The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-07-04
IN 'TAEL,AIND,O| THEskY
What Kind Of B|g|tlsrags Dig y! Mckinley Drink
When He Vas at Asheyllle2
IL PRESIDENTS MOUNTAIN IRlp
a Beautiful Country Neted for Faro
Air nna wator--soinethiRgA About
Fillmore House Which abe Presl.
dent Visited In Company with the
Newspaper Men.

Newspaper Men.
President McKtnley's trip to. Asheville
has drawn attention to one OF the most
picturesque region In the world. Long
before the war 1t was noted for It's dry
climate and bracing atmosphere, and
since then new corners have huilt n
city on air. The streets and the houses
have their brick and mortar, but the
real foundation Of Asheville is an exhil-
eratins, aerial champagne that stimu-
lates to the point OF intoxicatton.
1t ts said that Major Mckinley, hav-
Ing tasted this beverage. neglected wine
OF the vintage of '43 and even the pro-
lection punch that Mr.. Mckissick brew
cd IN his honor Looking out on that
grand panorama and drinking in the
amhrosial air that comes over the
mountains, man forgets the monotony
or every day life and loses himself in
a Nlrvana OF rest. A commonplace
mortal becomes poetic and your coun-
try-cracker throws off his shuftlins
gate and walks with grace.
Hard by this Nirvana is the Garden
OF Eden. brought down to date by
George w. Vanderbilt The roads
which are perfect, wind through miles
OF flowers that mingle their perfumes
IN indescribable bouquets. The wild
movers of~this region. and exotics from
all parts Of the world grow up together.
The mountain laurel and the rhododen
dron grow side by side, and the running
honeysuckle is Joined with rarer plants
IN the same border. Miles of spruce and
halsam line the roads, and all about the
hills and slopes the indigenous and
transplanted shrubs are lntermngled
so that 1t is difficult to tell where nature
leaves off and art begins.
Inc absence OF hCm1ditp From, tho
air about AshevllIe rids the climate of
the sultriness which is so oppressive
elsewhere. When other cities We're
sWeltering under a heat of 95 or 100
degrees. the guests at the Battery Park
notel were enjoying balmy breezes with
temperature of 49,
The approach to Asheville from Sal
isbury. over the Southern Railroad, is
through charming country which is
especially beautiful at wheat harvest.
from the car windows you see thou
sands OF acres Of golden grain stand
ing or shock. Governor Holt Is run
ming harvesters this week and will make
10000 bushels Of wheat /.
from Salisbury the train ascends
gradually to Old Fort where the noun
TAIN rises to q height Of 5000 feet. IT
lakes two powerful engines to pull
the train up Round Knob. In twelve
miles they climb 1.400 feet. Fourteen
X
Defore 1T reaches the summit Rushing
out OF a long tunnel. the train rushcs
INTO full view of Royal Gorge, a grand
avenue among the mountains, with bro
ken valleys between. AS far as the eve
can reach mountains rises to the right
ana left This grand Vista is worth
coming miles to see. The Blue Ridge
breaks up into a .Yeritable playground
Of Titans 45'sF1 '''T's-S7''i 7I.t''
FROM Royal Gorge the track descends
by easy stages. In half an hour the
picturesque Swannanoa leads you into
AshePille. There you find clean, we'll
kept town of $4,000 people, surrounded
by enlnences crowned with hotels and
villas. The finest view is from Battery
Park hotel. which holds the site of
tort and Is reached by an electric car.
inen you get panoramic view which
IS hardly equalled this side of the Rocky
Mountains. Nature has thrown out
cofdon or mountain peaks that sur
round the place like gigantic sent.nels.
i IS great circle. forty or fifty miles
IN diameter. and through the middle of
the valley flow the Swananoa and the
ffench Broad. Away off in the dis
lance shred Of white cloud flecks the
mountain side. Farther away another
spreads It's wings over Hominy Creek
Gap. The mountains rise to a height of
o;eoo or 5000 feet, heavily wooded to
their SUBMITS.
Ashevilie is 1900 feet above sea level,
and Eiltmoie house is about $500. over
the valley of the French Broad and the
S"annanoa heavy mist rises soon af-
ter sunrise and floats away. Sometimes
IN the afternoon YOU can look across the
mountains and see thunderstorm
twenty miles distant When Pisrah ;s
thus enveloped you think of Sinai Win
It's cloud and It's thunders or Of Byron's
description of storm in the Alps
from craE TO crag leaps the live
thunder" "
From Asheviie back to Atlanta, by
way OF the French Broad and the Uoi-
sion river. the journey is a pastoral
poem. ~ man who has seen wheat har
vest on the HolstOn river and the uDper
tennessee. VIII want to quit everything
else and go to farming East Tenncs-
see Is garden from Newport to Knox
vile.
This beautiful region is guarded on the
northeast by the Great Smoky Noun
ta.ns. Their foot hills make the pail
sades OF the French Broad down TO
Paint Rock. =
Ihe American Switzerland has scenes
70 inspire painter or a poet. The
Cherokees love this region and mourn
ed when driven to the West Even the
savages grew poetic In the mountains
and peopled the earth and air with In
visible ones like to the gods and iemI-
gods or the ancient Greeks. They heard
angelic voices In battle and saw in the
storm-wraith the garment Of god.
heretofore Asheville has been n day
ana q half from Atlanta. but tn new
schedule by way OF SpartanbnrG which
goes on tomorrow evening, Viii enable
the people OF Atlanta, Macon and Mid
die Georgia to go between suns and re-
turn the same way. q business man can
leave home Saturday evening spend
sunday In Asheville md he bnck in his
once on Monday morning. BY taking