The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-08-14
rrlN ruE MouNrAINs.

Some Of their PeculinTitibs Mountain Lake
Park-some Suggestions,
TO me Editor n he IRislltgaleer,
sIR;-Eyery time we pass over the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad we are i'm
pressed with the immensely Of the under
taking to construct a railroad through the
mountains Of West Virginia. Here plunG-
log through dark tunnels, there sweeping
around sharp curves, now dashing over
tTestled chasms, anon gliding down noun
tain sides. Now We glide down "Buck
Horn grade, On the left flow the walers
Of the Cheat, deep, dark and swift,
From RoWlesbuTg we begin TO ascend
the mountain. Our Iron horse, with It's
mus Giles OF steel, heart Of fire and ponder
Gus proportions, pants and struggles like
thing OF life, As We near Terra Alta,
looking OF toward the southwest, q scene
more sublime than poet ever portrayed
or artist ever aketChed unlolds'
What mighty mountains! rising tier
upon tier, Ttceding lar away, melting into
dim shadowy outlines, There they stand
with rugged cliffs and dark csyeins and
lofty peaks around which have swept the
storms OF centuries. noticed one that
stood alone and lowered far above It's iel-
lows, standing out like silent sentinel,
catching the first beams OF morning and
the last rays OF eyealDg, reminding one OF
tho heroic souls who, looking out Hom
their serene heights, know that beyond
the misls and shadows OF the Present
comes the dawn OF better day.
To one, not familiar with this Interior
region II is a peculiar country indeed. The
season there is much later than In the
Ohio Valley. The principal products are,
potatoes, oats aud buckwheAt. But little
corn, andno wheat Is raised on the noun
tainB.
have been In pine forests there go
dense and dark at noon day that II seemed
ike evening twilight. ln come places
huge boulders are scattered In reckless
order, Ferns and flowers grow here In
rich prolusion. Meadow lilies swinging
their fragrant censors, golden rods grace
fully bending In the bret yes, andlCaladlan
thislles, which furnish the young ladies'
pompons. The water Is clear as crystal,
and cold rs Ice water. The air is light and
inygurating. It Is my opinion, II persons
are lar gone In lung disease, or dyspepsia,
there 10 nothing in the air or water to re-
store them to perfect Houndness. The
spring of perpetual youth sought out by
Ponce De Leon has not yet been d!scov'
cred on these mountains. 1t is q great
place for whortleberries and mathematics,
Both grow together.
We spent some time at Mountain Lake
Park, where lectures abound, and alvan-
tages scientific, social and moral exist,
where the people are intelligent andsoCial
among themselves. On Sabbath morn.
ing we heard the Rev. Miller, Of Brooklyn,
preach. His sermon had been prepared
with logical skill, and was delivered with
rhetorical finish rarely surpassed In this
region OF the country.
Monday night Professor Reynolds de-
Avered lecture entitled "rho Ice age"
He assumed the position that the noun.
taIns once lifted their peaks thousands Of
feet higher than they now do; that these
peaks were planed Off by the mighty
glaciers. Hetook issue with the geoOgists
OF West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsyl-
yania SIS to the manner Of the wearing
away OF the mountains. lie (ReynOlds)
contends that they have been worn down
by the glaciers, while the above named
authors maintain that they were worn by
the attrition Of the elements air, water, &c.
| think the stockholders or Board Of
Control have made some mistakes in their
management Three or four years ago, in
selling lots, they compelled the purchasers
TO build upon the lots within year or
iorisit the same. The association reserved
every alternate lot. As result Of this
policy the stockholders have great many
choice corner lotF, to (which they are hold.
ing on in the hope Of an advance In values.
There has not been sufficient demand
for these lots 10 advance their value, hence
what advances have been made is not the
result OF a demand for lots go much as the
action Of the Board, which In its annual
meetings keeps advancing the prices.
Let the stockholders remove the resLrlC.
ton TO build within q year, and give
parties their choice Of unsold lots, and
Mountain Lake will boom, but without q
change Of policy touching this matter
there Is no special inducement for men to
invest l write these things not In a
bitter disappointed spirit, but in order to
express sentiment that is impressed up.
on other minds beside the writer Of this.
Parties who have means and leisure can
find pleasure and profit, intellectual and
and moral, here on the mountains.