The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-07-05
A short TRIP to the Barrens.

cnOre nad returned nome TO get mucn need
might have been seen making their exit
from the town Of Columbia, three OF them
in peddler wagon, and one on yellow
ments Of Aurora, fair daughter Of the dawn,
were yet scarcely visible, and Jocund day was
just commencing to stand tiptoe upon the
misty mountain t0p;cors ,quently the young
of the town would see them clad in the un-
comely habiliments of the hunter and the
fisherman, as the latter would not be out OF
bed before ten or twelve O'Clock. The party
they waited at Mt. Pleasant for the great
hunter and fisherman, Cad Frierson. Soon
after they had eaten breakfast at the hotel
barrens. The old Metal or Gordon road
which leads to Napier's Furnace, was re.
ported to be in q bad condition on account
| of the Sth of April, and Mr.. Cad led us by
| another route, RIA old Sammy Stewards
Here we found a clear sparkling spring OF
cool, refreshing free stone water, surrounded
oaks. This is famous place, and many
families from the crowded and hot cities
pass the heated term" here. A better pic
| ture of a comfortable Southern home can
house from the spring by telegraph" AT
| ter dinner we pushed on through long
stretches of post oak and blackjack coun-
Tommy, who,were riding ahead on horse
| back, espied a woman in the distance,
mounted on a bag of meal or corn, on a
horse, bare headed, her fiaxen lock, locks
mentioned, being bachelors, OF long stand
ing, whom the sight of calico excite to the
utmost pitch, quickened their pace, and
| Arc, but she also laid whip to her steed, and
| left them in the distance, and vanished
down another road like the Maid of the
Mist or the Lady of the Lake; Soon after
n ra behold front
came two young girls, without umbrellas.
Our party supplied them with umbrellas,
Cad shook hands with them, and away We
went again, and arrived at the home of Jno.
B. Floyd, the Daniel Boone of ther Barrens.
Mr.. +. and his daughters were absent, but
his excellent wife welcomed Cad as an old
friend, ands his party, who We're strangers,
in a becoming manner, and soon we Were all
snugly. ensconced in a comfortable little
room, singing, "As soon as get there, my
Lord" After awhile John Floyd came
home, and after partaking OF something
"good for snake bites" which one of the
party had prudentially carried along, he in
vited US into the dining room, where we,
and especially Pitts s., ate large quantity
of biscuit that melted in our mouths, fried
ham, "sOur milk" as the good housewife
termed the buttermilk. Sunday morning it
! rained and threatened, and the party did
not go to preaching at Laurel Hill, as was
their intention. We forgot to mention that
soon after the arrival of the party at Mr..
FlOyd's, Cad and II. went in the rain to
Chief S creek after minnows, and regardless
of snaEeS,of which the nOvices stood in great
fear, they went to the creek after supper
Saturday night, with little barefoOted Albert
Warren to lead them with lantern. This
was considered very brave, as the death of
Mr.. W. d. Mayes from the bite of a snake
was much talked of and lamented, and the
new ones thought cotton mouth snakes were
as thick as blackberries in the barrens. Mr..
Mayes was well known and highly es-
teemed by Mr.. Floyd and other citizens of
Lawrence and Lewis counties, and the news
of his untiInely death was received with
much sorrow: Early Monday morning Cad
and III. caught minnOws in Chief IS creek, and
went to the mouth of Cooks branch, on
Big Buffalo River. 1t was raining, and the
other three members of the party staid at
the house, and when the sun shone out fish
ed without success in Chief creek. Cooks
Branch received its name in the following
way : At the mouth of the branch there is
a chasm in the great fiat rock which forms
the bottom of the river, from twelve to
eighteen feet wide, and extending obliquely
across the stream. This chasm is very deep,
(while the stream above and below is shall
low, as blue and beautiful as the Mediter-
ranean Sea, or a tropical sky. Many years
ago man named Cook went down or up
Buffalo hunting deer at night as they stood
eating moss that grows on the rocks in the
bottom of the river. He knew nothing of
the chasm spoken of above, and when he
reached it he fell into it and was drowned,
and ever since the branch that empties its
waters into it has retained his name in men,
DRY of the sad event.
