The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-08-11
a o rAHK.
A Little Paradise Among the hOanIain
TopS-Iho scenery Of the AllegheniSs.
Correspondence Of The lnlelllSOncer.

a Ltttle FhfHuibe AHlouB we mountalo
TopS-Ih he scenery Of the AllEEheniss.
Correspondence Of the IuIOIlIGOncer.
ALTOONA, Pa, August
Whilst on a.short visit to this thriving
city with a friend last week, the chief
clerk OF the Logan House suggested a trip
on the Bells Gap Railroad, Accordingly,
we left Tor Bell'S Mills on the $40 train
in the morning, and meeting air. Holli
day, the assistant superintendent, who 10
the absence OF Superintendent r G. Ford,
does the honors Of the company in first
cas- style, we were placed on the Cow.
catcher and started up the mountain,
From O sketch Of the road recently pub.
llshed, | find that 1t was built In 1879 for
the purpose Of affordinG an outlet for the
valuable bitumlnous coal found OIL the
summit OF the mountain. The starting
point is OF Bells Mills-or Bellwood, az
the postotice 10 called-seven miles east
oil Altoona, on the line Of the P%ennsylvS.
mia Railroad. From Bellwood to Lloyds.
vile, on the summit OF the
mountain, II 10 nine miles. The
village, which Ia Inhabited almost
entirely by miners, contains a population
oil about six hundred. II Ia located in q
corner OF Cambria county, not far from
the Clearfeld line, 2,l60 feet above the
level OF the sea and 1870 above the start,
ing point a. Bells Mills. Recently the
road has been extended fifteen miles from
LloydsvtlIe to Coalport, on Clealield
creek, where valuable mines have been
opened, and the shipment OF coal aver the
road now average I've thousand tons daily.
IA the region tfaversed by the extension
IL dlled with an abundance Of heavy tim
Der, consisting Of pine, sak and hemloCk,
nine steam saw mills, with q capSclLy eaCt
OF 10000 feet per day, have been put in
operation. The vtllSge Of Coalport already
contains forty houses and eiXIy more are
uuder contract, Six month Sgo II con.
tisted oil one frame h0ute.
The road is u narrow gauge and the
average gisde for seven miles from the
starting point is Rt the rate OF one
hundred and itty Ave feet to the mile
rho great canyon up which 1t threads its
way IL called Bells Gap, although there
are plenty OF tourists who sigh for a more
romantic name. In laying out the road
tho engineers were compelled to wind
Hl0rg the irownlng preCipiCs In order
IL successfully make the ascent, ard as the
track Ia necessarily very crooked II has
not in0ptly been coin pared 10 q huge ser
, pent cOiled about the bills. Starting from
the little station on the main track Of the
Pennsylvania railroad the caro- arc pushed
up by q locomotive and return Of their
Eaa SSkaattltt SVtfh aavnfI,Il 4, a.
breaks. Some very high treasls bridges
are passed over, which are now
being obylated, to q certain extent, by
filings. The drst trestle 10 eighty feet in
height and the curve has q radius OF
twenty.eight degrees, which mskes II
sharp aud graceful. Another %trestle, over
Shaw's run, Is aeventy.six feet In height,
with q similar curve. As the ascent ID, be-
iDg made the view is very hne, and as the
little locomotive sweeps around the grace.
iul curves and dashes over the hiSh
bridges 1t resembles Q thing Of lie in these
mountain Bolitudes. Alter crossing Shaw's
run trestle, which 10 appropriately termed
1.-THE Horseshoe Bend Of the Bells Gap
Road, the track rapidly pushes up the
mountain at q grade Of l65 feet to the
mile. A better idea OF the sharpness OF
the curve may 10 formed when II Is stated
that II Is two miles around from heel TO
heel, and probably not more than six hun.
dred ieet across from where the curve
commences.
After describing a sharp bend the
road climbs the mountain rapidly, and
when Point Lookout 10 rounded q scene II
unsurpassed grandeur IL uniolded to the
eye. 1u eweepipg up from the great
curve an altitude OF 800 feet has been
gained, which puts the tourist 900 feet
above the II OK Of the main line at Balls
Mills, only q few miles distant. But II is
the sublime magnifCence OF the scene
which is presented from the Point that
Captivates the eye and causes the traveller
to stand spell bound aS he gszes upon Il.
As he looks down the wild gorge, bountE
ed on either side by graceful mountains,
clothed from base TO summit with dark
green foliage, and away beyond for six
miles, the view iS exceedingly fine until 1t
te shut out by Brush Mountain, which
ttseS like an Immense green curtain 10
form the back ground Of The picture. The
scene resembles An immense panorama
suddenly unveiled before the vision by
some giant hands, and az the little loco.
motive haltI OF the Point 10 bfOAths, a9it
were, excufsionists never fail 10 avail
themselves Of the opportunity 10 drink III
the glorious scene.
Aitet passing Point Lookout the VILLAGE
At the summit 10 soon reached and eSi.
denees Of thtilt and prosperity are found
Vt every turn. Lloydsyille does moi An.
ier IRON oil mining towns, A few
hundred yards from the village and on ths
line oil. The railroad track extensive bicnis
grounds have bsen laid out and hand.
sbtnOly otnamented with walks. tnsilc
seats, ctoquet levels and a covered pIvIi.
ion Of sufficient capacity 10 Accommodate
ten sets in q dance. The grounds are In.
closed with q rustic fence which Teouitsd
considerable ingenuity 10 deviae and
which never falls 10 elicit the admiration
Of visitors. This place has been bsmed
Rhodendton Park on account oithe abun.
dance Of this 10Weting shrub on the
mountain, There 10 4 large bubblibR
spring Of living water on tho grounds,
which 10 pure and Ice cold. A pond has
also been constructed for trout and Ashott
d~l1tAncej from II 10 q fountain which
eends up Ito jet Of spray 10 add 10 the beau.
Nv OF the nlAda. ThA6A hAAniiIuI 0fhuddS