Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1857-12-30

every way trustworthy guides Is Samuel austin ana
Dr. Mitchell visited tho A.igAat peak q tie Black
Mountain in 1885,
Dr. Mitchell may have had some misgivings (and
who would not have had them y about the success
of his effort to reach the highest peak which he had
previously selected at the time he made it. But he
published the results Of his visits shortly afterwards
in 1885, and gave then g. 476 feet the height of
"ths highest peal" of the Black Mountain. This
height for 1.-THE highest peak he reasserted in an
article prepared for Sillimans Journal in 1886, and
he did not publish any thing else about the noun,
tans Of Yancy county for several years. 1t is wen
known that, after the visit of 1914, DR.. Mitchell
yielded to the suspicious he may have all the time
iuduged and concluded that the peak he visited IN
1856, in the midst of fog and rain, was north OF
the highest peak. To show that he was r'gnt IN
1886 and 1886, and wrong in 1855 and 1886, turn
to the testimony of his companions on this memo
rable and well remembered visit; testimony which,
it should be remarked, has not been changed for
twenty-five years. and proceeds from men wen
known in Yancey county AZ practced and sk'iui'
and truthful mountancers. These guides were
Adoniram Allen, now dead for some twelve years.
and William Wilson, who was of the party on
Yeates knob. William Wilson lived at that time
on the Cattail fork of Caney River and he tcshes,
July 22d 1851 CDR. Mitchell and went from my
house up to the Green ponds, then VIC crossed the
left hand Sugar Camp fork, and kept up the right
hand side of the creek pretty well up to opposite
the Beech nursery. We then turned to the left
across the same fork Sugar Camp and took up the
Little Piney Mountain, and kept directly up that
ridge to the top of the Black. We came to the top
at small glade not more than quarter of an acre
in extent, and turning to the right, not more than
$50 yards, we arrived on top of the main highest
peak, it being the same as We thought that we had
selected from Yeates Knob the day before" This
extract from Mr.. Wilson's testimony must suffice for
the present l hope to publish the whole OF it
shortly, accompanied by map on which is marked
his route. And inspection of it will satisfy any one
that Dr.. Mtches description of the peak he visit
ed in 1885, as "lying between the north and mid
die forks Of Caney River" suits the highest peak
only, and have testimony to show that these were
the names of the two streams one on the north and
the other on the south side Of Little Pney Mountain
in 1885. long before the names Sugar Camp, Sugar
Camp fork Piney Mountain. &C., &C., were ever
heard Of.
On the Cd of last September William Wilson
traced the steps he took in 1885, and that in CON-
pany with r. D. Wilson, (for whose veracity Messrs.
Editors, suppose you will vouchl VIM. johnson.
"a respectable resident Of BurnS,ile) Adoniram Al
len "a Of the guide Of 1882 and Thomas ID.
Wilson, (who figures so largely in Harpers Maya
zine for November, 1857, who exerted himself so
constantly aud ssgscousy in searching for Dr. Mitch
ell last summer and who rewarded for his labor
Of love by first finding him in his deep and dark hi
ding pace.) These men are intelligent men, who
know all about mountain explorations and what
guides can do and what they cannot d. Yet they
Allen led DIR. Mitchell Alright in 1885, and that Vim.
Wilson pointed out their route truly in 1857. OF
VIM. WiSon it is enough now to say that he has an
acquaintance of forty years standing with the spurs
streams, and other landmarks of the Black Noun
tain, and that he is man Of unquestioned veracty
among his neighbors. Hence, to use the words of
warm political and personal admrer of Mr.. Cling
man, To those acquainted with Mr. Wilson, not
doubt fingers. He has identified the peak visited in
1885 with that visited on the I'd Of September, Cor
eiee ressd) No mans word would 60 farther. or be
more implicitly relied on" Had DIR. Mitchell
had interview with Mr.. Wilson at any time since
1885. this present melancholy duty would not have
devolved on me; for doubtless he would have yield
ed his suspicious awakened by the fog and rain Of
1885. and confirmed by the discrepancy between the
determinations of 1885 and 1874, to the uniformity
with which Mr.. Wilson has told his story. Com
corning this uniformity we have from Mr.. Tom
Wilson this testimony, given on the 2lst of July,
the day before William Wilson told his story, viz:
" that he had often heard his cousin, VIM. Wilson,
say that he went with Dr. Mitchell to the highest
point describe the way they took saying that they
went up by the Sugar Camp, crossed the left hand
fork Of Cany River, and went up the top Of the
Pine Ridge Tor Piney Mt y then up that ridge right
straight to little glade old field to the left of the
high peak, then turned short way the right and
up to the main highest peak" Samuel Austin said
the 28th of October 1857, "When VIM. Wilson
and Adoniram Allen returned and told the route
they had taken, was certain that they had been
the peak selected from Yeates' Knob. and feel so
yet" Adoniram Allen is not here now 10 give his
testimony. But what i: was, and what it doubtless
would have been, We may readily infer from the fol-
lowing statements. VIM. Wilson says, "Adoniram
Allen has been dead some ten years. but many of
his neighbors remember the description of the route
given by him, and that it corresponds with NINE"
Thomas D. Wilson says, 81 have heard Adoniram
Allen often say that he was along with Dr. Mitchell
and VIM. Wilson at the time mentioned. and have
oAr1 H. H..
times. and know the description to be the right
one for leading to the high peak, and no other
! Now, if &C. Big Tom Wilson" does not know the
route to the highest peak of the Black Mountain by
night or by day, in fog in sunshine, the man has
never lived that did know Nathaniel Allen, "a son
of Adonirams) declares that he is now A. years DID,
and that on his return from the trip of 1886, he
heard his father describe his route and many other
times up to the day of his death in 1885, and that
he knows from his descriptions that he was what
is now called the highest peak, and that he knows
we'll that this is the identical peak and no other
which DR.. Mitchell assembled in his company in 1886"
can give now only specimens of the testimony be-
fore me, but surely they do warrant any in
GLIDING that Dr. Mitchell did discover, and did after
wards visit the highest peak of the Black Mountain
testimony and believe VIM. Riddle as to the visit of
1874, why may he not also give credence to VIM.
Wilson and Adoniram Allen to the visit of 1885 !?
DR.. Mitchell also measured the highest peak Of
the Black Mountain in 1886.
There is no necessity to dwell on this fact long
now. The peak that DR.. Mitchell visited in 1886 he
determined to be 5508 feet above Morganton. This
town he estimated 96S feet above the sea. So in
1885 he published the height of the highest peak to
be 6476 feet above the level of the ocean. But.
Mr. Clngman remarks in his publication of June
2Sth 1856. the late R. survey shows that Morgan
ton is 1900 feet above the So then 670S should
be used as the result of the visit of 1885. Corrob
Grafton of this determination can be derived from
Major Turner's measurement with the Spirit Level,
last September, when he found the highest peak to