Telegram-herald., 1889-05-27
SEEN By A TRAVELLER
A Ride Through ths Mountains OF
West Virgins.
DESCRIBED By lGRAyD RAPIDS LADY.
ars EEn12 n sSa stock Writes or Her
yssEssy 10 the soath-hasalneeaS
sssasry-A Gsai.l Old Eas-
nsh GsatleHAn.
NORFOLK, Va, May. lsss.
csrrssponasnes Of the TsLEGaA4HEaAlO.


En-r0ute u Virginia ar last and de-
lighted at the prospect! But, having
been kindly past al the baek-doOrs OF
Toledo and its suburbs, We found posi-
lively nothing 70 ak about By the way
untl ws rushed lnto the handsome new
station At Lima. IL 5 built OF brick.
and after the fashion when Is most
frequently approved by railroad COM
panies, that of an old-time cathedral,
very much fore-shoEtened and cut
down.
Not far out OF Lima an Intangible
sensauon, a penetrating presence, a
smell, seemed 10 enter the car aud 10
stay with Il long after We passed the
oil regions OF Central Ohio. IL seemed
a. II crude OIL for the whole world were
reseryOred there-even the stil pools
and streamlets of water were surfaced
with Oil The immense tanks, standing
over A large territory as plentiful as
blackberr.es, represent the treasures
OF the OIL kings.
An interested trav eller informed Us
THAT oil Is nearly every bat of il
pumped The blamed stuff won't run
FOR more than month before II has TO
be pumped" | could not help retOrt-
ing that thought u was doing pretty
well % be good rieh OIL, without pour
ing itself INTO the Standard cOmpany's
reservoirs
Thanks 10 various predictions and
Ftrte linz A .ra nd no.
longer small town. This | am sure
of, for the time is long since past when
all the bellies and beaux arrayed them
selves 10 be at the station 20 watch the
tram come and 90, and when all the
merchants rushed down 10 see If the
stuff ordered yesterday from New York
had not arrived today, and when the
postmaster made things sure by beng
on the spot himself TO take the mail
bag direct from the agent. But this Is
stll the way IN all of the pretty little
towns on and off the Ohio with the ex-
ceptiOn of Cincinnati. Here the public
interest in approaching trains Is pre-
served by the hackmen, for they GER
taInly met ours on the stormlest, most
tempest-tossed night of 1899.
Nearly desperate of finding the 500
miles of natural scenery promised by
our railroad guide. We were finally at
Portsmouth, relieved by the sight of the
first mountain. Ii was modest meni-
her OF the Blue Ridge chain, and not
much more of = climb than the hills of
Macatawa, although ] noticed that a
small stock-yard was having a ludic-
rOus time trying to preserve It's dignity
about hallway up the mountain SIDE.
Deeper IN this gorge made by or fol-
lowed by Great kLn1wha river, the
charm OF mountain flowers close by the
windows on one side and of the rapid
river on the other, began TO grow more
vivid. AT the City of Charleston, W.
Va, the enthusiasm for delightful
scenery was awakened in earnest by the
glimpse of handsome buildings meeting
the river front, half shut from sight by
passing steamers,) by the busy look Of
the place, and beyond the repose of the
faint blue hills. These made me feel
convinced we should visit that town
some day and ferret out Its attractions,
but not then, not then. This whole
Kanawha Valley lay before US there
unknown, but wonderful To see.
Fortunately at the very point where
the picturesqueuess began at Kanawha
Falls, We fell in with a genial old Eng
lshman and ms small boy of Give years
and a blt,' whom he called the cold
gentleman" The old gentleman,
senior. had travelled through both Eng
land and the continent since early
youth tO restore his health. and had
found at last that the fountain of
health for him was 10 these very noun
taius of West Virginia. where he will
iugly buried himself for all time. know
ing and loving every rock and stream
of the whole canyon as he called It..
This Is certainly a Canyo" he de-
el3red, "these mountains are plateaus
rather, which stretch just beyond the
reach Of your eve INTO fine farms and
pastures. love these hills better.than
the natives DO, tOiling up and down
their Jagged SIDES. The natives COM
plain, and herate their lot IN bitter
language sometimes. but they arc
always ready % fight the next
one who abuses their noun
tain homes" And queer
little thought came into my head.
They were more Ike nests than houses,
perching. bird fashion, on the few rest
ing places OF the steep slopes. The
Old gentlemen, senior, went on Il
tell YOU, IN these villages crowded
along on the river. land brings fancy
prices There's great spirit Of aris-
tocracv among land holders. who have
held it for years and years. From
having taken something of A fancy for
me. several landowners agreed "a
spare enough 70 make me lot 30x5O
feet. Having tins notion 10 part with
it. they gave Il for a mere nothing.
B1t I could not get another lot or even
foot for anv sum Of money
Just then the cold gentleman" Jun
ior,rsn - point out 20 Us the big yellow
rock. which. as he Esped. was
called Hawks Nest, because So many
httle hawkes. made nests IN the holes
of the rocks. The next turn of the
train brought Is into such a wilder
ness OF rock and water scenes. that one
only surpassed the other n grande ur,
and the impression was finally reduce "a
n knowing that We were dashing ~
immense powders. heaped upon each
other. with the great river breaking
over them. On the further SHORE the
mountains rose. rocky and sllvered
with the mist Of the streams dashing
down their sides. Near at hand, PINK
srav and green rocks were thrown
against the SKY. making bold, s7lgges-
nve outlines ike those on the N issi -
i0pi above Clinton. While the Sun
FURNISHED the stillcr sheets of water
making the rocks gleau1, metallic. ve
we're carried into long tunnel
through The verv mountain SIDE. dis
nal ard stony. WITH the water trickfre
frsr - SIDES almost lnt0 orr windows.
a fssn 'cTsre more lntc daylight