Passaic City record., 1891-10-10
THROUGH The LEHlGH VALLEY
A Wet Day at Maunch Chunk.
-side Tfips.-Onoko Glen
and the Cascades:
THE SWITZERLAND of AMERICA
Niagara Fails by moonlight.

1
During tie months of July and
August almost every steamer
leaving the port of New York was
thronged with persons seeking to
escape from the intolerable heat
which visits Our cities every
summer, and to spend a few
weeks under the shadow and
amid the inspiring scenery of
Switzerland. They are favored
who can spare the time and means
that will repay them in the con-
temptation of some of the noblest
works of the God of Nature, and
in lifelong memories of the farest
and most delightful experiences.
But there is far greater multi
tude who can spare neither time
nor means even for such expe=
fiehces. And to them there is
compensation in the thought, that,
without crossing oceans or suffer-
ing the inconvenience of foreign
travel, they can find their Switz-
erland nearer home, even within
easy access of our great cities on
the seaboard.
This was the conclusion of an
editorial party, who started to take
a glimpse at the charming scenery
along the lines of the North Penn
sylvania, the New Jersey Central.
the Bound Brook and the Lehigh
Valley railroads, and to be intro
dueed to the unique and romantic
attractions environing the locality
that has peculiar claim to the title
given it of "The Switzerland of
America" And such must be the
conclusion of all who are favored
with a sojourn through summer or
autumn amid these attractions, ra-
ther than a brief and tantalizing
glimpse
Our party entered the cars at
the depot of the New Jersey Cen
trail r. R. in Jersey City; few
hours later we were landed in the
midst of a deluging shower at the
hospitable door of the Mansion
House at Maunch Chunk-a spa
cious structure perched on the
narrow shelf of the ledge between
the mountain and the Lehigh
which is left unoccupied by the
railroad that winds along the
bank of the rushing river. In
deed, the whole village seems to
be hanging on the sides of the
compressed defile, and has ter
raced out its streets and building
lots, and garden-spots from the
steep mountain sides. Yet it
throbs with busy life, and the
long and sinuous trains of cars
loaded with coal, or returning
empty to the mines, often from
125 to 50 in number, tell of wealth
and enterprise that have opened
up this valley which must have
seemed almost inaccessible to its
aboriginal proprietors, to one of
the most important and prosper
GUS branches of modern trade.
The rain did not dampen the
welcome with which we were
greeted by our genial host of the
Mansion House, who spared no
pains to make our visit delightful.
Variable as the weather was, we
spent the day in visiting Mount
Pisgah, up whose steep side we
were drawn in cars over an in
clined plane of nearly $500 feet,
the track rising one foot in three,
the dizzy and frightful ascent be-
ing safely secured by means OF
powerful engines SO carefully
managed that, as yet, no accident
has ever occurred to the thousands
who have enjoyed the wonderful
ride over this famous switch back
railway.
A lengthy ride through the for
est to the base of Mount Jefferson
and we came to another inclined
plane of nearly 1900 feet which
brought us to the top Of Summit
Hill, where the coal was first dis
covered that has given this region
it's stores of untold wealth.
In consequence of the contin-
uous rain we were prevented from
rambling in the charming woods
along our way; but the town ply
sician, who is an enthusiastic bo-
tanist, told us that they abounded
in numerous floral attractions,
and that he had found there 29
varieties of ferns, among which
IS the climbing Hartford fern,
supposed to be limited to few
localities in the Connecticut valley.
Our return down the mountain
was full of wonder and delight,
and on pleasant day or moon
lignt evening must be ravishing
with the charming and extensive
prospects it commands. The
visit to this region (the round
trip after leaving the Mansion
House being about IS miles was
.one which will never be forgotten
by those who participated IN it
Space will not allow a descrip-
ton of the scenes of beauty with
which the day was filled. A visit
TO OnokO Glen. with its rocky as