The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-05-26
L III E DISPATCH.
WEDNESDAY MORNING. MAY o. ,a.s
Peaks OF Otter-The wilkes Mour
kafn House.
'sDrscr or rHs nlcnxosD DAILY pr.p.rcH.
Peaks OF oyrrR. Ma %. !

snAS Vs oihkh. eiay ZZud, 1898.
+ From the @Mountain House," immediateIv n
the little valley on the mountain. and pet wee,
"Virginias highest Peaks sit dow n 10 give tbs
readers Ut the Dispafch faint idea of the mar,
attractions Of this charmiugly romantic spot.
| say faiat--becsnse no power OF aupreeisti,,, how
ever exalted-or of description how ey or excslent
could do it justice. And, / who say this bays
been no small traveller. l have Spent couple q.
weeks In gazing at Niagara; have sketchei the
falls of psssaic; those of Tagheanic where tba
water tumbIes In one unbroksn fall two hanared
aud twenty-four feet; those of the tieDnessee io
ths heart Of the city Of Rochester where nature
ana art seem struggling, in one view, for the
| terry; have fioaed down the st Lawrence: steamed
over the romantic ChampIsiu; sailed over the
chrystal waters of the Horizon; stood upou the
Cattsk1lt. Green, Adirondack. blue and Ailsgbapy
mountains aad gazed for hours at tbe mighty
arch OF Rock bridge-Over " hemsd with xundsr
at the massive masonry OF the Alni. bty hand -
let, Cab say in all truth, that have never been
| more delighted than during my brief sojourn at
khis romantic locality. In the course of the last
| Ten years have often been within ten miles and
| from that distance have gszed upon the to- er,ns
Peaks, as they ste od out like pair Of twin seu.i-
nes, with secret longing TO make the ascent
Dut have az often been deferred by fear of hard
roads III going, and hard fare while staying; with
too, certain msgiyngs TO repay meut for 80 much
| trouble and pains. My visit has dispsll.d these
| illusions The road from Liberty is q turnpike
aud in at least toierable condition The hotel
has already become famous for its mou Dtain be-.
mutton, butter and milk while the caisine if not
as artistic as the ST. Nicholas or your Exchange 10
quite as well suited to my taste, assisted as it is
| by an appetite which nothing but the mountain
| air and exercise are capable Of giving.
The route from Lynchburg is by rail way TO Liber.
ty 20 miles, and thence 10 miles by stage From
Liberty a1fduring the entire ride, We have excel
lent siewsr the Peaks. Soon after leaving kel.
SOS Minis, We commence ascending the mouptai.
from which rise the two Peaks, by gorge leading
down from the little spot Of table land on which
the hotel is situated From the foot of the noun
tain this spot of table land seems to be full three
Toirths the entire ascent Judge my prise then
an arriving at the hotel, At finding mysef still
eighteen hundred perpendicular feet from eiIber
Peak, which sestDed to tower before me in even
more magnificent proportions than when viewed
from the valley below From this point the South
Psak ~ sunes the appearance of amost pez feet
cone, descending from a sharp point, with steep
and nearly regular lines to the level of the hotel
valley.
Immediately after breakfast, the next m ,rning.
commenced the ascent of the South Peak, in com
pany with the gentleman in charge of the hotel
lhe dlstshcs-about mile and half, is much
less diihcuit than had imagined; the track for
ABOUT tWo-tbird5 the distance being a Regularly
graded carriage road, which Mr.. Wilkes il con,
structing Tor the convenience of his visitors. From
tie end OF the carriage rosd, ('the ti.iug place. ~
the route lay along zszag path, for the 10
tecomng entirely TOO steep for any thing like d.
rect ascent; passing between uge granite beulJers
as We neartd the summit which we reached in
about an hour aud a half from the hotel, and With
fittiS VI VI IHtiRQe. WHICH had anti
cpated as one of the certain disabilities of the un
dertaking.
The summit, found to be triangular space Of
ABOUT my Feet diameter with three huge piles of
enormous granite blocks, piled upon one another
at each OF the angles, which serve rude mine
rets to the mighty structure. Up the tallest aud
largest OF these, / cambered uuti! sprsug upon
the topmost ruck-a block OF glauite about six
feet square, and which seemed 80 iusecurey pi.ced
that tie slightest jar would topple it from its
eyrie. and send it laundering down the sdes OF the
mountain thousands of feet below Al that mo-
msnt a thick mist partially ebyeIoped tie eastern
slope; my sensations we're those of man. who
louhd himself standing on top tower q mile high.
