Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-06-10
A Delightful Trip.
FkOM WILMINGTON TO FRENCH
CREEk FALLS-HANDSOM
Ian DsCAPEs.

Ian NDsCAPEs.
A MAGNIFICENT PLACE.
II the people of Wilmington would
have had any idea of the delightful
excursion given by the Wilmington &
Northern Railroad Company yest< rday,
to French Greek Falls, there is not the
slightest doubt but 1t would have re
guired At least q dozen cars to carried
them, but unfortunately such WAS not
the case, and there WAS but a very few
that went from this city. The train
left the p, w. L. b. Railroad at 73O|
O'Clock, and the first stop was made at
DUPONT station.
This place Is about seven miles from
this city, and is rapidly growing.
From here the train proceeded on,
around curves and through woods, hut
unfolding On every side the most beau.
tiful views that can be imagined. In
many places the corn is just peeping
above the ground, aud the farmers are
going over it for the first time. The
backward spring has delayed its growth
very much, but the wheat all along the
route is looking we'll, while the luxuri-
ant clover and timothy give promise Of
the road the landscape becomes more
beautiful and inviting, and the excur-
sionists viewed natures grandest piano.
rama, in all its magnificence, spread be-
fore them.
Suddenly q strip of woods shut out
the view for . few minutes, when
again the train emerges and grand
scene is spread before the eye. Beau.
tiful, we'll titled fields, comfortable farm
houses and barns in the foreground,
with green woods and the blue sky in
the distance form q scene Of grandeur
OF which pen fails to convey Q descrip.
tion. In the distance 10 . stone farm.
hon Sc, barely visible through the trees
WI ich surround 1t, which is reached by
10 road winding between field and
meadow, where we'll fed cattle fatten on
Its waalth' of grass. But still on and on
rolled the train, and each succeeding
scene seemed to grow grander and
grander until 1t seemed that nature
itself could not produce anything finer,
or more bewilderiDg TO the eye.
Another curve Is rounded, and the
beautiful romantic Brandywins ap-
pears like a stream of silver IN the gOl-
den sunlight. Chadd's Ford with its
long trestle work of the Baltimore Cen
tral Railroad, is passed and the mind
iinstinctively turns to the time when
Washington, with the sires Of '76 met
the enemy at this pointin defense Of
the liberties now enjoyed BY the people
of these United States. In the distance
is little stone house, which is pointed
out as the place where the patriot Lafa-
20 {ad a,.nAad In
that battle, which has given the place
historic interest. Further up the
Brandy wine the scenery becomes wild
Or and m ore rugged, but still is grand
beyond description.
At Lsnape, o number of excursionists
from West Chester, four miles dis
tant, boarded the train, and helped to
fswell the number. The train reached
busy, lively little Coatesville at Q
o'clock, and the platform was crowed
| with those who, as soon as tae engine
came to a stop, boarded the train. The
iron mills in this vicinity seemed to be
busy, but resident OF the town said
that everything was dull, and that a
great many had gone away in search OF
work. Springfield was reached at $50
o'clock, and here the train switched off
down IL branch road to the Falls. The
land in this viciDity Is covered with q
stunted undergrowth, ana seems very
sterile.
On one side of the road there is q
great number of piles Of wood, being
seasoned, to be turned into charcoal for
use at the iron mills at the Falls. In
the distance a leaning stack is seen,
that years ago served as u vent to a
copper mine, long since worked out and
abandoned. In this vicinity there was
Iduring the Revolutionary war q cannon
foundry That did good service In fur.
lnishing the means of resistance of
British tyranny to the stout hearted
lcolonists. The train stopped at St.
Peters station o few minutes after ten
o'clock, and the excursionists disem-
} barked A delightful walk of few
minutes down wild and romantic road
J brought them to the Falls.
Here huge masses Of granite rise on
leyery side, and the very trees and
Iplants seem TO grow out of the solid
rock. The entire scene is one of the
lgrandest that can be conceived and, the
> first thought suggested was, that at
some period In tie history Of the world
the earth was inhabited by mighty
, giants, who in q sportive mood had cast
the immense boulders into the creek
with the intention of damming 1t, but
had failed in the attempt, as its waters
still force their way betw cen them and
rush down, until finally they empty In.
to the Schuykill. The woods in this
VICINITY were alive with locusts, whose
buzzing sounded like the busy hum OF
, machinery.
. On one of the large rocks, and 30 con .
: spicuous that none can fail seeing them
3 are the letters, &C. b. RhOads, Will
. minglon, Del, while on another in the
immediate vicinity is " August 18th
! 1854, Trinity church Choir, Whining.
D ton DEL" and many Of those who read
both thought the latter explained how
the first named came to be there. As IL.
lC. Conrad, Esq, was on the excursion,
there we're several of the party who
a were anxious to obtain paint pot and
! brush, 30 that his name might also be
placed upon these everlasting rocks. A
humber of men were busy in the
vicinity splitting the large bouiders
and fashioning them into window sills
: steps and other things.
This granite Is of u blue gray variety
and Is not AZ hard as that from the
Brandywine quarries, but Is said to bt
+. much purer. A visit to the mines wa
j, Inext in order, and here the excursion
i lists found much to amuse and instruct
b These mines were originally worked fol
a copper alone, but OF late years the cop
q per seems to be exhausted, and bu
y little except an inferior quality OF iroi
: lore is taken from them. Two are nov