Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-03-01

TWO nunureu miles, at ledSt, are visible, anu
what vast concourse of giants there are
looking up to Washington, the glorious king
of them all The summit of the White
Mountain group proper tower about us, in
vain endeavor TO match their lofty sovereign
height, while the Francona range and the
mountains beyond, with the eminences oil
Maine, Northern Coos and Vermont, are like
white capped billows on tempestuous sea
Lafayette and MOoslauke stand out in bold
relief, while far beyond are the clearly de-
fined SUBMITS of the Green mountains of
/ Vermont. Pequawket mountain (Which
many persist in calling Kearsarge without
warranty also stands out boldly across the
valley Of the SacO, plainly visible from its
/ base to the house on its symmetrical peak
while Chorcornas pointed top is another
/ feature of the southerly landscape which
arrests the eye. The towns adOwn the Saco
are brought wonderfully near, and so too
are the towns which lie near the Connecticut
at the northwest, and GOrham and She
burne in the valley Of the AndroscOggin to
the northeast. The frozen waters OF Win
nipiseOgee are seen in the southern outlook
while to the left and nearer arr Ossipee pond
and the L,vel ponds, with SebtgO lake fur
ther to the east. The twin UncauOonues
near Manchester, aud the far off Monadnoc
I are readily detected, and between two nearer
Z
Wachusett, Massachusetts, lofty sentinel
Looking northward again, the StratfOrd
peaks and the mountains about DixvIlle ap-
pear To have lett their summer homes to pay
Mount Washington winter visit, so near
hand do they seem. Lake UmbagOg is
plainly in sight, and so are the frozen waters
Of WelennebIco,k and Mooselocmaguntic,
which lie above it, the chain then being lost
behind the mountains. The snow-capped
summit Of Katahdin in the northern wilds
of Maine, no longer blue, misty outline
against a summer horizon, stands out in
bold relief, while fly peaks, at least, which
lie at a still greater distance, some of them
across the border in Canada, are also clearly
limned.
The sunset is glorious. although Heecy
spectres still chase one another up over the
mountain top, ObscurIng for a moment the
sun s face, and then disappearing as its rays
adorn their raimeut with rainbow cOlors. 4
long train of clouds, which the Imagination
forms into triumphal cars, a vast army. and
into a hundred fantastic shapes. stretches
away at the northwest, dissClvIng into moth
ing it reaches a certain point somewhere
north of Mount Adams We arc soon at
tracted to the lcngthening shadow OF Mount
Washington, which Is slowly creeping up
the sides OF the Imp Mountain. W hile tie
shadows Of Jefferson, Adams and Madison
appear Of grcyish tint, that Of Mount
Washington, upon whose pinnacle we stand,
is an intense black. 4 faint golden halo
surrounds Is top, or rather Is seen upon
each side near the top, this appearance being
caused doubtless by the ice upon the sum
nit. Even the shape of the depot is repro
duced against the wooded sides Of the Imp
mountain, although in a direct line the dis
tance must be several miles. IS tie grim
shadow climbs TO the top of the mountain
and reaches across 10 the taller sides of
Mount Moriah, the snowy top OF Mount
Carter Is lighted up with a brightness made
all the more marked from the contrast with
the neighboriug blackncss- ter lifting it
self 10 the toVmost ridge of Mount Moriah,
the dark form shoots away across the broad
expanse Of Maine. until it finally reaches the
horizon and actually mounts above 1t.
little pyramid IS formed upon tie clear blue
eky aud then all fades away into the gath
erIng shades Of night.
In the evening there was brilliant auro-
raj display, without any especial features.
however, and the atmosphere was 50 clear
that the headlight Of a locomotive on the
Grand Tuuk Railway, between Shelburne
and Gorham, was plainly discerned, the lat
ter spectacle also being noticed during tie
passage of a freight train 10 the early morn
tng. Sunday morning dawned with splen-
dor akin 10 the glories OF the sunset OF the
previous evening, though belt OF clouds
stretched along over the ocean at the east,
and there were symptoms OF the coming
snow storm IN the south and southwest +.
The rtgl css of the storm was clearly marked,
and it was between two and three hours alter
We dieccrned it lying across Massachusetts,
and the southern part OF New hampshire
that it struck the mountains about ms.
Ia 20 81 IN a. nod from the mort b.
west the view in uortheTly and northeast
crly direction was even lainer than on the
afternoon of G e previous day. Owls Head,
near Lake MemphI emagOg, Magantlc and .
other Canadian peaks beng more distinctly
seen, while the mountains IN tie region OF
the Connecticut LAKE, and along the boundary
line between New Hampshire and Canada
were more clearly marked. As the sun got
above the horizon q long stretch OF the ocean
above and below Portland. was brought into
view
observations taken about ten O'Clock
showed that the wind was blowing at the .
rate Of only nlne and half miles an hour,
while the thermometer Indicated degrees .
above zero.
The DESCENT.
In order to avoid the coming storm we
make early preparations to descend the noun :
tam, since our stay at the summit cannot be .
much prolonged. TIE downward journey .
is in some respects more difficult than the
ascent. but it IS accomplished without any
trouble worth mentioning, and IN very good .
.ime-about two hours. " tried sliding
lown the railway by fitting boards to the
middle rail, but the thing failed to work sat
slactorily, and We descended nearly the
whole distance by the safer means Of pedes-
rian lCcOmOtiOn.
-HE sOJoURN or The EXPEDITION On THE NOUN
TAIN.
The expedition viii probably remain at
he summit until May (six months) and one,
It least, Of it's members may possibly stay
till longer to make Investigations among
he early plants Of the mountain region
The report Of the expedition will be pub
ished IN the early part OF the summer, and
is appearance Will be looked for with great :
interest, as it will contain many important
facts The L. ) Signal Service
Department is cons dering quite strongly the
roget of making Mount ashiDgton per-
1anent point of observation in connection {
rith its system of storm reports. /