Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1885-07-25
From the Editor of the T,ateltigeacer:

--"This is the forest primeval.n /
am quite certain of it. If it were not
that railroad affords connection with
the outside world the few of us who
are here tonight would be literally
inhabiting "a lodge in some vast
wilderness, some boundless contiguity
of shade" The AK of civilization has
but blazed the rugged face of nature
Believe me, nature, grand, glorious
and untamed, is doomed. The Jock
eys of trade have taken her in hand
and will break her in-are breaking
her in now. What are we going to
do when there is no wilderness to
fee to-no refuge of solitude from
the ceaseless hum and strain of bust
ness, business, business, always bust
ness! AS we were climbing the noun
tain by steam to-day, comparing this
with that-what / saw with what I
had left far behind-I was thinking
how hard a man works, how much he
frets, to buy coffin.
OLD FRIENDS AND NEW.
At 7.25 this morning we left Deer
Park-Ex-Senator Henry G. Davis
and his son-in-law, Stephen 8. Ell
kins, the big Blaine chief, the Presi-
dent and Vice President of the West
Virginia Central and Pittsburg Rail
way; Prof. T. G. White, who comes
to make a geological survey for the
government; three Messrs. Leleau,
who are prospecting with view to
locate large tannery in this region
of abundant bark. At s o'clock we
were on board West Virginia Cen
trail train at Piedmont, bound hither.
At Piedmont we were joined by Col.
Thomas B. Davis, General Manager
of the road, and Superintendent w.
e. Porter, an old Baltimore and Ohio
official, who is well remembered along
that line. Capt. G. w. Harrison,
agent at Piedmont, was at the train
to shake hands all around. We caught
sight of Auditor Woodrow and his
father Major Simeon D. Woodrow,
who had inquiries to make of old
Wheeling friends and kindly MESA
GEES to send Cashier McCandlish, of
the Piedmont National Bank, (Davis)
was good enough to say that if any
one in the party ran short of ready
money he would be glad to cash a
check-well endorsed. My good
friend, Jimmy Little, who manages
the Elk Garden mine, and is proud of
it, who fought for Blaine at Martins
burg and howled himself hoarse with
the rest of us, gets on to offer us all
free passes for round trip over his
incline up the sheer mountain side.
Tempting as such offers always are,
the angle of inclination was greater
than the temptation. 1t was some
consolation to know that the gallant
old hero of Appomattox had declined
a like tender from Brother Little.
Therefore we were all able to con-
clude that it was not fear, but lack OF
time, that controlled our movements.
Exploration of the big fourteen-foot
vein we left for another time, and
went on with our mountain climbing.
THOUGHTS AND THINGS ON THE WAY.
As we assembled the heavy grade,
sometimes more than seventy feet to
the mile, the gorge became narrow,
the enclosing heights loftier, and
turned from the receding view to a
seat in the locomotive cab, beside En-
gineer Doughty, where / might come
face to face With the wild grandeur Of
the wilderness as we dashed further
into it's wooded depths. As the con
ductor called out the stations it seem
ed that we must be in mixed caucus
of statesmen, the conductor being in
fact chairman of the caucus, s'recog-
nizing" gentlemen as one after an
other they claimed the floor to speak
to "the State of the Union,v or some
thing of that sort. For example,
Barnum, Window, Chafee, Blaine,
Schell, Elkins, Bayard, Camden, Da-