The Portland daily press., 1895-08-24

A Press Correspondent Describes Fifty
Mile Drive Including the Byron Gold
Region, Gum Corner and Hop City.
| Especial Corr. of the PRESS
Recent newspaper mention Of renewed
success in the discovery of gold in Byron
and the intention to continue mining
operations there leads me to describe fol-
such of the PRESS readers as are inter
ested, recent ride through that interest
ing region.
| About a fortnight ago, we were staying
at the foot of Lake Webb, in the town OF
Weld, at the Pine Point camps, situated
on the end of q high, pine-shaded prom
ontory, extending into the lake.
The view from the piazzas commands
grand stretch of five miles OF water to
the head of the lake, OF mountains on
every side and especially of one, more
fascinating than the others--grlm and
rocky Tumble-Down, rearing it's three
knobby domes, just beyond the head OF
| the lake. 1t is not very high mountain.
Jackson S wooded slopes rise up above IL
just beyond, but Tumble Down is the
| dominant feature of the landscape. 1t
attracts the eye, engages the attention
and excites the imagination. Even Mt.
Blues huge and symmetrical bulk on the
other side of the lake, next to Katahdlns
the highest in Maine, is a secondary
| feature of this superb landscape, COM
pared to old Tumble-Down.
| In the first place those three knobby
domes constitute one of the grand and
stupendous gate-posts of the Byron notch.
| West Mountain, also big steep dome
with a bare, rocky crest, is the other
gate-post. Look where you will, up from
the foot of the lake, and this marrow
notch between these giant guardians, is
the only visible break in the mountain
wall, that surrounds Weld Valley.
Byron Notch! What q fascination now
attaches to that first word, since this dis
covery of gold in Maine When we see 1t
in print we now forget all about the I'M
mortal poets noble face and see only
bewitching yellow simmer, playing
about those five suggestive letters.
Byron Notch What an important and
enchanting old fellow that grim noun
| tain Tumble Down has become since now
we know that through the ages the
sparkling trout streams have carried vel
| low gold from his rock Businesses down
into the Byron meadows. Who knows but
what this huge hard featured, sphinx
| like sentinel at Names Golden Gate,
could tell of countless millions OF the
beautiful precious metal, if only he could,
| or would reveal all that lies beneath that
calm exterior.
But this is not ALL Old TumbleDown
| though apparently SO impassiye and SO
stern, has all the charm of neyer-ending
variety and change. If he doesn't mako
tho weather himself he is at least man.
ager of the manufactory. From the
piazza above mentioned the weather.
making can be seen up there by Byron
Notch and old Tumble Down is always
taking an active part. In Weld valley
one may indeed dodge the showers by
urging or retarding the speed OF his
horse Breezes, squalls, showers, hurri-
canes and mists and even sunshine itself
are all manufactured up there in Byron
Notch, and distributed over the valley
and surrounding mountains apparently
by old Tumble-Down himself.
| ANY day you can see him hurl dozen
little squalls at different times down
upon the water at the head of the lake
with such force that they always come
tearing down over the stretch of five
| 1oox.;,,or 4boir ;p,y,ri MT NJ, +bo orr,
face as they come. This is generally a
darkening of the pretty blue But when
the squall is a big one, a beautiful cover
| ing of white caps comes sweeping down
over the lake, just as the salt wave
sweeps over the glistening sand beach
and faster than the fastest ocean grey
hound can leap the Atlantic pillows.
It is still and quiet on the Pine Point
piazzas, as one watches the squalls swift
coming 1t is almost there it has reached
the rocky shore down below, the still
water has disappeared. Suddenly the
trees cry out and bend and struggle.
Away go your hat and your breath and
everything is in commotion. Empty
chairs tip over and the timbers creak and
strain. 1t is all over in moment, and
before we have had time to be afraid OF
old Tumble-Down's cannon ball, it has
passed us by and we laugh and say we
like it. Surely he is fascinating OLD
fellow. Sometimes the rain comes with
the squall and than it isn't SO pleasant.
But these are his summer missiles. In
winter he can hurl death and DESTRUCTION
| to all the smiles of natureor anybody eise
| They don't get all OF his showers
down on the lake. We can see many
that he prefers to hurl at his protnei
mountains. Many others he Keeps &c
himself, as if he liked them. Sometlmcs'
| but rarely, a shower comes lortn iroln
Byron Notch like shell from Titanic
gun. 1t bursts as it sweeps across the
middle of the lake and leaves narrow
path behind it and on either side there
is calm water and sunshine Thls is OLD
mble-Down's masterpiece, and he in
dulges in it but rarely.
u No Won wonder that we were eager from
Onpn 10