Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-06-16


MAJ, when the Telegraph informs us ths
the southwest monsoon Is approaching u
the coast. there IS general rush for tn
plains, and be is an unhappy man who al
lows himself 10 be caught in the storm.
The most singular fact about the rainfall
here is its variableness in different places
One mile to the east Of US the rainfall i
sixty inches less than at the saHitarium
And at Panehegunny, II : miles distant
the annual amount of rain is only fifty in
ches. or one sixth OF what it is here. Til,
latter place is also on the mountain top, anc
is only 100 feet lower than Mahableshwar
Every effort Is made to continue, and ever
to increase the amount of rainfall at thi
place. inasmuch as several important river
depend upon it for their supply. Tn,
healthiness of the station during the eigh
months when it is occupied, also depends
very much upon the amount of rainfall
during the rainy season. When the station
was first occupied the forest trees were cut
down in a most ruthless manner, until the
summit Of the hills became almost bare oi
4 foliage. 1t was afterwards found that the
rains diminished, and the air became 81
dry as to be very unpleasant and unheal
thy. The government consequently toob
measures TO protect the forests. and aftel
the trees had time to grow again the change
of climate was most remarkable. At pre-
sent no one is allowed TO cut tree any
where upon the mountain top.
The scenery on these mountains is OF
the widest and grandest description. In
many places there is such an awful grand
eur as to fill one with surprise and wonder.
Deep gorges. chasms and ravines bound
the elevated plateau on every side, the
descent for 1000 feet or more, being often
times quite perpendicular. Excellent car
riage roads have been made, leading to the
most striking Of these points, each of
which has particular name. Each one of
these points has its own peculiarities, so
that many days would be required to see
all the places of interest. must take you
however to two Of them and give you q
brief view. ''Sidney Point" is in some re-
sepects the most remarkable of ALL 1t is
situated about three miles from the San
itarium, on the extreme end of spur of
mountain juttiag out into the valley of
the Koina river It may be represented by
the letter Y, thus the ;. dot at the end of
the steam showing the Point As we ap-
proach within half mile of the Point. the
edges of the plateau draw together to about
a hundred feet in width, on either side of
which one could find very satisfactory
'.jupping-off place. Beyond this it wild
ems somewhat, but before reaching the end
ii narrows again, until the passage is only
eight feet wide, with a perpendicular
peeipice on either side If your head is
steady enough to go over this passage,
(many prefer to keep on the safe side of it, }
you viii find at the end circular rock
about twenty feet in diameter, from which
the view is indescribably magnificent The
valley of Koina is 1000 feet below and as it
passes around this headland, you have an
unbroken panorama of several miles in
length, lying directly at your feet. The
effect is very much as l should suppose it
to be from a balloon 1000 feet above the
the earth. The decent from this rock is
perpendicular for fifty or seventy-five feet,
beyond which it slopes at an angle of
As feet to the bottom. The cultivated
patches along the vaIey,-the green trees
bordering the river bed, the apparently
perpendicular wall of bare rock on the op-
posite side of the ravine, the multitude
of jagged, broken mountains, below,
which, though of considerable size in them
selves, dwindle into insignifcanee in the
presence Of the loftier one on which we
stand, the little villages almost hidden
among the foliage, and above all, perhaps,
the newly made carriage road which de-
seends from these dizzy heights to the
Konkan and seacoast, and which may be
traced for miles, as the winds serpentlike
from spur to spur, and across the valley
below, all combine to produce scene of
the most GrfMg grandeur of any that l
ever beheld. We gaze upon it in silence,
for language fails US at such time. We
can look, and wonder. We can reverence,
and adore, and lore
Across the ravine and opposite where we
are standing we see broad elevated
plateau whichseems to be even higher than
this place. It is called ''Elphinstone point,
in honor of Lord Elphinstone, former
Governor Of Bombay. Retraeing our steps.
and making circuit of fully ten miles we
come to it, and find it in some respects
even more wonderful than Sidney Point,
although it does not present to us the
strangely varied panoramic view of the
former place. On the side of the plateau
farthest from Sidney point we can approach
the very edge and look over the awful pre-
cipice. But you must walk circumspectly.
l would advise you to do as did, lie down
upon your stomach, creep forward, and
look over. The descent is a perpendicular
for fully three thousand feet, with scarcely
a shelf of rock 70 break the fearful distance.
Below is the Konkan, or coast country, and
the river Savitri winds its way through a
narrow valley.
Can you wonder that the early inhabi-
tants Of these mountains, heathen though
they were, gave them their present name?
Mahableshwar means ''the great strength
of God The name itself therefore testi-
fies to the inspiration of such scenes as then
'sMighty Himalyeh begins the song;
The Lord, my refuge and my tower, is
strong!"
Thy hills, Mahableshwar, loud reply;
,Great is the strength ofGod,' they cry;
Beauty and strength unto the Lord ascribe,
Beauty and strength"
Very truly yours, HENRY J. BRUCE.
Mahableshwar, India, April 9th, 1876.
OUR CENTENNIAL LETTER.
How the Exhibition eets on-Our Cor