Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1884-06-17
A SOUTHERN TOUR.
VIRGINIA, TES~r~sEs. Nosrn CAROLINA.
0roRGIa -wHsr MAS NorEp ~ rnksE
STAIRS
EDITORIAL cOrrs.posasnee.l

a bluIAlA ID huoAhllHs AA-t@ANN - -
miles. m.kiug total Iuu % So nllcs-
This gave us westerly run across Viz
ginla, ~ Roanoke. AMI soathscstsfly RON
there TO knoxville, about hall Wy down
the eastern borier OF Tennessee. This
plan wss b. give us quiet sunday Al
Knoxville. But before sundowu, W re-
oelvcd = tslcgrsm Inviting the party 70
take Sunday NIP ~ the Cranberry Iron
Mines In North Carolina The party voted
10 accept the Invitation. and A. midnight,
saturday. our car was switched onto
side track AZ johnson City. renuesses.
where Ne remained until morning. Al
Bristol, Col A. }. Mewhirtsr, Commits
slouer ~ Agriculture. Statistics, Mlnss
ant Immigration. l0lned the party Co.
Mcwhlrtsr was with The party durlog al
most the ,uilr Trip. iIc i thoroughly
posted In regArd - the resources Of his
section. sni no; only gave The party much
Information regarding Tennessee, bat Won
an our hearts BY his hearty courtesy and
gentlcmanly attention. Early sunday morn
Ing We we're waited upon BY promiuen,
citizens OF Johnson CITY, by members or
The press Of Tennessee, aud by commit
- % oitirers IRON Knoxville We took
breakfast A. their expense AMI soon amer
started Tor CnnhsFTy, on The narrow gauge
railroad lssiing b. that town through -
miles Of most tortuous travel The road
runs southeast from johnson cts 10
Cranberry. md goes % grade nearly TIE
Who'll. distance. a. some roiuts. W. ~err
Informed that the grade sas lis fcet The
section % East Tsnues.er through which
~ passed va wsll wooded aad watefci.
The soil va. productive. Clayey al im.
pregua.ci With iron. gisiug ia ret hue.
Splcuiid apples srr rsis,d iu this section
All other fruits grow iu abundance. TIE
eouniry Is billy bot the hlils ar u'i a
mas 90 bare roos. Ike many iu oar sec.
tor. They ar, covered with deep soil
ani s,riurs o. The summit. In most cases,
where he wood hss been cot 81 d. The
way. The Southcfucrs So Dot clear Land a.
~ So. ~ cutilug down thc trccs. They
giraic TIE tres. allow them 90 stand a
year o. two tli qalis deaf thea The unisf.
brush Is arci. sud NE whole forest hafuct
down some % the larger tree. arr Dot
consumed in The copaagratiou, ani W
saw acres oonaiaing many large trees
with The glrtis marx plaiuly shosirg on
their blackcuei AMI DEAD truuss
This Cranberry railroad ~ wouief Ia
Itself II l. buiit along The saiefcourse
OF a small river. and. A. have saii, ~ a
step grade in order o. reach Cfanherry.
Il va necessary o. take very cifcultoas
course The road wlat- reund sni founi
In sach q manner that 10 has been dubbed
" he cofkscrcw 10 many places The
rails are lAli 90 q crcslce at wide enough
O. contain hem. viii prcciPice hunifcis
o. feet below AL cir hundreds ~ feet
shove There are also many rcsues.
spanning The gorge. over which ~ travel
Nothing grandsr than this sceus can be
conceived A. times looked down Aui
saw seVerai tracks heios us. AID could
scarcely bsileye hat they were thc rails
over which We had iasi come iu safety.
The bsagtifal scoeusry through Which we
passed that DAY vii loug fema.u 10 10Y
memory VERY uttie umbc- has been cut
10 This section. ani there are a hantr,i
places where saw mills couid bel erected
ani run by water power Win bat ilttle sN'
psusc In bulilng dams. A. The faN i 90
steep ant he gorge ~ BARROW sons en-
tsrpfising msu are how ~ WORK on The
lumber. and n ons pile .aS some OF The
dnsst ash planks from tso o. four iuches
In tAlcknoss Here l. a good opportunity
Tor wooden naciofics 90 establish them.
selves
The woois we're fall 90 Wild fpN-
er.. The dog wool And cucumber trees
bore large white fowers covering almost
their enilre fJlage The mountsiu laurel
famed forth In parpl- ron iuacccssihle
elf. and from The nearer hedges. While
smaller srowth.. mostly unkuowu 10 New
England. added their more modest hacs %
beauty the picture. The Cranberry mines
arr In q mountain OF magnetic lron ore
AIT arv incnhau,ilbic. rhey have ocvu
worked by the PhiladslphlA company
which owns The narrow gauge railroad,
fJf about two years. Tue m.nes we're
known AMI operated over Que hundred
years Ago, 10 a snail way. We have no
doub, there are millions In store fof The
proprietors. and that large towns will
grow up 90 The route AMI about The mines
A large hotel has BEEN erected a. Gran
berry A. the location l. $500 feet above
sea level. the climate Is cool and this pro
mlses % be- famous sumner mountain
resort FOR southern people We had an
excellent dinner a. the hotel, paid fof by
The managers Of the railroad There were
some seventy in the party The hotel wAs
a wonder Ia o. way. II Is balt entirely
Of native woods aud there are nlne differ
cot woods used In Is construction, co1nt.
log the dlrcrcnt varieties Of pine A. one.
All oar hard woods exeep, beech grow In
abundance. and several additional vArie-
ties. which 90 not flourish IN Maine. There
are large quantities Of Hickory, OAK, Ash,
Walnut. Maple. Chestnut. Cherry. Cueum-
Der and Pine. seeming 10 invite mauufac-
turers OF al kinds 20 locate here. oar
return trip 10 Johnson City was made In
quick time. I trembled, a. Ne dashed
around The curves and over The iresiles,
the engineer simply shutting OF steam
and applying bis brakes, bat We made
the descent In safety, Notwithstanding The
fact q flock OF sheep claimed the road for
half mile through cut imagined that
our engineer wOald have thrown them out
OF the way. bat for the fact that two or
three members Of our party were seated
on the COW catcher Of bis engine, and be
feared they could no, stand the racket
once again In our own car We start for
Knoxville. where We arrive Al about nine
O'Clock In the evening The managers OF
the consolidated lines over which We trav-
sled. placed al our disposal Leighton
HEI.