Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1884-12-11
I For THE CLARION
"A Pleasure u aunt.
BY NJ. b. F.

of Page Co. Va. had at last dawned
OF course we all wanted fair whether
In this we were doomed to positive dis
appointment. But after some very
profound reasoning we arrived at sew
eral grand propositions, such as-it
may be our last opportunity this sea-
son, it may not rain, even if it does
what difference will it make for we will
90 under ground. and from these self
evident propositions, we deduced the
foregone conclusions 1--WE will Co.
Arriving at the depot We were still
doomed to additional tortues by oul
train arriving in advance Of schedule
time, from which fact, the ticket agent
suggested the possibility, nay more, the
probability, R. R. accidents such as had
been occurring for several days previous
Nevertheless with Spartan like cour.
age we boarded the train with a heart
for any fate" as Longfellow says in his
Psalm of Life. Before We had proceed.
ed far the mist, which enveloped all
nature in a mystic veil Of grey, lifted
itself imperceptibly and "silently stole
away
The scenery from here to Hagerstown
failed to elicit much admiration. We
had seen it before and besides we were
longing for what was before US with
all the ardor and impatience of chill
dren. When will man be content with
the present and patiently wait for the
future? When will he cease to think
and plan for tomorrow instead OF Act
ing-actilg in the living Present
Heart within and God overhead
We have rounded the Horse Shoe
Curve, we have passed the once famous
Blue Ridge Summit, we leave the now
popular Blue Mountain House, We
merely glance at quaint old Smithsburg
we laugh as we glide by the little cave
near Cavetown, and at last the spires
Of Hagerstown greet us.
After little necessary train ar.
rangemcnts we are once more on oul
way. We have arrived al
the Potomac and proceed to cross the
high bridge wich spans its waters
Now we are on W. Virginia soil. As
we near Charlestown an accommodating
train man points out the Court House
of Jefferson Co. where John Brown was
tried anu convicted. A fev years since
whilst on visit there ! was shown 6
field in which, It is claimed, the gal
lows stood on which he was executed
At that time it was covered with alux
urant growth Of wheat.
We passed on about IL miles and
know that we are in Ola Virginia,
land fraught with historic interest,"
We no longer see evidneces of thrifty
husbandmen Ever since crossing the
Patomac we find more delapidatec
appearance of things than in Nd, ano
as we proceed this state OF affairs IN
crease. There is but little cultivation
of the soil and that not thorough, very
few fences limit the boundary of oul
mans possession from mother, the
horses and cattle are provided with
meagre shelter. If any, and the house;
are such as we would disdain to inhab
it. They have not yet recovered from
the devastation of the late civil war
traces of which are still discernible.-
At Riverton the two branches of the
Shenandoah river meet. We crossec
lust below their CON junction immediate
" after which we crossed a R. r. run
ming from Washington, D. G., to Stras
burg, which crosses the southern
branch of the Shenandoah.
We next come to Front Royal, where
the first battle of Jackson's celebra' et
Valley campaign was fought. We have
a magnificent view of the Massanuttor
Mountain, which rises almost perpen
dicular to height of 1000 or 3Oo(
feet from level country, dividing tn
Valley between the Blue Ridge on th'
east and the North Mountain on thu
west, and extending from Strashurg tt
Harrisburg, where it ends as abrupt.
as it began. 1t presents grand ant
imposing spectacle with its high tower
ing peaks and short gracefully curve(
outlines.
Our Catoctin Range which extend
many miles in an unbroken ridge seem
tame compared to the constantly
changing contour of these mountains
AS we draw near Luray u thunder
storm envelopes some of the hlghes
peaks of both mountains adding sub
Unity to a scene of great grandeur.
Immediately upon our arrival w
PROCEEDED to the Caverns. We were Il
this subterranean world about tw
hours, but words fail to convey an al
eouate idea of the wonders contained
therein. We will quote from another
pen OF the subject. "It is a task o
recognized difficulty to describe the in
describable. The difficulty is enhanced
if possible, in the case of cave scenery
A new order Of sensations, ideas AM
emotions demand, of course, new vo
cabulary. No expansion Of termi
nology derived from the upper worl
will enable it to describe adequate|