The Forrest City times., 1895-06-14

MaVOg are two characteristic exam.
pies et THIS rock piling, which are plain
~ visible from Manitou.
AS the ascent Is made. many oppor-
tunitles are given for exquisite views
or the world below. through vistas In
tue trees, with the eastern plains glow.
ing In the sunshine. and extending as
Tar us vision reaches, and limited ouly
0y the blue horizons verge. About
hai1 way up the mountain. and directly
on the line OF the railway. reached also
ny the trail, lies the Halt Way House.
Here IS surely delightful mountain
retreat.
When the head waters of Ruxton
creek are reached the road curves to
the southwest, and Windy Point" is
attained. This is so called because of
the strong head wind which "blows
through your whiskers" MS you ascend
the mountain. Those who stood on
the front platform to smoke and view
the plcturesqueness of the mountains
and valleys, were forced To return to the
car and close doors AMI windows. From
here one has u distinct view of Mani.
tou, Colorado City and Colorado Springs.
Ihe Cathedral Spires" and the Great
Gateway" of the Garden of the Gods
appear like the castles set by the giants
lor stupendous game of chess. We
are now far above timber line, and it
Is with some difficulty that we breathe
enough OF the thin rarefied air to sus-
tain life. Some feel a dizziness, some
nave headaches, none are seriously af-
1ected, though Mr.. Gray WAS quite sick
at the summit. On all sides can be
seen strange flowers, Of lovely forms
and varied hues. Plants which attain
considerable proportions on the plains
are here reduced to their lowest forms.
1t is not an unusual thing to find
sunfi0wer stalk Oh the prairies rising
to height Of from eight to ten feet;
here they grow like dandeliOns i'm the
grass, vet retaining all their character
istics of form and color. Beyond this
meadow are great fields of
granite, broken cubes OF
pink rock, so vast in extent that they
might well be the ruins of all the an
Gent cities in the world. Far below
flash the waters of Lake Morian, and
beyond, to the southwark. lie the seven
Lakes. Another turn Of the track to
the nOrthward, aud the shining rails
stretch almost straight up what appears
to be an inaccessible wall of precipi-
tous granite. Bat no physical Obstruc-
ton is formidable enough To stop the
progress Of this marvellous railway; and
passing the yawning abyss of the Ora
ter" the line proceeds direct to the
The grade here is twenty
five per cent. and timid passengers will
not escape thrill of fear as they gaze
over the brink of this precipice, al
though the danger is absolutely moth
ing. At last the summit was reached,
and, discriminating. the tourists can
seek refreshments in the Summit
House, collect curiOs and send tele-
gram to loved ones at home from the
highest telegraph Office in the world,
then spend the time before the train
returns in enjoying the view and in
rambling over the seventy acres OF
broken granite which form the sum-
nit, and indulge in "snow ball" When
this had been accomplished and just
before boarding the train for the re-
turn trip, photographer offers to
make Il negative of the editors and
furnish the pictures at So cents each.
We group upon the steps and are pho
tographed at anIelevatiOn OF IA, l47 feet
above sea level.
The view from the peak once beheld
can never be forgotten. The first sen-
satiOn is that of complete isolation.
The silence is profound. The clouds
are below us, and noiselessly break in
foaming pillows against >the faces of
the beetling cliffs. professionally the
silence is broken by the deep roll Of
thunder from the depths beneath, as
though the voice Of the Creator were
uttering "A stern edict of destruction.
The storm rises, the mists envelOp us.
there is rush Of wind, "A rattle OF hail.
and we seek refuge in the hotel. Pause
a moment before entering, and hold up
YOUR hands. You can feel the sharp
Jingle of the electric current us 1t es-
capes from your finger-tips. The storm
is soon over, and you see the sunbeams
gliding the upper surfacrs OF the white
clouds that sway and swing below You
half way down the mountain sides.
and completely hide from view the
world beneath. The scenery Shifts.
like a drawn curtain, the clouds part
and AS from the heights of another
sphere we look forth upon the majesty
Of the mountains and the plains. Am
ocean of inextricably entangled peaks
sweeps into view. Forests dark and
vast seem like vague shadows on dis
A city is dwarfed
into the compass of d single block;
are mere threads of sill
yer laid in graceful curves upon the
green velvet mantle of the endless
plains. The red granite rocks beneath
our feet are starred with tiny fiDwers,
30 minute that they are almost micro
,copic, yet tinted with the most DELI
cate and tender colors.
The majesty of greatness and mys-
Eery of minuteness are here Brought
face to face. What wonders of crea-
ton exist between these two extremes :.
rhe thoughtful mind is awed by the