The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-07-08

from New York to New Orleans. Here
Maj. Houston stopped tho train long
enough for those who desired, to so upon
the hotel observatory and view the mag
nifcent landscape presented from this
elevation. 1t was at the hour of early
twilight, when the last red rays from the
sun, which had set, were streaming over
the lofty peaks of the distant mountains
to the west, investing them with love-
illness and grandeur which they possess
at no other hour of the day. The view is
far reaching and magnificent, so that il is
not strange that many seekers after rest
and pleasure delight to visit Mt. Airy,
where there is so much Of natural beauty,
both Of landscape and mountain, to at
tract and please. The ascent from Toccoa
to Mt. Airy is rapid. and for some miles
after leaving Mt. Airy the descent is
almost as marked. From this point to
Atlanta the country is unattractive, and
but for the view of Stone Mountain,
some twenty miles to the left just before
reaching Atlanta, there would be nothing
of special interest to the traveller. This
mountain is noted as considerable
elevation Of granite, rising in regular
shape in plain many miles distant from
any range Of mountains or any other
peak. We arrived in Atlanta at half-past
ten o'clock, and were comfortably quar-
tered at the Kinball House, one of the
best hotels in the South. On Sunday
morning the members of the party at
tended Church according to their prefer
cnce, and after dinner, at half-past three
o'clock, the party started on the Western
& Atlantic Railroad for Chattanooga.
This is the celebrated State Road of
Georgia, which, when completed, an
nually Involved a heavy expense to the
State 20 run it, until Hon. Joseph L.
Brown was elected Governor and ap-
pointed Dr. J. w. Lewis Superintendent,
after which the Road annually paid large
sums into the State treasury. thereby
materially reducing the taxes of the
State. Since the war this Road has been
leased to company, Of which Gov.
Brown is President, for the sum of three
hundred thousand dollars per annum,
which is paid into the State treasury reg
ularly at the rate of twenty-five thousand
dollars per month. After paying the
State this large sum, the company keep
the Road and its rolling stock in
thorough repair, and make handsome
dividends for themselves, showing how
profitable the lines of railroad crossing
the mountains for the purpose of bring
ing Western commerce to the Atlantic
Ocean may be made, and affording an
irresistible argument upon financial
basis in favor of the construction of the
Blue Ridge Railroad for South Carolina,
which would shorten the distance to the
West from the Atlantic coast by from
one hundred and fifty to two hundred
miles, giving to us the immense advan-
tages always to be found along the great
trunk lines of commerce between two
great and rapidly developing sections of
our country. Upon this Road we found
one Of the Air Line cars, provided es-
pecially for the accommodation Of the
Press Associali, lid the handsome
private coach of Gov. Brown was ten
dered to Gov. Simpson and accepted by
him as an additional amount of room and
convenience for the party Col. B. w.
Wrenn, of the Western s. Atlantic Road,
Col. E. P. Wilson, General Ticket Agent,
Mr.. J. w. Marstella, Assistant Secretary
Of the Cincinnati Southern Road, and
Mr.. j. +. Blackburne, Secretary Of ;he
Board of Trade of Cincinnati, met the
Association in Atlanta. and accompanied
us on the excursion. The speed OF travel
upon this Road is very rapid, and the
running is smooth and accompanied
with very little noise. All along the
line of this Road may he seen the re.
mains Of entrenchments and fortifca-
tions used by Johnston's army during
the late war, and there is scarcely town
upon the route which did not witness one
or more sanguinary conflicts between the
contending armies. The Kcnnesaw
range Of mountains, which rise to the
left of the Road, about thirty miles above
Atlanta, presents some pretty views, and
is the feature along this route, which has
given it's name to the line which is
known as the "Kennesaw Route" in
which the Western e. Atlantic Road is
prominent link. Further OH We
strike q fertile and we'll cultivated
section of the State, through which the
Etawa River wends its course. This is
muddy stream, with broad stretches Of
bottom lands, which are green with
promising crops Of corn. Some distance
above this stream we come to Tunnel
Hill, the highest point between Atlanta
and Chattanooga, and which takes its
name from the celebrated tunnel there,
which is one of tho first railroad tunnels
ever constructed in the United States. 1t
is something over half mile in length,
and, for the most part, is located through
solid rock. At the time it was completed
this tunnel ranked as one Of the railroad
wonders of the age, but it has of late
years been so far exceeded in length, diff
ficulty Of construction ard Importance,
that it is by no means remarkable.
From this point to Chattanooga it is
gradual decline in altitude, the height Of
Atlanta which is lower than Tunnel
Hill, being itself several hundred feet
higher from tho level of the sea, a fact
which would not be expected, since
Chattanooga is right in the mountains.
The streams through THIS section are
sluggish and in some cases stagnant.
The limestone crops out as Il prominent