The Wilmingtonian., 1884-10-11

SATURDAY, OCTOBER II, 1854.
MOUNTAIN AND GLEN.


which has scored with its tracks the face of
Eastern, Northern and Central Pennsylvania
till map of its branches and connections is
about as bewilderng as a Chinese puzzle,
introduces the traveller to that romantic
region in Carbon County known as Mauch
Chunk. The run from Philadelphia occu-
pies about three hours for a distance of 90
miles, but some fifteen minutes of this period
are consumed in making connections with
the New York train at Bethlehem. Here
the beautiful azure-hued waters of the
Lehigh come into view and thereafter the
cars follow the general liue of the valley
over the Lehigh and Susquehanna road up
to Mauch Chunk.
The Mauch Chunk region has been called
the Switzerland Of America, comparison
probably instituted by some one who had
never been in Switzerland in his life. The
mountains of Carbon County bear no more
resemblance to the Alps, geologcally phys
ically or scenically than does Kent county,
Delaware to its neighbor, New Castle. In
Switzerland the prevailing formations are
Jurassic with intrusive rocks of the vol
canic order, so that the peaks are sharp and
serrated, desolate and bare. On the other
hand the mountains of the Mauch Chunk
are clothed with trees to their SUBMITS,
and have the dome-shaped peaks and
rounded ridges characteristic of the Carbon
ferrous formation.
The first impression on leaving the cars at
Mauch Chunk is that of deep basin or
bowl with peak in the centre, not unlike
the representations of the lunar craters
There is nothing particularly interesting in
the town itself in the present day, but it
will ever be memorable in history as the scene
of the discovery of Anthracite Coal by
Richard Ginter in 1901. The exact spot
where the coal was found is on Summit
Hill, nine miles from the town, but it was
from Mauch Chunk that the first shipment
Of coal was made in 1912, when five ''arks'
were committed to the waters of the Lchigh,
of which two reached Philadelphia in
safety.
The Summit Hill mines belong to the
Lehigh district of the First or Southern
Coal Field of Pennsylvania. The geolo
gical ''secton" of the strata at Summit
Hill shows the layers folded and contortet
by lateral and vertical pressure in ages long
gone by. The coal deposits rest on the bot
tom rock variously known as the ''Millston,
Grit, "Mountain Limestone, z "Conglomer
ate and Farewell Rock, the last named
from the circumstance that when it /,
reached no coal is ever found beneath it
The superficial covering of tho coal consists
ofslates and 'shales, an9 is About 80 feet in
thickness.
The visitor will scarcely fail to notice how
the character of the underlying rocks modi-
flies the growth of the vegetation which
covers them. The walnut, poplar, hickory,
cherry, locust, elm sc, do not exist within
the anthracite coal-felds or in their vicinity.
On the soil of Summit Hill the prevailing
trees and shrubs are the chestnut, dogwood,
laurustinus, and chestnut-oak On the con-
glomerates Of the surrounding region( includ-
ing Glen Onoko), the resinous pines, swamp.
oaks, hemlockS, hay laurel, ferns &c, are the
typical forms.
So much has been said and written Of
Mauch Chunk and the Switchback Railroad
and so little of Glen OnokO that the con
GLIDING paragraphs Of this essay may be
ittIngly given to the latter
Glen Onoko is about three miles from
Mauch Chunk, and trains run all day long
ut hourly intervals, but the visitor who
desires to see this section to the best advan
tage will take the forest track through .
lovely stretch of autumnal foliage, rich ID
ferns and prolusion of wild flowers
About midway, in secluded spot, on the
hill, is the Catholic Cemetery, with its many
crosses Swallowed by waving expresses and
almost realizing Shelley's remark on the
grave of John Keats: at might make one
in love with death to think of being buried
in so beautiful place. Hereabouts too,
are some OF the quaint cottages with the
piggeries and the bare-legged little urchins
which forcibly proclaim the erstwhile citizens
Of the Emerald Isle and perhaps recall the
legends Of the Molly Maguires who were
numerous hereabout, not so many year,
ago
The approach to the Glen is very pctur,
esque. The rocks tower up tier on tier, tc
height of 1000 feet, in many places rising
perpendicularly from the rushing water Of
the Lehigh, but everywhere at such an angle
as woud make the boldest climber pronounce
the ascent an impOssibiity.
But passing the summer garden which
does duty for a hotel at the Glen, the visitor
finds that winding flight of rustic steps
has been constructed which promises safe
and easy solution of the difficulty. The
hand Of the skilled engineer has been every.
where at work, developing tho natural
savage beauties Of the place and clearing
away impedim2nts where storm and flood
have created them. The prominent attrac
tions are boldly designated while conspic
nous notices warn the advertising iient
against acts Of vandalism which would
otherwise soon destroy every element o
poetry and illusion.
The first fortyorff yardsofthe ascent rcvea
nothing more startling than a narrow ravinC
with Il stream of small dimensions rushing
noisily into the creek. Presently, however,
the activity rises much more sharply, and
the streamiet is broken up into succession
of cataracts, in the beds of which fallen
timber and huge bouldors are piled up sin
most admired disorder" In the course of
the ascent the visitor crosses the streamlet
quite number of times over rustic bridges
constructed in admirable harmony with the
surroundings. So deep is the ravne and Sc
dense the growth of the conifers on the
rocky sides that the sun rarely I,euetrates
the interior and the atmosphere feels cold