Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-10
NOT PLEASANT, BY ANY MEANS.

which understood was a small settlement
midway between Chestnut Ridge and the
Laurel Hill Mountain. But j. NJ. Cum
ningham, the weil-known liveryman at In
diana, told me 1 could never make Nolo
that night.
mo, there is no other village Between
here and Nolo," he said, "but your party
will be sure to fnd1odgings at Mr.. Dinwid-
dies store"
Nolo was only IA miles distant and it was
then o'clock. 1t would be when we got
started. Everybody advised me to give up
the idea of pushing on to Nolo. ''Dinwid-
die will keep you all night" they all said,
"Dinwiddie likes to entertain travellers"
A Pleasant Prospect.
Mr.. Dlnwiddie, 1 learned, kept store
halfway down the eastern slope of Chestnut
Ridge Mountain, about eight miles from In
diana. 1t was but solitary house in the
woods; yet there seemed to be no doubt from
the general evidence submitted to ME before
left Indiana that Mr.. Dinwiddie's house
was a veritable castle, SO much room would
he be able to place at the disposal of trav-
elers.
UNUSUALLY
that we only had eight miles of drive
ahead. 1t had been very trying day for
all of the party. The four hours struggle
with the mud bitches between Elderton and
Indiana had exhausted everyone, both man
and beast. All the morning the clouds had
brought scurries of rain as they foated bv in
broken riffs. The sun, when it got chance
to shine, was hot and glaring. When it was
hidden the weather was sultry and the at
mosphere close.
A Speedy Dlsenchantmeut.
Our canvas curtains, tied tightly down to
keep out the rain, made the inside of the
wagon so warm and close that to ride be-
came almost unbearable. To walk was
worse, for it was nearly all up hill and
perspiration was rendered profuse.
In this condition we had arrived at
Indisna; and tired, hot and wet we left
Indiana. Our hopes of an early arrival at
Dinwiddie's soon appeared delusive. For
''chuck holes" and deep ruts, that pike, for
four miles out of Indiana, proved worse
than anything we had struck for three
weeks. The wagon lurched, rolled,
shivered, shook, careened and creaked.
After that we had a two-mile climb up the
mountain.
The grade was something we had not
bsrgained for. 1t was not so steep as it was
steady and crooked. One curious stretch of
this mountain road, after ascending hill in
svitch-back fashion, makes a sharp turn,
forming what is called the Devils
Elbow"
Overtaken by a Storm.
I don't know whether any superstitious
traditions cling to the Devils Elbow"
but about the time we rounded il lightning
had begun to fash and the rumbling thunder
rendered the echoes in the forests here any
thing but pleasant. The photographer tried
to take q photograph of His Satanic
Majesty elbow, but the pstterlng ralndrops
stopped him. The storm was breaking
sooner than we expected, for we had Just
began the ascent To make any faster time
was out of the question. In 10 minutes the
ram was pouring down. The wind, driving
down the mountain, caught our schooner In
the center and delayed progress.
Somebody suggested opening the rear
curtain TO let the wind have free access
through the interior, but that proved
70 be impracticable. There was nothing
left to do but to take all the wind and all
the rain and climb on to Dinwiddie's.
Only the Beginning of Trouble.
This was our first experience with noun
tain roads. 1 wish 1t were our last, But
alas if is only the beginning. Mountain
roa6s have a rock bottom. / don't mean
NV that that the bottom is smooth as
a 1agstone pavement, for the rocks crop out
At ali ANGLES. Some stand on end, others
slope at as degrees; q few lie fat, and others
have q peculiar curvature, suggestive OF
volcanic disturbances. In fact, If you lie