New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-10
A MOUNTAIN RESORT.

Il THE NoMD" va
AND THE EASE ,,,. r,,u,,xrl
occ ASTON AL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rhlno'N'
CprssoS SPRINGS, Perm. July IL "7
g the tickle tide of public favor Daeh HUM :;
10 mountains and springs "a summer i'soi.
~ -, a., prominence this old but comparatively
,nLnoyn watering place. and proper e"oo"s
nt on the mart of capitalists blds IAN W NAM -,
\ nonnlar as nature has maze IL pie"S"""
,atural beauty of this part OF the Anog""hS -
irv. and Its availability and advantages 10 . ~
,fsnmper resort is not generally Known 'nouS"
,i1...o,.;o, will donbtiess soon be drawn to inc
Tia and beautiful scenery and the heaithiui anu
-, ol,nate of this western range OF tne APp"
,aohior cbain And If goes without saying .n"' ~
-, ,,;ll NOT suffer from this increase VI PuD-
,ttontion toward it, Few portions OF ''o .s 80
So can 81 satisfactorily bear scrutiny 40 ~
beauty or healthfulpeSS' - ,be ,ronn-
CroSson is situated on the summit VI ''0
tho and on every side are soehes VI
orondepr and wildness, the viewing Vi ""'O"
,Io,spre attainabe with little laoor Vi oAPo
Iess than five miles distant is thaV "'''- -
biotion of engineering skill ana h"'U'"' -,
a. uorsesboe Curve OF the PennsyNahi" """
VI" c,r,;,o from Altoona. fifteen miles eaS' VI
- tho railroad twists and winds among '"o
..o;,s and valleys ALWAYS Climbing up an" a"
- ., 1;e, losing some new view OF tue lo'0''
olad maintain sds and dark ravines anu XVI
,rb;cb form the Landscape III every ul1o
the road approaches nearer 'he 'op u '-e ,,,d
tains the scenery becomes moHenlIiS s'""O
more beautiful and finally the Whole e"ceP u VIZ
"Uorseshoer comes into view. ne Io'u "'"o'
olonc halfway up the side OF hlgh iiount"'" ""
the east of deep valley. Suddenly 'hiS N"i0'
.'iaos into two great chasms. which seem TO bar
- .,rooress of the railroad But science and
,apital are not to be bafied by chaShs INC io'"
.ro ses each rayine on immense emDahkmen"
emitting off the iuttlng point OF the oiNIuilE
MAINTAIN as il passes, ana thch hl"No'
,cond sharp curve and sweeps on up 'no
west side of the valley on an incline OF l~o
feet TO the mile, toward tne mouhtain-VoP'
having described complete loop III us cou'So'
II fna lIy disappears around the side oil tue "eS'e
,oouptain almost at the top, and hundred teet OF
more higher up than he eastern soe OF the val
Iey The whole of this gigantic curve is IN view aI
once from the car windows and as the tram, drawn
hr two nowerful locomotives swings around ns
great arc magnificent panorama OF mouh'ai"
scenery is displayed to the passengers Around VIC
turn AT the top and away TO the west again 'hey 90
and still up and up. until il seems as though 'he
HIGHEST point of the highest mountain must nave
heen reached and then suddenly the tram piuhges
,,to a long tunnel and emerging on the other Slde
coes dashinG down a slope, with every brake grind
;,r aud steam shut off. The summit is passed and
Ia -.
1t nm nv gravity. This Horseshoe Curve Is
-roLollv the best known feature of the scenery OF
.ho arf Of the AIleghanes, but there are scores OF
o interesting and beautiful scenes III every direc-
ton for miles around. .e,,
The Bells Gap Railroad, which branches OH rorn
,be Pennsylvania near Altoona. is a narroW-gduEo
;rst;tution that runs for twenty-five miles through
,ropntain scenery unsurpassed III pennsylvania II
-Itohs from the valley / 200 feet to the mountain
.xl,t aln m "A
track scratched in the sides of precpces That yawh
below and frown above. crosses dark ra'lhe' on
piddy trestles makes turns so sharp that the rear
cor has 70 hurry up to avoid being run INTO by tne 10
eomotive so they say and in short depors ltselI IN
omauner entirely unconventional and trying To the
nerves of messengers. The scenery along the route
however fully compensates for the wear and Tear 10
the nervous systems of those making the "TRIP
But the region does not depend entirely upon
natural scenery for It's attractions Wltmn loui
miles of Cresson passed the "Old Portage hoao''
once the sole highway for travel and commerce DE-
tween the East and the West, the ruins OF which
make an interesting and curious spectacle IN these
DAYS of steam and electricity. Over its curious
locks and inclines passed Charles Dickens when he
went West Jenny Lind made the voyage over IL
in one of the swift packet canalboats of those DAYS
There are those still living in the neighborhood "ho
remember when President Harrison mace ti-
umphal progress over it on the way TO MS ihaueI"
t,on and when a few months later a black-draped
boat bore back over the same route the remains OF
the hero of Tippecanoe. Withina stones throw OF
the Mountain House passes the new portage
Road y over which at a later period the passengers
of the Pennsylvania Railroad were transferred III
stages before the skill of engineers had laid track
for the iron horse over the mountain SUBMITS.
hundred Yards from the Mountain House stands
an old. oueer-porticoed building, to which Charles
Sumner was brought to recover from the effects OF
the memorable attack of Bully Brooks.
One of the most interesting and romantic features
of the region ~ the evidence scattered everywhere
for miles around of the work of Gallitzin, the Rus
sian prince priest who devoted his life and his
wealth to colonizing this then remote country with
settlers who should breed up race TO do honor TO
the Catholic Church and religion. This strange
man. imbued with the enthusiasm of LoyOla,
filed the whole region with Catholic colonists over
whom he ruled with rod of iron. Many stories
are told 10 this day among the mountaineers OF hs
eccentric and arbitrary acts 1t is said for ms
that he would descend from the pulpit to pluck a
ribbon or bit of fnery from some
woman in his congregation. SO auto
cratic did he become that his superors became an
noyed at the power which he exercised, and his last
years were passed in strife with the Bishop and
higher dignitaries of the Church He did his work
well, however; so well that there is not to- day
Protestant church within eleven miles of Cresson
tie nearest one being at Ebensburg, where colony
of Welsh Presbyterians forced themselves among
the Catholic population. An attempt TO sustain
Protestant chapel at CreSsOn failed for lack of sup
port. Catholic churches and chapels are numerous,
and most of them date back to the days of Gal
ltzin -Four miles of, at Loretto, are the great
Catholic schools and monastery, and his grave, in
the same place has become a sort Of Mecca for the
Inhabitants of all this part of the State