The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1892-08-03
A Day in the Mountains.

To the Editor of The Herald and
News: While in Walhalla recently
we had the pleasure to go to the
mountains and tunnel with par
ty of excarsionists. Of course there
were young folks along and some
of the boys were with their "best"
girls. We left Walhalla at $50 a. IN.
and rode to Mr.. Sargents, at the foot
of the mountains where we left the
conveyances and started on the journey
to the tunnel distance Of seven miles
on foot. Of course one wagon was sent
on ahead with plenty of good eatables
to which the crowd did justice in due
time. We started out in earnest across
StumpHouse mountain and after near
ly one hour and half hard climbing
over deep hills, reached a cool refresh.
ing spring gushing out OF the S de OF
the mountain, the water as clear as
crystal. After making cups Of leaves TO
drink from, and all had plenty Of this
nearly ice cold water, we sit down to
rest, in little while we are all rested
and again on our upward journey.
The scenery along here is just grand,
beautiful ferns and gras; cover the
mountain sides, and the forests are
full of all kinds of wild flowers and
berries, the branch runs between or Ill
8 large gutter of slate colored rock and
goes trickling along down, down, down.
We now come to narrow pass. The
mountains rise high on either si.l.., and
being covered with most beautiful
ferns presents picturesque scene;
the crowd, girls especially, now oegln
to complain of being very tired ana
all are about to sit down to rest when
the roaring of water is heard IN the
distance and we at once flnc We are
near the lovely falls. All hasten to 1t
and presently we come to where the
water makes a leap Of about 100 feet.
We have forgotten the name OF this
fall, it is said that an Indian girl and
her lover here committed suicide and
it has borne the girls name ever since:
FThis is lovely spot and if one wanted
to take his life, this place is solemn
enough. The scenery is every thing that
is pretty, fern, grass, flowers and green
scrubbery line the hills on every side,
and when one sits and looks up at the
water foaming and dashing down he
feels like saying wonderful works OF
nature. After spending about an hour
here we again start back toward the
tunnel where dinner awaits uS. We 60
TO cross the branch, the bridge is gone
and one of the boys falls in but is soon
out and making toward that dinner.
In the course of half al hour we are at
the tunnel with dinner spread on huge
| fiat rock and enjoying the repast huge
ly. After eating, enjoying our cold ien-
| onade we all sit down for a friendly
chat and quiet rest. The tunnel is
about four miles long in all and has
| four shafts; it was never quite com
pleted: the war came on and since
then there has been no more Work
done. The old railroad was graded
through the mountains to this point,
where it stopped. This tunnel is dug
Through solid rock and the rock
that came from it fills up a val
| lev between the two mountains,
over which the railroad was to
run. One pile OF solid rock is 2OC
| wards long, from so to 70 feet high,
about 60 feet wide at the bottom and
about % feet at the top. From the
first shaft TO the second is filled with
water and in there is bateau.
After resting awhile and exploring
every thing around, we again begln to
climb the mountains. When the top is
reached we 90 to mountain home and
get some pure cold water. The lady
treated rs to some splendid apples
which we enjoyed very much. Al
| last we started on the homeward
! Journey and after a tiresome walk Of
two hours or more we reach the bottom
and got our conveyances. and reached
! town about sundown, being nearly ex'
| hausted but feeling we had spent the
day very pleasantly indeed.
TELL.
i Newberry County, July 24, 1892.