Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-07-18


valley, and is said te, have one million
feet of sawed lumber ready for market AS our
the decreasing size OF the timber and change in
the character of growth, evergreens and sub.
Alpine plants. taking the place of deciduous
trees and the flora of lower levels Occasionally
would catch q glimpse through or over the
forests into the hazy distance giving foretaste
ofjOys TO come. When ut length we came out
upon the open summit 6,4OO feet above the
level of the sea, we stood mute i'm speechlcss
amazement and wonder; single exclamation,
'.gloryr' burst from the lips of one of the party
Range upon range, peak after peak, valley
beyond valley extended until all the world
seemed laid at our feet. Far across the valleys
OF East Tennessee were the mountains of Ken.
lucky; in other directions we looked into Vir-
ginia,. North Carolina, South Carolina and
Georgia. AN area of $4,000 square miles In
different states. with 100 noun tain tops, each
over 4, 900 feet in height" dazzlcd and awed the
beholder. Peaceful lowlands in the remote dis
lance basked in the sun, while near at hand
clouds poured through the gorges. now rising
and sweeping around and embracing u.s. and
deluging us with rain, and now like airy sprites
as ii to compensate for their rudeness, floating
gracefully down the richly wooded slopes,
ton could suggest or fancy dictate. Black
Dome, Mount Mitchell, the Unakas were at
times concealed. then emerged again from
their hazy coverings clothed with added sub
Unity. Language is pOwerless to convey any
adequate idea OF the grandeur, the transforma-
tons, the soul-filiing effects of sojourn, how
ever brief, in this LAND of the sky" The frs
and spruces near the crest show the marks of
their terrible struggles with the blasts Of
limbs are turned from the storms.
The geological features of all these ranges are
places, are exposed to View with ali their Wind
ings and cOntOrtiOns and the effect of the ac-
tion of both water and fire in ages past can
be satisfactorily studied. A large hotel is being
rapidly built upon the summit of Roam and
even now the hearty hospitality of Gen. Wilder
gers, Mr.. ana Mrs Frist1e, leaves nothing un.
done to add to the comfort and enjoyment of
their guests Gen. Wilder. from what we could
A.,t,,
wealth of East Tennessee. and we hope this
venture OF his will be crowned with deserved
railroad incline, which will make the ascent
much less fatiguing but we are glad, now that
our poor bodies have forgotten their bruises,
should have missed scenes of beauty that can
only he forgotten when time is no more to
us. The line between the two states runs
through the hotel, and our dinners were cooked
i'm Tennessee and eaten in North Carolina. A
workman on the building, who is a native of
killing OF seven men, calmly pursued his Occu-
patton on the roof OF the house within q few
feet Of sheriff "acrOss the line" who was,
however, there upon other business. A promi-
nent feature of this mountain, and indeed of
many others I'm these ranges is the presence on
the SUBMITS of large areas, sometimes COM
prising hundreds OF acres. devoid of trees and
covered with luXuriant and nutritious grasses
upon which horses and cattle Craze ali sum.
mer at high elevations and keep in fine condi-
ton. On Roam mountain the appearance pre-.
sented Is as If some giant race laid out titanic
greens principally basam fir and spruce) and
with groups OF rhodOdendrons aZaleas and
were just bursting into bloom. and the flowers
were so rich i'll color that we could liken them
To nothing save tile interior of the richest and
ripest Georgia or Eastern shore watermelon
equalled.
THE MOUNTAINS AND THE MouSrA1NEERs.
On the lower ranges much of the timber has
been cut from the sides, and corn and wheat
are grown up to the SUBMITS. We
being cultivated where the land seemed to
slope as much rs the roofs of our houses. and
Wheat growing where, Charles Dudley War
ner says, the harvesting must be done by Squir-
relS. Blue grass and white clover grow natur-
ally wherever the woods girdled or re-
moved, and fertile soil compcnsates some
what for rugged and libOrious cultivation
The soil washes much less than would be am
tlcDated, yet the occasional guiies, and muddy
streams. with alternate frcshets and droutl,s,
are powerful arguments against the destruction
of the forests. The desire to add few more
acres of cultivated land to a sc,nty homestead
E;,statins fires that summer after summer
sweep through the woods will In time yield
bitter fruit 1t Is to be hoped that before it is
too late some method of governmental protec-
ton will save the forests that are left and
replace much that has been removed
The mountaineers may be II happy people but
their countenanceS have a melancholy cast as
IL wearied by the constant struggle for exist
ence and awed by the ever-present OvershadOw-
Ing grandeur and sublimity of the Everlasting
hills. The homes of some OF them have an ap-
Proclamation to comfort, but many live in
cttOlnS that seem 10 afford Scaut accOmmOda-
ton for the troops of filxen-haired children
that appear to be an essential feature of every
house. The women and girls have a pinched
and weary look, but the children are often very
pretty. They are a kindly race when their con.
fidcnce Is won by kind treatment and they are
drawn out OF the silent reserve into which they
seem to have settled. They can give forth from
their store of adventures many Interesting
tales OF the good old times ere the deer and
the bear had been driven away by the roar
OF the locomotive through the .cleits of the
mountains and before the advent Of the
city hunter with his breech-lOading gun
Game is now comparatively scarce. though
they have their annual deer hunts, start up q
bear now and then, and have the occasional en-
element OF a chase after wolves. Their knOwl-
edge of the world beyond their own hills is
limited, and even of affairs that would interest
many of us they know but little. Political emil
nence seemed of little moment, an intelli-
gent driver of our stage-at least, intelligent in
many things pertaining to woodcraft, his farm
and his horses-cOuld not tell me the name OF
their member OF Congress or OF their representa-
tive in the Virginia senate state legislature
We saw comfortable schoOl-hOuSes and
churches, and the mOuntainccrs appeared to be
good citizens. H. H.
Saturday Smilpa-