The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1886-11-18


sustained and the public authori-
ties must take their share of tht
duty.
MORE OBSERVATIONS.
From another of the pleasant anS
sprightlv letters of Gay Larkin- Mis-
Richards-we make the following ex
tracts. These letters never weary; they
cannot become tedious like twice tolC
tale. There is always freshness abou
them, a persistent novelty and exhilara
ton, as ever striking as the sceneI
detected.
After sprightly running comment Oh
the run from Washington to Salisbury
the writer goes on:
From Salisbury, N. c., as may be seer
from the map, the road to Asheville rum
almost due west q distance Of 142 miles
At Old Fort, which lies at the eastern base
of the mountains, we begin the ascent
crossing the wall of the Blue Ridge by
means Of the most wonderful and com.
plete piece of railroad engiHSering on this
continent At Quito, SoSth America
there issaid to be somethi5R equal TO il
i1f0E in Moth friaeEiea -. lhe time Ne
reach Henry 3 ne are fairly surrounded
by mountains, peak towering above peak
in grand confusion, seeming to close
about and shut Us in beyond power Of
escape.
At Old Fort the observation carr was
attached to the train, a large, comfortable
car, cased on all sides with plate glass,
and furnished with wicker arm.chsire
which may be moved from place to place,
as the views demand. There is so much
to see that one is in perpetual melton,
and wishes for an extra pair of eyes to
take it all in.
ROUND KNOB AND THE REST.
The next stopping place bevond Old
Fort is "Round Knob" one of the most
interesting points en- route, and in the
very heart of the mountains.
Here handsome summer hotel has
been erected by Maj. ]. w. Wilson, chief
engineer of the road, which offers many
attractions to visitors and has been filled
with guests all summer.
While the train waits for the good
breakfast for which this hotel is famous,
we have an opportunity to look about us
and view our surroundings. We find
ourselves in narrow rolling valley, itself
2, 200 feet above the level of the sea, but
so shut in and closed about with lofty
peaks, that we wonder whence we enter.
ed, and by what magic means we may
escape. A brawling mountain stream
rushes down the valley, and near the ho-
tel its waters are led captive into the pipe
of fountain which casts single jet of
water, crystal clear, 1853 feet into the air
said to be the highest natural jet in the
world. Although it seems to US high
enough for all practical purposes, and
beautiful as a bridal veil sprinkled with
gems, public spirited native assured US,
with fine local pride, "it isn't nearly as
high as usual this morning"
Above our heads, weaving in and out,
like silvery thread, around the noun
tain, winds the glistening track over
which we are about to pass, supported for
over sixty feet high, We soon learn that
tie triumph OF engineering 1a achieved
between this place and the summit,
point not more than half a mile distant
as the crow flies, but eight miles by rail,
so often does the track turn and twist
and double upon itselfin its effort to scale
the steep ascent. At one point four par
allel tracks may be seen, one above the
other, a massive railway OF solid masonry,
over which the iron horse, painting and
toiling, labors to gain the top. Having
accomplished five miles of this ascent we
find ourselves again within quarter of
mile of the Round Knob Hotel, this
time lying far below US in the valley, but
still the center of this great system Of
iron loops by means of which we are
gradually rising to the region of the
clouds. Just before we reach the top our
attention is directed by the guide to a
slender moontain stream, flowing east
ward down the valley. This little stream
developes later into the Catawba River,
which finally reaches the waters of the
Atlantic. Within quarter of mile,
across the mountain on the western slope,
rises the Swannanoa whose final destina-
ton is the Gulf of Mexico. Somehow, /
am reminded of Jean Ingelow's ,'DivId-
ed ;" though the parallel is hardly com
plete. On our left towers the lofty pin
nacle of the Blue Ridge, 1000 feet above
us, and 6,400 above the sea, while on all
sides pile lesser peaks in splendid dis
array, any one of which, but for the
proximity of the greater pinnacle, would
be monarch itself IN this kingdom of
the clouds.
Far below we peer into deep gorges,
their slopes clothed with the primeval
forest, where the foot of man has prob
ably never trod, grand and wild to look
upon. but how awful, awful, think, to
be left alone in such aplacel "Royal
Gorge" and Ravens Den" are the ex-
pressive names of the two widest OF
these ravines.
Suddenly, without other warning than
the Pickering of the lamps which
"Prince.' the intelligent mulatto guide,
has lighted, but which are hitherto un-
noticed, we plunge into darkness and
the famous "SWannanoa Tunnel" is an
nounced. This cut pierces the gap $500
feet above the sea-the highest point
reached-and is / 800 feet long.
Two minutes later we emerge on the
western slope of the mountains and be-
gin our descent to the Asheville valley il
valley one may call the wide rolling
plateau upon which Askevflle stands
The first stopping place on the Western
slope is Black Mountain Station. Here
we find another large hotel recently
erected, which we learn has been well
patronized this summer, especially by
parties making the ascent of '.The Black I
This famous old mountain towers grand
ly above all others, reaching an attitude
of 6 I'll feet, the highest point east of the
Rockies. Here we lose our charming
travelling companion, Mrs. Senator Vance
whose mountain home is seven miles
from this station. The genial Governor
as he is best known in his native State,
like Cincinnatus in plain farmers attire
ia at the station to Welcomd his bonnJ
little wife, 6nd waves us "how-dy.do'
and good bye" as the train steams on.
We are new only sixteen miles from
AsheyiIIe, q distance which We make II
little Iesss than an hour, reaching the
j French Broad station at the foot of thS