The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-29

famous paTSon, governor and senator,
who is still erect and vigorousaa and will,
good judges say, live to 100. She is said
to be fond of talking of the stormy past
and full of charity for both sides. Ev-
erywhere through city and country the
sons and daughters of the old Federal
and Confederate marry and live in So
cia1 concord, and in every school we
may find children who had grandfathers
in both armies.
It was after we left Knoxville that
the real enjoyment of the journey be-
gan. The morning sun after the two
days. rain cast glorious light over the
red and gray brown hills and rugged
rocks, and in two hours we were follow
ing the French Broad river up into the
Switzerland Of America. 1t was reye-
lation to me. In no part of the east have
l found scenery so nearly rivallng the
solemn grandeur of the Rocky mountain
canyons. With every mile the wild beau
ty increased One minute we ran at the
base of lofty cliff Of gray rock, the
river to our right roaring and foaming
in silvery cascades; the next we crossed
to a narrow level on the other side and
looked far up into coves and romantic
hollows to the northward. Again, we
traversed narrow canyon and emerged
into a lovely oval valley, which seemed
a mountain walled park, through which
the Broad river rolled in placid volume.
In such places it is indeed broad and
looks navigable for large boats, but for
the most part it is a foa1ning mountain
torrent. In the last of these oval wales
are the famous hot springs, long place
of resort and now quite the fashion, and
for the remaining 40 miles to this place
the locomotive has hard struggle OF
it. The descent is said to be 900 feet,
and the gorge is in most places SO mar
row that very little can be gained by
curves. The river is continuous cas-
cade, and local scientists point to the
old water lines hundreds of feet above
US as proof that it has through all the
ages since the Devonian been cutting its
channel down to the present level Flow
long time they allow for this don't
know, but with it's fierce current and
grinding sand, despite the hardness of
the rock, 1 suppose 1000, O00,000 years
would do.
Among the Clouds.
Here and there we see immense
masses that have fallen from the cliffs
into the stream, and the same local sci
entists claim 30 determine the time since
they fell by their comparative rough
ness or smoothness, but as, according TO
their figures, such fall occurs not Of
tener than once in 1000 or 5000 years,
passengers are not disturbed about it. A
few miles beIow Hot Springs narrow
gauge railway leads off to the highest
practicable point on the side Of Roane
mountain, and from the station there a
stage ride of some 10 or 10 miles takes
one to Cloudland hotel, 1894 feet above
sea level, Hheresthe chronic sneezers go
in the hay season. The air is said to
cure hay fever at once, and as that is
true of any place above dust and heavy
clouds presume it is true of Roane
mountain. Next to the wild beauty of
cliff, gorge and stream am most forci-
bly, impressed by the vigor and tenacity
Of the forest growth. At every point on
the cliffs where the slightest footing can
be obtained, in every crevice of the rock
where little soil has drifted and even
at inaccessible points on the very face Of
the gray wall, where no break can be
made out from below, shrubs have firm
~ rooted themselves and grown into
great trees, and often where they stand
out from the rock at an incline the
weight of the trunk above has bent the
lower part far below the roots and given
the tree a sort of fshhook shape. Where
the slope seems to decline but little
from the perpendicular there are paths
which the hardy natives ascend by aid
Of the bushes, and in the most surpris-
ing places are seen log cabins, and
around them are children playing where,
as 1t looks from below, a stumble would
send them rolling for hundreds of feet.
And yet every available patch appears
to be under cultivation, and residents
tell US the land is not SO steep as it looks
AS it surely can't be or horse and pillow
would 60 headlong to the bottom.
The city is we'll built and attractive.
They say it has 10, 900 inhabitants, and
can see that they are of a high order.
Asheville was designed for a great sum-
mer resort, but it is rather more of a
winter resort. From the hot low1ands
come in summer the we'll to do planters
and merchants, and for three or four
months society is of the old southern
watering place type. There is then a
Ou4A eeosOA, d4ISI WHICH COH10 Inc uOftH-
erners, and there is quite another sort
Of social atmosphere till spring, and
then another dull season. The Wander
bits have set the pace for northern
folks. Their grand mansion few miles
away is the Mecca of ambitious pill
grims. and the town or station of Bilt-
more is expected by adjacent landown-
ers to Guido Saratoga and Newport
am especially interested by the colored
people of this city, so very different are
they from, and with rare exceptions su-
perior to, those of the lower country.
They do not look like negroes. but rather
like white folks-slightly colored, haV-
ing fine profles. hair crisped just enough
to look well, bright, intelligent faces
and pleasing manners. OF course only