II. waded out and caught a fine trout, and
Cad went down below, about two hundred
yards, and was about to step on big rock
in the river, when he espied big cotton
mouth snake. He stepped back, got stick,
waded into the river, and killed it. In
MASKING down the swamp lily weeds which
grow on and around the rocks, he saw an
other cotton mouth, but he did not succeed
in killing it. 1t went under the rock, but
Cad brayely mounted it, and soon caught
fine trout. This was temeriry, because the
n, ea,s1
nous of all snakes. Mr.. Floyd says he new
er knew anything to recover from its bite.
4 negro belonging to a CulleOka crowd, was
bitten several years ago, and he recovered
by having several quarts of whisky adj
ministered internally, but the snake was in
stump and was notseen, and Mr., +, thinks
it could not have been cotton mouth. The
Indians say that the cotton mouth is the
most dangerous of all snakes, the copperhead,
a dry land reptile, second, and the rattle
snake third. For the bite of the last they
administer whisky in cOpious quantities;
the second some peculiar root, and for the
first he wraps his blanket around him and
lies down to die. The rain continued to pour
down, and Cad, II. and Henry, a barefooted
perch and trout, left Cook s..Branch and went
to the l." Table Rock" through bushes, briars,
&c. This fishing pool was named by Mr..
Cad and other Maury county fishermen, on
abruptly up in it. 1t is very deep and blue,
and is a favorite pool with fishermen. Mr..
j. L. Moore, once caught an i'm mense fish out
OF it. After catching few more trout, Cad
and III. Started for F1oyds, followed by Hen
ry, who, Notwithstanding he is badly paral-
yzed in one side, waddIed along with the
string of fish hung TO his neck, The next
day Tommy went with Cad and H., to Cooks
branch, and they carried back two fine strings
of trout and perch. Wednesday DIR. Ii. went
with them, but it Numbered, and as the fish
never bite TO do any good when ii thunders,
they did not catch many. In the meantime
Tommy and Pitt went over to Laurel Hill
Factory, and learned the topography of the
country, the physiognomy of the people,
or" Notchy Trail" rs it is called by some OF
the natives. Wednesday evening whilst the
party were talking OF going home the next
morning, an Express wagon was driven up
to Mr.. F.'s by MIR. Alb Shacklett, who lives
near Ashwoed Church, one of the most beau
tiful spots in the world. He brought with
him his lovely little daughter, Miss Lucy,
L. g., all OF Pittsburg, Pa. MIR. McVay, al
though quite young, is the senior OF the
great banking firm of /. Il. McVay & Co., of
that city. The arrival of the charming ladies
caused the young men to postpone their de-
parture. After supper the four young men
held vocal concert. Mr.. Nc, who is as
lively as a cricket, and whose soul has not
been cankered by the much handling OF
gold, was greatly pleased with negro hymn,
Z" Yes, Lord, tits Inc that wants to jfne the So
cial band, land Secured It's frequent repetf-
ton. Below We give the song:
Didyou ever see such MANI Did you ever
see such a man?
Died for me, and died for you. and died TO
save the Ehale round world.
yes, Lord, it's Inc that wants
to jine the Social Band! And yes, Lord
'i' INC .na' STATUS IN the need Oh layer.
And he is miNh.JJ curial man,
And les a mighty curiai man,
Dled Tor me, died for you, and died to save
the whole round world.
As went TOUCHDOWN by The gates OF he'll.
And S Sia 9ihl ef ss.es q l2nig farewell.
The next day, Thursday, the party divided,
ana Dr, -, d. ana II. went to Laurel Hill Facto,
to Cooks Branch. At laurel Hill Factory,
we found Mr. Thomas jones', and his broth,
efs, clark ana Jimmy, who kindly showed
Us ekery.ning connected with it: Since the
IL mas received number of improved pieces
of machinery, in almost every department
Aithonsh Mr. Clark Jones is scarcely old
f ins tse F 70 aaa hs aeen sperntend
deist!,nds' everything about it thoroughly,
and in fact everything is plain as print to
MIN. III hard to say which is most COM
satility, or his kindness We predict thai he
will be great manufactured In truth, this
Jones family al father and four sons, have
the, ctaraaeristic energy of the Yankee,
the Southerner added. The Factory was not
in operation, as the dam was UNDERGOING Ne.
pairs, AT tie mill dam we found Major
Willis Jones, workings nike q Trojan. He
new plank. He took the precaution I" ' fir
each plank closely together, and saw that
il was done himself, and then pitched, He
says II the dam fails to hold epQ,.gh water to
steam power tat. It is now turned by d one
hunared horse power turbine wheel The