Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-30
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.
Letter from an Escaped Nofe.bOoker
Contrast Between Memphis and
Mountain Afr-How 10 Acquire an
Appefiie-A wonderful windmill.
and other Matters.
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN HOUSE. !
NEAR CHATTANOOGA, TRNs.. 7
Aueust g6 1863. J

The relief experienced in escaping
from the broiling heat of Memphis to the
cool summit of this mountain is most
grateful. From the verandah of the
hotel, where / am seated, to dash off
few paragraphs of casual facts and
| thoughts for the LEDGER, can look down
into the valley fifteen hundred feet below,
where the weather is decidedly warm.
But here it is comparatively cool. The
thermometer seldom rises as high as
eighty.iive degrees, and at all times
pure, fresh breeze comes from the distant
mountain tops, bringing health to the in
valid, strength to the weary, and roses to
the pale cheek of lauguid beauty. At
this attitude there is no dew to prevent
early excursions, and it is nothing unu-
sual to see ladies, who never walk q
quarter of mile at home, going out be-
fore breakfast to scramble over the
| rocks half a mile and back before
breakfast. The first apparent result is
a scarcity Substantial victuals near their
seats in the dining-room.S The sunrises
and sunsets the rocks and moses, and
grottoes and moonlight walks, excite
and combine much that is poetic, ro-
mantle and sentimental but in the
dining-room there is no poetry. The
lawyer who has so many briefs at his
office, after being here few days, forgets
to be brief at breakfast; the young lady
who quotes Moore's poetry and ascrbes
it to Milton or Shakespeare, never fails
to call for more at the table; the pale
student who has pored over his books ten
months, and has been here month, can
pour down his three cups of Tyson and
still look hungry; and the way the red
headed bridegroom with juvenile mus
tache, and his prim-m euthed little bride
in her dimity white alpaca dress, both
from "Georgy," who sit opposite US at
\ the table, do cancel overgrown spring
chickens, is marvel that no young or
unmarried person can comprehend.
The only solution of the conundrum is
that the mountain air is fne appetizer.
This is the case.
The hotel here is kept by DR.. A. L. Rit-
chey. He opened the house only eight
weeks ago, and it has been full nearly
ever since He is newcomer, but has
set out to please everybody and succeeds
better than any who has tried the expert
ment on the mountain since the war. He
keeps something that | never saw here
before, and seldom come across at any
public place-a irst-clsss table. Every
| thing is plain, but fresh and clean, and
cooked in the style that we find at the
house of well-to-do farmers. The other
accom- modations answer for the summer
well enough, but there is fine opening
for the outlay of some capital. The prin.
cipal hotel was burned down about four
months ago, and the surrounding houses
had to be adapted to the uses of visitors.
There are only forty or fifty people here,
but they are all very sociable and enjoy
themselves very well to all appearances.
They are mostly from Georgia and New
Orleans, but q party OF one hundred or
| more came not long ago from Murfrees-
| boro, aud a good many Alabamians are
registered on the books. At present,
Rev. +. A. Ross, the venerable and dis
tinguished Presbyterian Divine of Hunts
tille, Ala, is here with his wife and his
accomplished and beautiful young grand.
daughter, Miss Theo. Templeton. Mr..
Ross has been prominent in his church
for nearly or quite half century, but
save slight stoop in his shou lders looks
and acts like middle-aged man. He
has ou,-lived nearly two generations of
his contemporaries, and says, in his cheer
full vay, that he never grows older.
There are fswsr people here from
Memphis than pslal. 10 previous years
the Memphis apd Charleston railroad
had arrangements for issuing excursion
tickets OF halfpriee, but as the
company was not applied to by
Doctor Ritchey, the arrangement
was not made this summer, but 1t may be
done vet 10 few weeks. The Georgia
roads issue exeHrsiep tisksts 81 bali
price, marked "not good nnless stamped
at the Summit House, Lookout Noun
lain" This compels all who use tickets
for bHsineas purposes to make an aseen-
sion to the top OF the Aogntsla;. The
fare, may say foP the information OF
travellers (no puff, is only two dollars
and a half per day. 1t was formerly
four anu halt
A new feature is about to be added to
the Mountain, near the house immedi-
ately on the broW of the bluG, in the
shape of a Windmill. The gentleman
erecting it is probably from Holland,
and from q remsri which escaped his
| lips this morning, shen piece of plank
fell on his toes, presume he has resided
| in Amster-dsmit. He knows his busi-
ness though, and says that by his pom
derous windmill he can work pump
that will bring water from the foot
of the cliff to the hotel The sight
of the windmill brought to my mind
Captain Thompson's apparatus, which
he carried up with his first balloon, and
standing on the edge of the precipice
looking down three hundred perpendicu.
lar feet, to say nothing of the slope for a
mile and half beyond, recalls most WV
idly the sensations / experienced when
making an air line excursion in Captain
Thompsons balloon over the Catholic
Church in Memphis. The feelings are
much alike, bpt with one material differ.
ence, l was very glad to get out Of
Thompsons balloon, but will regret vhen
the time comes to descend from Lookout