Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1873-11-04
M THE NEW RIVER CANON.
WONDERS OF WEST VA.
EAxAwnA FAILS, C. & O. Il. H.
October -, 1873.

lJCIODSf 1C'Ss
r1oErrSuEp FROM FIksT PAGE.I
At Miiler's Ferry, CLEAN OF enter
prise appeared. A few pretty seruc-
lures deity fastened among the huse
hon,ders. cleaned with their painted
frontage IN the sun, and dozen faces,
radiant with anxiety seemed to well
come us as from some foreign land.-
The scene was like the incongruities
of vision. Quickly we were whlrled
across the foamiug chasnl, upon a
beautiful and airy structure, but In
the twinkling Of an eye 1t was done
not more than two piers were there,
for the stream at that point seems to
hsre been turned upon its edge and
let down into veritable crack in the
great bed ofupbcaved aud chaotic stone
In full view was the famous
HAWKS NEST.
which lie on the northern side Of the
river which turns at this point, and
runs eearly due west for many miles.
The Mountains are loftier and sleeper
than heretofore, and far up the oppo-
eite steep, the huge yellow sandstone
emerges from the heavy timber and
carries It's strangely beaten but per-
pendicuIsr front, To an altitude at once
90 distant and dizzy, that a man, who
at the moment of our passage was as
tride his horse on its fearful summit
seemed but q mere mote to the naked
eye. The face OF the rock seems to
have been honey cOmbed by some un-
known process of attrition leaving
numerous strange openings of more or
less circular shape, and it was doubt
less IN one of these that the Hawk Sc
cured n sort of indefinite immortality
by building his nest. The Engineers
of the c. d o., have gwen us $40 fee
as the exact altitude OF the sumit of The
rock above the surface of the stream
From Its summit, there extends up
ward and backward quite an expanse
of cultivated land, SO steep that
would seem a single mistep of man or
beast would send him into the terri
bic abyss thousand feet below. On a
neigh boring perch equally as high and
only little less picturesque fearless
landsman had built comfortable cot
tage and actually secured his front
Ticket fence upon the exact edge of the
fearful precipice. But we were soon
among other monuments which the
iron hand of nature had for thousands
Of years been carving and painting for
the amazement of man. For ten miles
there IL 40 rest for the eye of the Gu
rious explorer. Foaming and whir-
ling rapids. gorgeous waterfalls, dizzy
crags and fearful sleeps, and boulders
which had defied the teeth of centuries
whirled before the eye in the tinsel of
the autumn sun. Modern science had
but displayed the wonderful work.
The cliffs had been hewn from their
SUBMITS and enormous quantities Uf
the bright and angular sandstones had
been thrown down the steep to the
waters edge below. Many blasts had
required from so to 100 kegs of powder.
At one point where the water seemed
resting to renew its fealful race we
were told that the sounding line
marks depth of eighty feet. The To-
cality had been named the Blue Hole.
The mouth or Gauley marked the
New, and the beginning OF the Kama
wha, and save the Kanawha Falls.
which are IS feet in their descent, but
which seems less, it ended the pictures-
que portion Of the route. The Gauley
Is neither large nor pretty. 1t too has
cut Its way between stupendous hill>
and save few houses which stood
with their backs against the bluff and
fronted on to the wild waters, and the
naked pillar of Gauley Bridge.
which stood like grinning skeletons to
point the folly of Gen Wise and mock
the poverty to which it contributed
there was little to attract attention TO
II.
Kanawha Falls are less wOnderful
than famous, but the locality is marked
Ivy pleasant contrasts. The grating OF
the air brakes upon our coach wheels
aud an almost immediate pause were
followed by the announcement of
twenty minutes for diDaer," and the
crowd disembarked and INDUCED in
refreshments less worthy of mention
than attention. The eastern bound
train was delayed and between the
two We had an hour. Here our party
lost one OF it's number who having
checked his baggage for the far West,
cut the silver tension between business
aud sentiment and went away from
family reunion, in which We
had rebuilded demolished altar
around which for twenty years it had
ll0t lecn OuTo anu
Within the gulf we had seen war, pes
thence and almost famine. The wave |
which washed slavery from the homes |
Of America had left In it's stead, terri |
BILE scourges and some Of us had gone |
ON distant pilgrimages for material to
build both tombs ami temples. 1t had
been oar lot to meet again upon famil. |
lar door steps, and to rehearse to heI
WI. o had poured for us a mothers pa
tient prayer, for many anxious years
the story of the new lives we had led
Very pleasant, very dear had been To
Ms the brief season, and the reader need
only pass this brief allusion through
the transformation of metaphor, To d.
vest it of any personal tinge- TlSe vii
lage at the Falls is quite picturesqu'
,,raffu nnp SfftInH in the SlgrrlnM