The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-10-11

and even on passing on the trains passengers
can see the curling steam and sulphurous gases
as they rush up from the great cave holes and lis
sures In the hillside. The fire is on what ii
called Buffers Ill.," high above the valley SO
that water cannot be turned in to flood IL; and
the vein lies here so near the surface that it con
tinually undcrmines the earth, and breaks II W
into openings more or less like volcano craters,
so that there is no possibility OF forcing or shut
ting in the steam TO destroy the fire. There are
row over sixty acres OF burning coal, and
through many Of the great cave holes you may
see the everything rock erumbling to white ashes.
The sulphurous fumes that rush up from these
places and the intense heat at some points under
your feet give n fellow-with even an ordinary
limagination-a very vivid idea of Dantc's or Mil
toms region Of the damned,-(and the idea oc-
ours to me just here: II we are to have camp
meetings, church picncs and all that, why would
it not be a good thing to hold them here or in
some such place? For then the object system
might be brought into use and the preachers IL
lustrate more forcibly their arguments of,
Where, sinners, will you go in the sweet 10y and
by%D Over this burning mine where the surface
remains unbroken, its deep intensive green forms
an exquisite contrast to the many desolatc spots
elsewhere The underground fires force the
vegetation into lusty life before destroying it;
this too, when the rest OF the landscape is COW
cred with snow, at which time cattle are dotted
about the yerdurous spots, peacefully cropping
the luxuriant grass where in another day may be
desoation.
There are several other points equally as attrac.
L,,t md n,I1
not admit, SO will pass them over at present
and refer to them at some future time. Leaving
the shady streets and pleasant town of PittstoWn
we take the train for Scranton where short stop
is made and then ride of seventeen miles to
Carbondae and IIonesdale over another of those
gravity roads, the scenery along which is, IN
many respects, more wild and picturesque than
that along the road which binds llawlcy and
Scranton together.
On those gravity roads and among the hills,
one is divided between admiration Of the mag
niticence and beauty OF nature and interest in
the triumphs OF engineering and mechanical
skill, and seems at loss TO decide which, in his
opinion, is the greater At least there is some
thing in the fact that man is so gifted with
power and ingenuity rs to be able to subduc
those immense rocks and mountains and
to turn all their wealth Of forces to account for
human progress and prosperity.
As many Of your readers may not understand
what is meant by gravity road" | will briefly
explain that it is railroad on which trains are
run without such engines as are seen on rcgu-
liar railroads; but instead, the motive power is
furnished by starting engines, placed at the sum
70 r. I;,,h !, Tot,
of a cable the train is drawn to its top, and is
then allowed to run along the road so graded
that the train runs down hill until it reaches q
level or arrives at the foot Of another incline
where the same operation as before is gone over
and SO on to the end.
That piece OF road which runs into lIonesdAle
from Hawley is the stretch of railway over which
the first locomotive ever run in America made its
experimental trip in the summer OF 1870 just a
half century ago 1t was ordered from Eng
land by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Coal Co.
The road at that time crossed tremendous ra-
vine, high trestling which supported it being
at ssch An incline that no one but the daring en-
gineer was willing to remain on the locomotive
on her trial trip.
Honesdale is the largest coal storing place in
the world. There have been in the two great
dumping places at this place, on various occa
sons and at the same time, over 100000 tons
awaiting transportation; and time and again it
has run up as.hgh as 100000 tons at a time.
Most of it is shipped by canal in summer, that
highway to tide water being lOs miles in length
and has over one hundred iocks-some follow
ing each other in quick succession, some with
number or miles intervening-and passing for
greater part of its through the widest and
most romantic mountain scenery.
Impressed with the knowledge that my pencil
lacks the magic art to do full justice to the pic
turesaue Wyoming region, which at this season
is wrapped in its most charming mantle, and
painted with the most beautiful colors which ma
ture can bestew upon mountain, hill and forest,
and leaving thee say:
so beautiful wyomingl lingering STILL,
By thy loneliness spell.bOund. pause in farewell
MAY touch lightly each yerdure crowned NIL!
Where summer Is weaving her wilderlng spell,
And each summer 10 come on thy valley out pour
4 more radiant bloom from its bountliul store.
I ID III