Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1873-11-04

| pecC oy joining any revolution, l can
not imagine. Certainly they haC
little in common with their fellow
en-, whom they rarely saw anC
seemed content to do wholly without
These Falls are twenty-five feet il
their descent a vast table of harC
gray sandstone, which seems perfect
ly horizontal, has beeu reached by thu
regular descent of the river, and al
this point it disapp> ars. In the pres
ent low condition of the river, the Wa,
ter has abanduned the western shore
and pOurs in steady, but tho indrous
stream over the eastern edge of the
rock. Set in their wild surroundings
| and singing the stentorian song whit
once charmed the now extinct races Oi
America, they are grand very grand.
Near them is depot. but save as a
uassing point for trains, saw little
pse for it, for the streams which have
cut through these mountains, and
pour their icy torrents into the river,
have left no ovIsible room for rroads from
the country above, and if there be any
they must be mere mule tracks.l On
either side the very ti1nbers intel
lock, and whatever of animal life there
is within them, must dwell in eterna,
twilight.
Our party had the good fortune to
make the acquaintance of Mr.. Budd,
who in 1870 represented the County of
LoudOn in the Va. Legislature. He
now fills, and L think ably fills, the
position of general Superintend-
ent of the fuel department for the en-
tire line of this magnificent road
With him we took position on the
rear platform of the train. and we
found him very useful in pointing out
objects of interest Oh the rout, and in
furnishing important information con-
corning The road. The road bed may
be said To be. at an average elevation of
40 feet above the river, and from
Clifton Forge to Charleston, the grade
nowhere exceeds Is feet 10 the mile.
and on this portion, one of the Com
pany's locomotives can draw train of
fifty loaded cars. If single one of
these ears should on any of these
grades become detached, it would re-
maiu stationary, for on any grade less
than nineteen feet u car will not run
down of itself. The curvature is Very
light, yet the road is certainly remark
able for the number of its curves. At
few points can the eye follow the ka-
nyon for over a mile. And one is not
likely to fail of observing that its
course is that of a system of palralel
approaches in military attack. AT the
mouth of Laurel Creek, some twenty
miles below Hinton. the New River
Car Works Co., have seized upon Il
diminutive triangular bit of ground
for the erection of their works, The
ore is brought from Clifton Forge, and
when western bound freights are
st arce, can be brought in vast quanti-
ties. A branch railway connects with
the coal formations on Laurel. so that
as Col. Budd expressed it, here then
We have the iron and coal brought to-
gether. A few miles brought us to
Stretcher's Neck Tunnel, 100 yards
IN length. Lamps are regularly light
ed or the cars, for the dark plunge
Stretchers Neck is long promontory
which the river must pass around at a
probable distance Of five miles, but the
&. 4 o., chooses TO make it in less than
twO-tnirds of one Both ends of the
tunnel are almost washed by the riv-
er. AT the 300th mile, we observed a
few natives skinninga deer which they
had just killed, and the character of
the country can be immagined, when
| state that they had to use the edge of
the railroad track, IN order to get lev
ei ground enOngh for the operation.-
The wildness of the region was al
most astounding. Vast bouIders reared
their hLary heads about the stream.
and the sOmbre pines shut from our
view the limited field of heaven which
spans those frightful gorges. As we
the mountains grew I0ftier
aud more precipitous, and the river
narrower. The-river winch is natur- |
ally 1900 feet wide. sErank in many |
places to 80 feet. Far up the steep
sides of the mOuntaihs huge pillars of
wild masonry reared their bronzed |
Orms far into the heaVeus, and the |
booming rapids of the stream as il |
ashed the sides OF the mighty rocks,
everbrated in strange thunder from
IOint to point in mimicry of the grand |
which, perhaps beyond
he flood, had snapped the rocky struc-
ure of the country.
CONCLUDED ON SECOND PAGE.