and II required ali my philosophy TO drive away
the vertigo sriling from a sense of extreme peril
Que OF the peculiar attractions of the south Peak
OF Otter is tbs idea of altitude. have stood ON
even taller mountains, but hover on one which
gave NE half the sense OF extreme elevation. With
those, the mouBtSin You stood upon, wa. surround
ed 10y others. few hundred feet below while lhe
sppeaTaDce Of depth in the valley below was almost
destroyed by distance. But the Peak on which
stood seems froni its summit, 10 have risen in soi
tary grandeur from the bosom of the plain One
seems to look Immediately tLoWn upon iLe tops OF
trees so TAR fellow that the foliage of the largest
saks d~ln He'd to the size of single rose blossom
aud upon the backs of eagles, VI which while cjrclng
aIouud the mountain thousands OF feet above il,
base, are still thousand feet below the dizzy eu-
luehce on which he 10 standing
After occupying my perch few minutes the
misis which Obstructed the view rolled SLOWLY
away, aud the scene broke upon my excited vision
iu hlt its glorious maguifcencs. Never had |
seen anything which at a glance seemed so indefi
Dtely extended, yet 50 indescribatly lovely On
the extreme East the view melted ia th. dstspre
On the SoUth it was bounded by the mountains OF
The CarUiinas. On the West. it was hemu,ed i'm by
the main range of the Aileghsues, themselves 100
miles away, ile immediately to the North the eys
passed the top OF les OF mouutaius conn
mencing with the Round Top--tviu brother Of the
Peak on which Sas elevated Within this circle
lay other mountains, and chains Of mountains of
lesser magnitude among them the main chain of |
the Bloc Ridge, appearing from my lofty stand
point of very diminished proportions. Betwes
these ranges OF mountains appeared what seemed
to be mere strips OF vslies but which was told
really fertile and wealthy farming districts
twenty nIies in width. As my gaze was brought
nearer the loot of the mountain, the view became
better defined and exquisiteiy beautiful The mag.
niicept county of Bedford lay stretched at our
feet, and hundreds OF farms we're spread out as
upon map. Each point in the scene was clearly
brought out, the deep green Of the forests con.
trasted with the meadows, those with the still
brighter green OF the young wheat, and that again
with the brown iallow. In the whole of this vast
sceue, each hill, valley, and plain, woodland and
field, had their precise bonndaries each house.
road. aud even fence, was plainly visible, while
an occasional stream or pond OF water, msandered
through the landscapes like thread of silver, or
glittsred in the sunshine, like iusny diamonds
upon the bosom of the lovely valley.
The sunrise view from this point is said to be
mag hcent, hey oud description, or even imagiua
ton. The first indications are 1.-The stfeakiugs of
the morning light" as they shoot upward. and
aihwart ths, murky heavens; next comes gentle
Aurora Ia her roseste tan tinting ths eastern sky
vi hues of glory, next old Sol shows imsef for q
morns nj below the edge OF the horizon like hinge
ball Of nre, while the plain below is still black ID
darkness. In another instant A half dozen poists
seem bshed in fire: smother. aud these points are
m tiplied to n hundred aud in the next to a
thot sand; her, end the sun leaps from It's
l.oA
upthe entire landscape Ia all The briiIiancy of sIo
rious euusbine. Another magnificent view is wheu
the mountain sides are iased by the terrific thun-
der storms peculiar to the mountain res ion.
But these glorions scenes are seldom enjoyed
because the first Is only to be purchased Gy the
loss of half nights rest, TO ascend the peak be
fore the moment fsunrse and he iat ter of that of
probable dTenchiag The,e disabilities are how eyre
about to be remeoied, by the erection of a house
immediately on tap Of the mountain aud between
the three mnereis before spoken OF. whei. visitors
may spend the night In comfortable beds; or after
enjoying view OF the storm below retire into its
shelter, should the clouds roll up over the summit
This house is now under way and will be com
pteted by the 18th of July. with capacity to lodge
and board, If Necessary, party of fifty persons-
Other buildings will be erected in the immediate
vicinity. so that visitors to the Peak. may enjoy
the rare luxury of living mile In the air, with
the sunrise and sunset for daily, and thunder
storIns for occasional recrrations This house and
is associations will hereafter be the grand insti-
tuition OF the Peaks. and predict that few
sops hence, hundreds OF the lovers of the sublime
and beautiful, will ciuster around "yirgiuia's lof-
tiest Peak" and for weeks at time, enjoy the lux
ury of life in midheaven. Let this plan be car
ried out and similar one be established on the
Round Top, and there is no spot In the world that
will present more attractions for elevated taste
where the Goddess Health y be wosd and won so
areesbiy or 80 successfully would net give II for
half dazan White Mountains where virginians each
year spend tens of thousands of dollars, who have
never visited, or scarcely heard of this charming
locality. understand that the able and popular
president of one of our railroads predicts that in
short time this spot will become the most noted
pleasure resort in Virginia, especially when it is
considered that the Natural Bridge is only twenty
miles distant, and that the Peaks almost sur
rnuuded by the most famous watering places OF
the mountains.
When Mr. Wilkes purchased this property there
was neither road 10, upon the mountains,
hnnsa of anfartainmenf With cz,lnfnendahle liha