Evening star., 1886-07-17
ALONG ROCK CREEK.
Sunday Scenes the Banks Of the
Picturesque Stream.


Picturesque Stream.
| A STROLL THROUGH THE vALLEY-PICNIc
PARTIES IN THE wooDs-GERMANs AND
THEIR FAMILIES OUT PLEAsURING-THE
| 14IH STREET DRIVE.
ApropOs of the contem mplated Rock Creek
Park Washingtonians not SO ignorant of its
beauties as might be supposed from much
which the newspapers have said of it. To the
majority of our citizens the locality may be
as strange as the South Sea islands. But not
| so with strong minority. They have fully
explored its wooded and bush covered hills,
and they know every little hollow and dell
where the sun seldom shines. Its steep hill
sides and piles OF overhanging rock have been
trodden by picHickerS Sunday after Sunday
and holiday after holiday till they all
traced with innumerable paths leading every
| where and nowhere. The highways and by
ways leading to the creek or along its banks,
y coulu aney oe supp supplied with some kina OF Ia
many a brace OF lovers as they drove along the
road or wandered hand in hand up and down
over the steep and mOsS-grOwn paths. Much OF
this a STAR reporter saw and heard last sun
day as he strolled through Mt. Pleasant to the
country beyond, then down to the creek and
along its banks 10 Pierce'S and BlaSdenS mills.
FoURTEENrH STREET ROAD
was filled as usual with swiftly moving carriages
raising dust so thick as to almost obscure OBJ
jects on the other side of the road. A magnifi-
cent chance presents itself here for the District
government to make itself popular by means OF
a simple watering cart o be used once week on
Sundays along this popular drive. The drivers
were not all lovers nor half OF them either:
Middle aged gentlemen drove vehicals of all
sizes and shapes and by their sides sat comfort
able matronly looking ladies enjoying
dust. Whole families, fathers, mothers and
nosegays of children rode happily along and
par1e; OF beardieis youths shouting and laugh,
at u pace which exhibited their faith in the
maxim that "A hired horse never gets tired"
Turning from the road little distance beyond
Mt. Pleasant the reporter pursued small stream
which crossed it at a right angle, and ran down
into the woods emptyins into
ROCK CREEK.
"St Judas Oil' and other legends stood out
boldly upon the surface OF the rocks lying
nearest the road; but without pausing to ad-
mire their beauty, the wandering STAR man
followed the course of the little stream and
plunged iii among the trees. The banks We're
hlsn and steep and overgrOWn with bushes and
tall trees, with here and there level, shady
spot, close to the water, occupied by band of
plcHchers. Little children were bathing i'll the
water at one point, and upon the shore, seated
on a rock, was weary looking mother one
hand ;llnglng 10 the dress of a little child who
was pulling and tuSSing in vain to join his
ei'ier brothers in the Water the other hand
ciniching novel from which she was trying to
extract Inc sense-ra task rendered dOuDly diff
hcuIt by the motions OF the youns sster. In one
place ii middlc-ased man, probably the father,
lay smoking, while i'll Il secluded nook young
HE STAR man wondered whether it was
'Laiia Rookh" or The Eve oil st. Agnes"
Farther ON, where the silence OF the little dell
Was broken ony by the murmur OF the stream,
apalr of presunlabie lovers went hand in hand
along the opposite side. These scenes
repeated themselves with variations till the
reporter arrived at the mouth of the brook
and stood upon the banks oI Rock creek. A
lovely stream it is, now running smoothly
along between it's tree-covered banks now
chatterIng noisily on over u bed OF rocks and
peuble>. In England it would have been called
W d,I4 St--
would nave been cleared away, its waters
stocked with fish ana the land either side
uii tt ei G 'eu ihto d oiodu anu Deauiilul park
HAD III been located iii scotland Sir Walter
scott might have made ii famous with ''VaiOr-
oua deeds that were DONE battles might have
been fought and ladies WOOed, MINISTRIES might
have sung and witches and spirits mingled III
gnostiy consultation upon its banks. But being
Ia America II Is given over
To THE PIC-NICKERs
and remains unsung, save but Tor the feeble
voice and faltering pen OF the wandering STAR
reporter. Aroused from thoughts like these,
the scribe followed the road which comes down
10 the creek ut this point and leads along its
bank some 80 40 leet sheer above the sur
face of the water. TIN, height gradually les
sens I'LL, a few hundred yards beyond, tue road
crosses tue creeA by a wooden bridge at Pierce's
Alil, almost level with the water, and leads
across the country towards Tenieytown. Keep
ing with the creek, The reporter continued his
wanierlnss. Ohe bank was a steep hill, aioug
the side Oh which lie managed TO Climb, often
over huge rocks, which, juttIng out boldly, i'm
peued MS progress and offered strong temptit-
tons To the ST. JasonS Oil man. The otuer
bank was nearly level, coverei with grass,
shaded with occasional trees and studded with
the white dresses OF fair pic-nickers.
GERMANS OUT PLEASURING.
The reporter noticed that u large number of
the picnickers met with We're Germans, many
OF them grocers and butchers, and their wagons
stood along the road, while the Embarrassed
horses gTaLed at hand. Children play ed In the
water or along the bank, while The mothers aud
dauSh prepared dinner and the fathers
kinuIed tine lire or gathered together and
smoked their pipes-;tll The little scenes reflect
Ing tn4t domestic and generous nature winch
Causes Germans, Us Il rule, to share their plea
sures with their wives and children. Farther
ON Blasdens mill ana bridge were passed and
the picnlckers disappeared, the country being
no longer favorable to their objects. Steep
rocky banks sloped rapidly down TO the water:
vines ana bushes lnipeued The STAR mans
steps. Wnlle lnlck-groWing trees shut out the
light OF the sun. Many pretty were en-
couniered. AT one place large gray rock ter
mlnating in point juts out oI The clear still
water. Halting a little beyond this in IA cool
pleasant nook, wearled with climbing and
Datned III persplratIou, the reporter enj Dyed u
swim IN the creek, which was eight iine feet
deep here in spots, and tneu retraceu his steps
the sun yelled Itself behind the western
bank.