The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-02

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men. it required but little prepare
ton, and as October is my favorite
month in the woods, | determined
there should be neither delay nor
hardness in my preliminary pre-
parations.
So, with all of my plans fully
matured, by the time | reached
home from my ramble through the
fields and along the hills | at once
wrote to Senator Browning, a grand
son of the famous hunter, who re-
sided at Oakland, that | would
reach his town early the following
Saturday morning, which was the
third day after the date of my let
ter, and if convenient aud agreeable
| would be glad if he would imme-
diately upon the arrival of the train
drive me out to the "Narrows," on
Deep Creek, which is some ~ miles
distant, and where l knew he was
engaged in constructing a lake for
for trout with clearinghouse"
in close proximity for the more ex-
tensive propagation of this delight.
full fish.
Apart from my desire to learn
something of the nature and extent
q Mr.. Browning's fish enterprise |
sM other good reasons for making
this particular locality the objective
point in my mountain jaunts. |
had been informed that it was easy
of Access over fine mountain road,
and sufficiently far from the near
est railroad station to establish my
headquarters, whence | could, at
my convenience, diverge with ease
to points of interest in any direc-
ton.
remembered that as early as
1927 Professor Duchatelle, a noted
mineralgist and geologist from Eu-
rope, whilst engaged in explorations
along tie Potomac, paid glowing
tribute 70 the great natural beau
ties of Ibis immediate section of
country, l was also aware of the fact
that subsequently, it had been
brought somewhat prominently be-
fore the public in connection with
a large w,rk of internal improve
ment; that engineers distinguished
in their possession and specially APP
pointed recommended the erection
of a reservoir at this point to supply
the water for the proposed canal
over the Savage Mountains. | had
learned from Browning's life that
this very locality was one of his
favorite places of encampment.
That this stream abounded in in
Vulnerable quantities of trout, and
was but mile or so from Meadow
Mountain, where so many of the
thrilling scenes of his adventurous
life had transpired. With such in
formation in my possession no one
of my indulgent readers, | am sure,
will be surprised at my selection.
With valise sufficiently large to
hold a change of underclothes and
a dilapidated copy of Browning's
"Forty-four Years of the Life of a
which had been out of
my possession for two years, going
the rounds in every direction, |
boarded one of the fast trains of the
Baltimore and Ohio at the depot
in my town on Friday evening, the
time at which had previously COM
would start. With the
cars moving at the rate of IS miles
an hour and as noislessly as a brace
Of sunbeams flung from a mirror
swinging in the wanton wind, was
soon wrapt in sleep, dreaming of
the trundlebed in the Martin-box
cottage of my childhood.
1t was little while after sunrise
when l heard the conductor cry out:
Passengers for Piedmont" This
place is a prominent railroad sta
ton at the base of the first chain of
the Allegheny Mountains, and some
IS miles east of Oakland. With
this announcement of the conductor
it Immediately REQUIRED to me that
we were at the foot of the famous
17-mile grade-where the grade is
116 feet to the mile and when two
heavy locomotives are required for
all passenger trains in order to climb
with fair speed this remarkable rail-
road accent. l had many times
passed over this marvellous piece Of
engineering skill and been lost in
amazement at the ingenuity of
out upon the terrific
grandeur of the rugged scenery in
which it was enveloped and been
awed into silence.
With such Impressions still ling
ering upon my memory, it can
hardly appear surprising, now that
the opportunity was mine, that |
should make eager haste to have
them refreshed at the fountain of