The Cecil Whig., 1873-11-15
THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.
LIFE ON THE sUMMITs-THE GLADEs OF
WESTERN MARYLAND.

LIFE ON THE sUMMITs-THE GLADEs OF
! WESTERN MARYLAND.
( George Alfred Topnsend ia the Chicago Tribune.
OAKLAND, MD, Sept, 1873.
Half-a-mile from Oakland there is an
establishment devoted to tour propagation,
established by the Rev. Alexander Kent,
who was formerly Universalist clergyman
at Halifax, n. s., Portland, Boston, in
Minnesota, and at Baltimore. Over-zeal-
Gus and overworked, he was ordered to 90
to the hills and concern his mind with Ma
ture and no more. Being of an inventive,
useful turn, he sought to make necessity,
philanthropy, and maintenance unite upon
some mutual object, and newspaper sug.
gested pisciculture. He had thrown fly
when boy in Nova Scotia, and buying a
book upon the new application of science,
he made it his study, and also visited the
fish-farm of Seth Green, the national pisi
culturist at Caledonia, New York. He
mastered every feature of his new avoca-
ton, and can make fly, whittle a jointed
pole whic will bring $50 in the city, and
catch trout with two men bred on the noun
tains, taking two to their one apiece. In
April, 1872, he came to Oakland, meaning
to proceed to the Blackwater, Tucker coun-
ty, West Virginia, at once. His earnest
purpose was diverted by Marylander-
one OF those procrastinating, good natured,
original men who are common here as on
the plains-for Rip Van Winkle and Ethan
Brand were mountaineers, and the clergy
man was detained on broken promises of
companionship and CO operation till late in
August Meantime he made his trout
ponds, built his hatchins- houses, and per-
fected his tackle and his knowledge
When, at last, his friend felt -impelled to
go, he dssuaded Mr.. Kent from taking a
fish box Or supplies, saying:
"Oh you'll find them at Kitz'sv'
The Blackwater is the Laurel Fork of
Cheat river, and is distant thirty miles from
Oakland, over road which stops at Kitz-
miler's less than half way. Beyond Kitz-
miller's house there is no habitations nor
routes of travel for an indefinite distance,
except one given place called the Judge
Dobbin House, which was built before the
war for pleasure lodge, and is two stories
high, with eight rooms, each twenty one
feet square-the whole constructed of logs
1t is now deserted, except when Kitzmiller
cuts little hay around it once a year, or
some vagrant fisherman finds it unexpect-
edly there, glowering upon the wilderness
The Blackwater is the best trout stream
south of Lake Champlain, known at this
day. 1t is broad flowing, with an even
bottom of white pebbles, over which the
clear black water flows between great rocks
worn by the waters will; and the banks
are uniform, moundy, and easily scaled
anywhere, and lined with groves of tall
hemlock, spruce and birch. Back of these
groves the laurel, like jungle. covers the
vista, and affords views of neither noun
tains nor forests.
The fisherman passed the Falls of the
Blackwater, where, with roar which can
be heard mile, the river, in clear sheet
of the width of 1870 feet, falls 63 feet in one
leap. Below this boundary, the voracious
bass, who would also eat the trout, keep
their dominion; and the Lower Cheat is as
good for bass as tbs Upper for trout.
The fishermen threw their lines, and
were rewarded with 100 trout apiece per
diem. The third day the Maryland Rip
said he had got enough.
"But," exclaimed the clergyman, ssaren't
you going to make a business of it? l
have waited for you all summer
"You fish on says the bold mountain
eer, land I'll send you up supplies, and
all the materials for camp and fish box"
Left with a little bread and ierked meat
two or three pounds at most-the lost
clergyman, wading the stream to the waist,
and often to the arm-pts, threw his fly all
the day, and at night slept upon the laurel
bushes, the nearest neighbor to the panther
and the wildcat. He had constructed,
while his friend was present, sort of side
dam with stones, lined with moss, and
here he had several hundred trout Day
after day passed, and neither food nor rein
forcement came to this lost brother of the
cloth. His last piece of bread was gone,
he had nothing to eat but his trout, and
was faint The Blackwater began to rise,
and the pool was imperiled, and he crawl
ed into the woods at night, when he could
not see his hand before him, and picked
moss to strengthen the walls.
At last, at the moment of despair, on the
fifth day, Rip Van Wrinkles son, young
Rip, arrived.
"Did you bring any nails >" was the
clergyman's first question.
"There,' said the boy, 81 knew l had
forgot something" The dam was swept
away before the mistake could be remedied
and 800 trout lost.
A box was next improvised of heavy
baggng, stretched upon a frame, and
1,50O new trout consigned to it. This
imperfect receptacle capsized one night,
and nearly all the trout escaped. Still in
domitable, the preacher himself returned
to Oakland and back to the Black water on
foot, round trip of sixty miles, which he
afterward made many time. He hired
fisherman and hewed road of six miles
through the woods and rocks, to prepare
the way for transporting his fish. In the |
end his provisions failed to arrive; his hir-
ed man grew faint and refused to work,
and Kitzmiller saved them both from star
vation. A third calamity put an end to all
hopes of saving trout for the year 1872,
and, full of encouragement, Mr.. Kent re-
turned to Oakland and fished the moro ac-
cessible water of Muddy Creek. This is
a tributary of the Little Youghiogheny,
and it is full of trout; but the stream has
been damned at saw mill, and perma-
nent growth of grass in the bottom gives
sustenance to water-l -leeches, by which the
trout is sufficiently fed. Hence they bite |
slowly; but Mr. Kent closed the season of |
1872 with 700 trout safely housed at Proc
tors ponds, Oakland.
This wear, amply capable to work out |