy my enjoyment of this sport the desution
the mountains There but in the howell and
the family, all Of whom cadaverous appearance and
wrechedly clothed consisted man and woman,
grown son, and seven daughters, Of whom lying
upon bed Of straw upon the foo dangerously i'll. They
poor employ DOCTOR if could have been
obtaned and the only food which they had ID
peck Of mo. and the Remains or groundhog every good
eating, by the way) which the had recently killed with
stone. The little patch of clean land the cabin
covered with scanty growth Of wheat which had been put
into the ground by Of hoe that being the
only farming implement which the family possessed. We
endesvored ascertain which of the poverty makers in
temperance deness, had brought this family 10 such
miserable condition. and surprised to learn that instead Of
either it consumption. We inquired any of the family
had died. and received in reply "Ony three Of yet
Dead and there they under that yon hsde
Besey, Jane, and Samuel !" and doubt that all the
travellers left that cabin " wiser and better men,"
The next night spent under the roof Of old man
named John Keller whose family consisted Of his aged help
meet and one daughter They ieate people, but in
dusrous and frugal AS approached the cabin
the old man and the daughter hard at work rolling and
burning logs upon deadcearng, and, entering
the cabin, CATER having obtained permission remain there
found the old cooking trout, baoon and buck
wheat cakes for supper. The situation Of the cabin struck
me particularly romantic, for either side, within
stones throw two nearly perpendicular walls Of noun
tain, covered with mammoth vegetation the base Of Of
them being washed by the veroang and impatient waters
of the Seneca. Within the dwelling there evden-
whatever of elegance or luxury, but every thing neat
pin. During the period intervening between supper and
bedtime host entertained with his conversation from
which learned that he had been famous hunter in his
time, but was now chiefly tler Of the soil and
angler He told us among other things that ratesnakes
very abundant the surrounding country and that be
bitten by of these reptiles while out fishing.
While passing log he stepped upon of the which
Immediately gave its death and struck him upon the
shnbone The fangs penetrated to the bone and the bite
was painful He greatly alarmed, and, instead Of
stopping kill the SNAKE he into the water and bahed
the wound Inflammation took place Immediately however,
and he FASTENED home with the utmost speed and arriving
there his sensations those Of grossly intoxicated
AL sorts Of applications made to the wound his leg
swollen an unnatural sz and became black his eyes
infamed, and he remained in dangerous for
about fourteen days, when, the establishment Of ALL be
began fool BETTER and subsequently recovered And this
incident took place late in the year the first of Oco-
ber Our host also informed that he pursuing
the mountains with his dog when the deer made
desperate leap from the brow Of hill and coming up
to it he found that had jumped and killed itself within few
yards Of his own cabin door.
On leaving Seneca Creek crossed lofty range Of
mountains by bridlepah, the summit of which
found solitary log house, inhabited by hunter
fore which planted two immense posts surmounted with
deer and elk horns the number of thirty pairs These
with the appearance of the and his hounds strongly
tempted to tarry and have hunt, but thinking
Of the Dry Fork of the Cheat river, famous for its trout
We found this to be the richest trout stream had yet seen
since caught them by the hundred, and Of size truly
astonishing some Of them measuring not less than twenty
inches As BEFORE fshed with the fly, and upon
age took the heaviest fish Of small pool alone took
four trout nearly foot long. But this stream is only
remarkable for the trout-6shng which Affords and its
surprising wild and beautiful scenery but also for the fact
that at point its source, called The Sks it rushes
into in the side Of mountain and disappearing for
me again appears view and continues its the
place is simply waste of desoae and elevated mountains
wateed at equal distances by the LAUREL the Code Fork and
the Shavers Fork, Big Cheat which all tributaries Of
the Cheat river itself tributary of the Monongahea The
Cheat derives its from the fact that its waters
clear, and at the time dark, deceive the
in regard to its depths when crossing its fodng places
The country throughout its whole course is mountainous
(hs have been told, and have seen it too from dozen
mountain peaks, the internal land along its borders being
narrow but well cultivated.
On my arrival here the friends who accomp anied over
the mountains left for different direction from the one
am to pursue, and, by way Of consong myself a! their
parure joined an old hunter at the footof the neghbong
Cheat mountains b;r, ,r,r l..s.