New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-10-14
III.
A HORSEBACK RIDE THROUGH THE WILDERNESS
WHITES AND BLACKS COMPARED.

A HORSEBACK RIDE THROUGH TIE WILDERNESS
WHITES AND BLACKS COMPARED.
OK THE New RIVER, Sept. 25.-As we were
sitting around the fire three evenings ago. at the tavern
which affords entertainment for AMI beast, at Ka-
nawha Falls, heard mellow voice remark, "Tn take
little sugar in mine"
There was quite Company of travellers sitting around
the big coal fire. for the evening air sharp and among
them were Northern and Southern men; and noticed
that most OF them took sugar in theirs" suppose
Is the water which needs to DO THUS ameliorated and
made acceptable to travelling somachs but the sugar
passed around of the company Northern man, in
teeotcd Renaissance Of campaigning in Southampton
County, Virginia. where, he said, he had observed dur
ing the that when he to old apple orchard
he invariably found that 1t belonged to a widow.
al" you had asked what her husband died Of" added a
vlrgnian she would have told you he died Of the Ne
and proceeded to explain that applejack has
been from time immemoria, to the inhabitants Of that
region, an irresistible and peculiarly fatal stmulant.
Whereby another of the company reminded Of q
railroad engineer in Southwestern Virginia, who
oeved from one Of his subornaes section map Of part
of the line on which found at certain point this
gnal notes Extensive indications Of defunct Vrgnians
here" which puzzled him until the surveyor explained
that at that point he had found large bed OF mint
1t in West Virginia, in fact have been assured,
and not in Arkansas that old gentleman died Of mix
ing this deleteriOus grass" with his whisky; and radi
ton asserts that was native of Chotank, in the tide
water country, who taught him how to compound the
deadly mintulep. "In Chotank" said one Of our COM
pany, they say is impossible to escape drinking The
mockng in that country wake you in the morn
ing with invitation to julep meihuous that 1t
would tempt saint. They begin at early dawn, and
their song is thus:
Getting late! getting lateI
Get up get up get up
Jaip, juhp, tulp, talpi $500,
Taste, taste, TASTE taste
Get up, get upl
JIlip, julp, juAl-lI-tfpi
The hooking bird is dangerous animal, and glad
II is not common north Of Philadelphia.
To Kanawha Falls we had travelled very tolerable
roads When we mounted our horses the following
morning. we babe goodbye TO roads and entered the
New River cOuntry-a bowling wilderness, through
which the engineer parties Of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Railroad have constructed what peases them TO call
path by which path II you have srrefo0ted horse ana
steady nerves may ride at slow and difficult walk,
and see how the industry of workmen, moved by the
enterprise of capitalists and guided by the skill and inge
nuity of engineers blast and dig and tunnel way
along the precptous banks raging torrent for the
iron horse II you have ridden into the Yosemite VAL
ley you will find here trail sleeper and moro difcut
than that curious descent and not two miles but eighty
long II you have not ridden into the Yosemite that
ride will appear Joke to you after doing the New River
lido not know why it is called the Rcac River though
am ready TO admit that it was novelty to It rises
in North Carolina, and flows northward and westward
until 1t falls into the Kanawha about two miles above
the great Falls Its water is too warm to drink; Ito cur
rent fierce treacherous its course full OF rapids
90 that svGatiOn IL impossible, and even iumoerafs
cannot aoated safely its banks are steep and In
many parts precpt0us and from go to loo feet Nigh
II haa for at least fifty miles the Kanswha absO
luteiy no bottom lands nat shore and when the eng
nears were making surveys for the line OF the Cheea-
peake and Ohio Railroad they had 70 take their measure
ents and levels suspended by ropes and transported
their provisions and tools the backs OF from point
N mint Since the building Of the railroad begun
.evara man have been drowned in the rver and lately
all the boats on the part have been destroyed by
the who first used the because they found
their use TOO dangerous to life.
annh In brief the New River and by this time next
vear YOU may ride comfortably along the SIDE OF its
Hs at the rate Of 80 miles per hour, and laugh at the
lo and tiresome progress Of which mean to give You
few incidents But tiresome though our ride neces-
lv as II was not tedious for grAnder scenery than
thu New River Affords the part Of ts course below the
rraenhrer II would be dincult to find In the United
stat and certainly there Ii nothing to compare with
this ode Of ths Rocky Mountains
IN xoa know how q railroad is built Here, on the
Nav River we were In the midst OF the work AT ire
ous,t ,ntayvas kuoeession of rockblasts thundsreo
threush tho gorge An our horses picked their dimcl'
steps along tina narrow and slippery trail whiea sk
the predptee, heard below US the elsng Oh seoeo
hammers striking drills, saw men snoVennR Ok m"ie'
dragging oarts wonder how the mules and tho eaRt'
got there. And at every half mile 20 We descended
the Grade and awhile tho broad and track
good deal Of 1t II eompletedJ the contractors AN
All ct work and the WORK has bean 90 axrAnGea teAs
shn, an be nnishAA psxt eeDtnmhaE. }i'JD.
More than two yesrs were consumed In the survey o
tie Wild country between the White Sulphur Spring
and the Fails Of KRnsWha- met, On the line, sOme o
The gentlemen wLo had been engaged in this work ant