Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-06-03
MIss0URI's WONDER LAND.
The Civil Engineer Taken to
the Iron Mountain and
Pilot Knob.
A magnificent View of Arcadia Val
ley From Mountain Summit. :.
The Glass Works at Crys-
tai City.
[St. Louis Times, Nav 26th. |

| Iron Mountain road, whose authorities
| had placed special train at their dis
posal for the trip, which started from
the Levee and Washington Avenue al
| 7:30 O'Clock in the morning, having on
| board almost every member of the SO.
| ciety in the city, a number of the pro.
| fessors from Washington University, in
| which number were Professor w. B.
Potter, Charles White, S. Warehouse
Halsey G. Ives and Charles Smith a
! party of twenty-five or thirty ladies and
among them Hon. Albert Todd, G. Z.
committee of arrangements for the day
were Messrs. E. D. Meier, A. w. Soper,
l.. M. johnson, w. Z. Shinn ana J. H.
Morley.
A SPEEDY RUN.
At starting the clouds gave promise
of rainy day, and it was anticipated
that the pleasure of the exclusion would
be spoiled but the whole of the shower
concentrated itself into the time occu-
pied in the transit from st. Louis to Iron
Mountain, the first stopping place, so
that it gave no Inconvenience. The
train being special one ran at spec
Ial rate of speed and made few halts.
but swept through the beautiful ceun-
try between the city and the Iron
Mountain with windows down and the
rain beating against them, the excur-
sionists being thus debarred from see
ing much which was interesting along
the route. A few mills on the other
side of DeSoto, they caught sight of a
picnicing party huddled together I'M
der umbrellas. their drenched garments
clinging to them and making them
10 r;I NJ
Gus.
IRON MOUNTAIN.
At las O'Clock Iron Mountain was
reached and the coaches deserted for
over an hour, which time was spent in
the inspection of the mines, Mr.. G.. p.
Chouteau acting as guide. The rain
had driven the miners from their work g,
and of the $50 men whose labors usually
give the mountain something of the APP
pearance of a beehive, not more than
twenty were to be seen, who were en-
gagged in preparing for blast and in
the removing of the loose earth and
pebbles on the surface by hydraulic
power, the water for this purpose being
furnished from the reservoir in Miller
mountain. The shortness of the stay
precluded the possibility of visiting eli
ther this or the water works, and after
taking cursory view of the mines, the
party returned to the train, which con-
veyed them to Arcadia for dinner, the
discussion of which occupied them for
an hour. The repast was served in the
hotel dinnlng-rooms by Mr.. A. ROber-
son, and in the words used by Vice
President w. P. Shinn, in returning
"good-not too good, but Just good
enough" Before leaving to table, a
vote of thanks was rendered the Iron
Mountain railroad company.
PILOT KNOB.
At Iron Mountain, the party had
found the mud rather disagreed BILE, but
the ground had time to dry before they
reached Pilot Knob and at that place
there was nothing to detract from the
pleasure.
At the foot of the Knob the party
divided itself, the athletic ones among
the gentlemen and the more romantic
among the ladies preferring to make
the ascent on foot to the prosy methods
of being hauled up an incline on a truck
or riding up in spring wagon. Before
reaching the top, however, they found
that the Knob was not high or steep
enough to be romantic, and was Just
high enough to be extremely tire
some.
Through the various methods of walk
ing, riding and being hauled up in the
trucks, the party reached the Pilot
Knob iron mine almost at the top.
Here Prof. Potter showed himself val
liable member of the party, being thor
oughly acquainted with the whole of
the mines and the manner of working
them.
IN THE MINES.
The party entered the tunnel in the
side of the mountain, guided only by
the light Of the miners lamps, which
twinkled far in the interior, as the head
lights with which it had been intended
to illuminate the interior did not arrive.
Going through both rooms" they
came again to daylight, and those
whose ardor had not been too much
damped by the climb set out on a
scramble over loose iron ore and fer
rugineous rocks for the rummit. The
wild Kentucky roses were in bloom all
among the underground, and the la
dies gathered these while the scientific
climbers gathered specimens" most
of which they found too heavy be-
fore coming to the top and threw
away.
Although Pilot Knob is only 600 feet
IISA OdSc w SuIiluliU, YcU tIl6
view which is commanded on reaching
the mass of ore which forms its highest
point, is one Of extreme beauty. Be-
low lies
ARCADIA VALLEY
fenced in by the Everlasting hills"
which surround it. Along the track of
the Iron Mountain railroad, which
traverses it, could be seen the white
frame houses of the villages of Pilot
Knob, Ironton and Arcadia. The Val
ley with the villages scattered over it,
bears from the top of the Knob strik-
ing resemblance to a chess board with
the pieces scattered in half-played
game. Just over the other side. hard
Nv more than stones throw seeming
ly is Shepherd mountain, turning at
right angles from which the spectator
sees Cedar mountain and the spurs of
the Ozark range undignified with
names, stretching to the horizon Be-
tween their tops to the east, glimpse
is caught of the church spires of Fred
ericktown, twenty-nine miles away,
and turning to the north there is an
other valley. as beautiful although not