The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-08-19

THE cool GEo1ToEs - THE FtSlilSG-
The CHOLERA, &C. &C.
TEE RAaBLER's OWN Room. August j.. 20.
Nv letter, Mr.. Dispatch. was divided I'D
twain in mercy to the reader. ana now,
with YOURS and his indulgence, VIII give
lis conclusion.
THE GREAT NEW RIVER CANON.
The New river flows along deep bed
uo,,cd in by shores OF mountainous charac-
ter from three 10 five or six hundred feet
hj-b. The general line of the river is north
west. but lis course is fretted by many
curves. Ii may be said from Grecnbrier to
Gaulcv, a distance Of possibly seventy miles,
the river passes through a canon, in the
l.osom Of n broken country. whose noun
t:ir-hitls are without order, curNing and III
tcrscCting one another in ineXtricabe conlu-
sion. That they were thrown up i'll this
confusion bS the same cause which installed
The AIleghany range is altogether probable,
but the main force which formed the centre
or backbone line OF the range was less sy>-
tc,m,ic upon its outer limits, and 50 LEFT It's
conyuISiye effects in wild confusion. The
river itself cut its way through this disorder
" mass Of tangled hills (lS they are called
Gut here and dug Out the elongated canon
along which its rapid and ioamlnS flood
passes.
The shores are all the way abrupt and
elevated. hardly n terrace being left at the
waters edge. except very rarely a little
syuct-jj,l>t enough to swear by-where 4
man NAV tiud rest for the sole of his foot
and room for shanty TO sleep III or to re-
tai rue everlasting aqua miratiltS, which is
alike the concomtant Of JOY aud the friend
in misery. An intrepid cottager here and
there ercctS his log cabin on the sleeps ana
rultva,eS his fields OF oats and corn IN Il de-
1i.nt manncr, which is rs amazing !, bis sue
cc>s Stems to I've decided. How does that
man plough his land, says one. How does he
gather bis crops! says another. Nobody an
swerS but thc man in his cottage, and be an
swerS with his gathered cropsand his peaceful
dwelling on The steep. where he has plenty,
au,. lives on milk and honey, with nobody
10 make him afraid. We like that fellow
He Is a true freeman that man We have
had 50 much to say about in our Fourth-ol-
,;ulv declarations. our bills Of rights. and our
oration<. The iunciful rights and poetical
freedom we bave so much worshlpped are
best protected on such steps as look down
upon the lovely aud grand New river, which
sleeps cansot be scaled by the phlanlhropistS,
and which have net voters enough to attract
toe attention Of the denagosue. shall en-
Gcavor TO Get possession OF one OF those
heavenly dwellings on the heights of New
river. where dcmagogucs are not known,
where philanthropiSts arc strangers, anu
where tbcyes do not break through and steal.
Eappy heights, where industry is rewarded,
= see prevails, and hypocrisy and dcnia-
sos>ln ale unknown.
"CRACK" GEOLOGICAL.
Some person. having professions to geo
logical information style This canon il
"crack." | am no gcolo@ist; but | see all
along This route the si%ns that appear IN I'LL
Virginia rivers ut their mountain passes
the corresponding strata at opposite banks
showing that they have been worn away and
the solid beds of rock ut The bottom that
SLOW no sign of crack. | think The New
river WAS once a succession OF lakes, but
HAT it III, gradually cut It's way through the
rocks. and thus draining all its lakes hats
found its present bed. All the neighburin5
regions present the same wild and dlsOrdcriy
nouniaiu MASSES that are cut through by the
New river, aud are no more indicative OF
"cracks > than is the New River pass. am.
Therefore, down on the ''craCk.' l am
partisan against it. and mean to resist 1t to
the bitter end In this grand uphcaval and
in the grand drama vi the mountains here
:Gouts we rpplldIlte any crack designed for
The escape OF water or anything else. There
WA, no order OF system IN the ll.lnc>&. The
mountains did Is they pleased and left the
water to take care of itself. II this Is not
good science it is good SENSE.
CoAL-MlNES.
Making TIE journey TO the Falls, only
went some sixteen miles beyond them TO
Coaburg. There is one OF the richest mines
OF the grand l.Gclds Of kanawha. II is
known as the Klnawha and Ohio Coal Com
pany, OF which MIR. William Ii. Edwards is
president. Having business with him was
politely received, and in course Of converstt-
ton WAS invited to take ride up to the
miueS. | WAS obliged; would accept the
invitation, DC.
A RIDE Up TO A NINE.
And what do yon think the going to the
minc was: " eli. it was about five hundred
t"rt perpendicular up the mountain, and it |
was reached by a railway track il cars moved |
hy steam with wire ropes passing over Il |
drum at the top of the plain. ! was fur |
ni,bcd an e. cort, and with him got into the |
ctr-a simple box coal-C;tr, ~ black as Ere.
bus. Now. this inclined track was about |
eleven hundred feet long. and had to sit 1T |
the upper enlt Of the box and hold On by the
upper side Of it!
linnainc MY situation. | felt Us if | was
boiding up my entire weight; and before |
got to the top was doubtful whether / |
could hold my self any longer. l was sure
! was rs heavy as n. f. Wilson, of Rich
mond, and probably equal in pondero>ity to |
old John STACY, of the last generation. L
did hold on, however, and claim TO be |
lGlu of pluck and endurance therefor. For |
although the car travelled ut the rate of
twenty miles an hour, it seemed about half
an hour getting To the top Of tue incline.
hoped out jauntily, and impressed the work |
men with The idea that was an expert. and
This performance was familiar to me. what
Il fraud!
Uptherc pecped into the mine two
mincs-o Of excellent coal, and perceivlnS
much mud and no little moisture, decllheo
the polite invitation of my escort to 20 10
further! 81 thank you," said l, III Is my
opinion that | have good Sample OF inc
mines,o,lt here. where ain greatly assisted
in my observations by daylight =" Inc WISE
mau whom | addressed nodded respectful
assent. indicating his belief that my neaa
was level" as they say. :. A..
earnestly asked him, Are you III tue
labi, of going down by the lncliueu track
He repieI mo; generally walk" grave,
~ commented theTeupon that ] supposed
he was fully capable Of wisely deciding the
matter, and that | should cheertully keep
him company in his ,raik! The tact l., he
told me that the cars had gotten away more
,han once, and they descended like lightning,
and breaking through the courthouse below,
had cleared the whole distance between that
and the river, and plunged into the water
with terrific ,orce! fany of my readers de-
sire 10 make that trip advise them to hold
on very tightly | shall not be i'm the way