The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-06-21
A TERRIBLE TRIP.
Experiences OF an Insurance Adjuster In the NOM
tAins or VIRGINIA

Experiences Of an Insurance Adjuster In the Noun.
tains OF Virginia.
Probably few OF our readers know that there Ia
such terra incognlto In the Virginia mountains "A
described In the following article from the Rochester
Herald. Whether Overdrawn or not, our travelling
insurance agent has produced a graphic sketch
which is amusing readlng:l
Secretary Atwood, OF the Rochester German In
surance Company, recently received letter from
description Of a business trip among the monntals
taken:
"Grundy is a mere hamlet on the bank OF Biz
sandy River, ten miles from the Kentucky state line,
the home OF the 'moonshincr,' walled In by noun
tains on all Sides The area Of the whole village IA
not more than one and one-haf acres, and Wilder
more misunderstanding place you cannot imagine.
Your agent gives the distance from his agency,
four miles, hut Tazeweli Courthouse il twenty
miles from the railroad, making the distance that
WAY srv % a. m'es. Inc rosds are bad that
the railroad at that place.
81 could md but two men in Abingdon who had
ever been to grundy or could give me any idea OF
the road leading there. one OF them was revenue
omcer, who once made a raid over there on horse
9ack; the otner WAS member OF Congress for that
district, who had been there during the political
campaign OF last fall.
"fhey made the distance by horseback sixty miles
They said it would be impossible to md the horse.
back road without guide, as the road was mere
pain over rocky mountains often almost ndlscerni
out sore back, che horses back not the guides,)
30 hired covered wagon and pair OF horses and
and ockop Sf all ss url ps svai
TOOK that was the worst. II was up and down
mountains all the way. was six days and nights
on the road. one horse played out almost entirely
before I got back. My right arm is siifr and sore
yet from using the brake on the wagon to keep IL
from running over and killing the horses coming
down the mountains. had great dlf1culty in find-
ing the way, as nobody on the road seemed to have
ever beon five miles from home.
INF n 10 mir
woman standing in her hut door with child in her
arms looking very miserable. She said, 'Meestcr,
did You meet an old woman on mewl?'
".Yes, about two miles back
~ Did the mewl flng her?'
u.No, not In my presence. Why2
"'We dot ole CONAN Ia my NANNY, and crittera
up In dose mountains hain't usen to klvered con-
Germs, and was skeert de mewl nout ha flung her.
afraid Of wheeled vehicles Gbont mile n' furtSes
on 1sped about 200 yards ahead OF me party OF four
persons mounted on mules. As soon as I drove in
and az had been cautioned that 1t was not perfectly
safe to go over the mountains alone IL there was
Wss se aeng me IKE revenue oc and as
that manGuvre meant. But drove bravely up and
TO my surprise each man was holding his 'critter
lively time to hold them until my wagon passed. /
then remembered having read year or two ago
or IL made ~ Revey johnson in
the mountain section Of Virginia in which there
was not single wheeled vehicle known and only
L
concluded that found the county and road.
From the eastern edge Of Buchanan County where
entered IT, to Grundy Is thirty-one miles; did not
see on that whole thiry-one miles single brick or
frame house OF any description. Nothing but the
lowest order OF log huts; stack chmneys three or
four feet lower than the house. The puncheons
formed the ROOF, held down by rocks piled on them
was In the rain all OF one day and forced at night
to seek shelter In one Of these houses where could
have fire, as IT was very cold up In the mountains
The whole family occupied the room with me. The
horses were turned out to Craze 1t was court week
az Gfundy Court was held In small school house.
The hotel is q frame building OF only two rooms.
with ck-chimney between them.
-Four beds were IN each room, and one of these
rooms was also used for dining purposes II people
could be said to dine who eat twice day 1856 days
In the year nothing but hot half-done soda biscuit
and fried meat killed eleven snakes,on the road
and drank quart Of rOt-gut mountain whisky to
hold the hot biscuit down. There Ia not frame
house, was told, In Buchanan County, outside of
Grumpy, and there are only five there since the fire.
The town has been almost totally destroyed twice
before this; the first time In March, 1882, but am
the only insurance man who has ever been there
the losses by the first fire were mostly settled by
the claimants meeting the adjusters at Catiettsburg
Ky and the Inst by meeting them at saltve, on the
"Wel Ibid not intend boring you with this account
OF never obe-forgotten trip, especially as | can
not begin to convey to your mind correct idea of ils
discomforts. My wife finds occupation at home
every evening now putting salve on the sores on nv
back and other parts made by half-starved
chinches,n