The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-01
TENNESSEE EXPOSITION.
Interesting Account of a Trip From Raleigh to
Nashville--The Ride Through Western North
Carolina--A Stop at ChattanOOga-LoOkout
Mountain--A Brief Sketch of the Exposition.
Especial Correspondence
Messenger Bureau, Park Hotel,

- (Specldl
Messenger Bureau, Park Hotel,
Raleigh, N. c., September rs.
This is to be a story Of a visit to the
centennial exposition and Of
how it looked to North Carolina eyes.
The ride through North Carolina
from Raleigh t. Asheville showed a
parched and parching world. The
brightest spot along the route was in
b Davidson county section where the
crops looked greener. The largest
wheat farm in the state is there; that
Of Holt & Howewood, where this sea-
son 5000 bushels were grown.
Cotton milling is illustrated all the
way. The Southern road Is lined with
mills. The greatest number Of spindles
under one roof in the state is in the
Erwin mill at Durham The highest
mill, is at Asheville.
The three towns with futures which
are along this line are Greensboro, Sal
isbury and Asheville. The develop
ment at many other points Is very
pleasing to a person who recalls the
places as they were say twenty-five
years ago.
Inc cTcLCH oIOdO AANCAS "uASA 0ou-
ally tumbles so noisily down its bed Is
now phenomenally low. The intensity
Of the heat in the mountain country
has partially dried many springs and
small streams. Their beds are seen, as
bare as a piece Of marble. At Paint
Rock the limestone begins. 1t is both a
blessing AND a curse. It makes land
ht for grass and at the same time
where it crops out it spoils 1t for farm
ing. 1t gives a soil to which moisture
is Indispensable. While the part of
Tennessee between Paint Rock and
Knoxville shows far less effect Of the
terrible drought than IN other Sec
ton from the North Carolina coast to
Memphis, yet the crops even there are
hurt. But in middle Tennessee thou
sands of trees have been killed. These
stand on the limestone and the fervid
heat has literally roasted them alive.
The cotton in Middle Tennessee is too
small to be worthy of notice.
Chattanooga was reached before
midnight. The vast mass Of Lookout
its front shine electric lights. In the
morning a trip to the top of h
mountain is made Fol- half a dollar a
round trip ticket is bought, which takes
the holder over street railways, the
inclined railway up the mountain and
on the narrow guage road along it's
side. A steam engine at the base of the
mountain is the motive power. This OPP
crates an endless cable. One a goes
up and another down and they pass au
tomatically at a certain point. There
are two lines. No. l goes to Point
Lookout, No. 2 to Lookout Inn. On the
way to Point Lookout the scene of the
Janus Battle above the clouds" is
passed. This is the place where, when
Hooker's federal division was cut off
from the remainder Of the army by the
breaking of a p%ontoon bridge across the
Tennessee river, he led his division,
climbed 1000 feet up the mountain side
and after a sharp fight dove out Wal
thall's confederate brigade. The site Of
the battle, ninety-five acres, has just
been bought by h government and
many workmen are employed preparing
it. 1t is a peach orchard. Monuments
are being unloaded, notably one from
New York n n from Pennsylvania.
Looking from the top Of the mountain
the battle-ground lies at the lockers
feet. The height Of the top Is 2,4OO feet
above tide water, and 1900 feet above
the Tennessee river, which flows in the
foreground. Though the river is LOO
feet wide, it seems like a creek. The
top Of Lookout mountain is a vast
scarp Of limestone. At the very point
there are set in this large bronze tab
lets in honor Of the two Pennsylva-
mia regiments which first reached the
summit and planted their cOlors upon
It.
The height is b~ewildering, the pros
pect boundless, for seven states are In
view-Tennessee, Virginia, South Car
DINA, Georgia, Kentucsky, Alabama
n North Carolina. NOrthc As.E aaG
the enormous mass OF -ne GIeat Smoky
mountains in North Carolina rises
blue, like the wall of the world. In the
niddfe ground, looking towards NORTH
kroNha, is Missionary Ridge, with it,
ty miles of government boulevard
in the valley beyond lies that
lest of national military parks
amauga. On every side thu
jams rise and swell, within the
Fales rich farms, some looking
fardens The Tennessee river
as a snake, forms the Mecca
d, so called because h shape
kQy that Of an Indian Moccasin
eorge Bancroft, the historian
lbunced this the finest view HI
n in all his 50 years, either II
or abroad.
able inclined railways up IN
n are very steep. One rises s.
70 and is 4,750 feet long. Their
ivalry between the companie!
them. The one which goe!
Lookout is operated in con
h the narrow gauge railway
int Oh the latter the visitor
short climb reach Lookou
gest hotel on a mountain IL
Yates. The latter compan
hole top of the mountain
En down the stairway b!
from Point Lookout use(
can divide with Pitts
# the Smoky City," TIL
Ql with smoke that tn
s if it had curdled. Cha
of the most self-con
satisfied places on tn
Wing of rivalry tOwar,
e and Nashville is re
(Of talk about yellow
kout mountain a res
aid to me: In 1877