The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1857-09-24
Scenes in Western North Carolina.
LINNILLE RIyER.

or heard of except by some adventurous
traveller, and known intimately only by
the intrepid mountain hunter. Thus these
curosities remain uunoted. while reorl,.
thousands Of our citizens 90 Nortbwards i,
search of health or pleasure. Among sncl,
may be classed the Falls of the LinviIle
Liver, III Burke county. We doub, moi
"ut numbers of persons in Burke county
never heard OF them. They are to be found
IN ihe northwest corner Of that county. near
10 'hat famous tree upon which the four
counties OF Burke, Watauga, Yancey aud
mcdowell corner, and about nine miles
from The Peidmont Spiings. The facilities
ior getting to ihem aro rs vet about no "a.
eiiiiles at a'l-an idea may beformed Ly our
experience.
leaving Ch!dsville on The morning of
Tuesday, in company with Col. Childs. we
rode within three miles Of the Falls. aud
th'n leaving our buggy, we went on horse
back to the house of Nh David Franklin who
/ consented to become our guide. and after =
sholi rest we moved on to tho Fails. uov
lng arrived IN half Il mile of them we dis.
mounted and proceeded on foot, being una
bic TO ride on account of fallen trees. we
soon reached The river, the din of the WA
tefiall having for some time been roaring
In our ears, we then crossed il, 10 do so be.
ing compelled to put certain portions Of our
person ia state of nature. Having cross
ed, we proceeded down the eastern bank
through II wild and irregular growth ofivv
laurel and whortleberry bushes. |, is n.
theT singular that On the ives, bauli of the
LInNl'e, tia soil is rich aud covered with \
most iuXunant growth Of trees while on
the east bank, just here for some distance
out, notiht of any worth grows. The NV
CT where We crossed il has ms clear. smooth
AN apneaiance rs any mountain stream: i,
500" becomes agilated by slight rapids, un.
til suddenly II is divided by n huge rock.
and dashes over fall Of about twenty feet.
1t then boils and surges in most terrific
manner for about two hundred yards, the
while falling three several times. TWISTING
and turning i'll every shape that human
IMAGINATION can fancy.
Following our guide we seated ourself
on the top OF rock around the base OF
which The river rushes III It's wild career.
About forty feet below us on one side dash
ed tbe troubled waters of the Linylle, on
the other these same waters, having forced
themselves through passage rot more
than ten fec; wide, made their Jescen, over
the last and highest fall. Here the mist
was rising, and the rays of the sun, as it shone
through which caused the peculiar view, re.
Sem0Ies SO much the suphurous flames
which Bunyan so well describes as arising
from certain dark abode, that it gives the
cavern under the lower fall the name of the
Devils Hole. Our position was n com.
manding one, but no, such as a person with
weak nerves should seek. As we gazed
lar down the course Of the river we could
see the stream again assume its compara
urely PLACID appearance, but now, instead
oi banks almost even with its bed, ii was
locked IN by an impenetrable mass of
chimney rocks, which continue for miles
down lis course, rising in tue most majestic
grandeur to height OF one, two and three
hundred feet, and in some places nearly 10
thousand. At one point we are inform
cd the rocks close over the liver and il is
easy for person to jump from one bank
TO the other
The grand sublimity fihe scenery which
Is hereahous presented 10 the eve cannot be
surpassed 10y any in the world. LANGUAGE
fails 10 describe it, and the pencil of Tie ar
llst can give but faint conception of its
beauty and magnificent grandeur Here il
Is that man feels his insignifcauee. and.
trembling, knecls with awe and fear We
have seen Niagara in all lis artistic splen
dor, and We have seen what was called
gr"Hd scenery, but never, never have we
seen anything 10 equal the scenery Of Lin