Evening journal., 1897-11-13
NEWS OF NEW CASTLE
a GREAT GAME PARK.
rwenty-sfx Thousand Acres Fenced
In for a Preserve.


In for Preserve.
Blue Mountain Forest park, as the
preserve is called. includes parts Of four
townships, and lies near the enterpris-
ing borough Of Newporton the Concord
e. Claremont branch of the Boston &
Maine railroad. 1t is said to be the big
gest game park in the world, except one
owned by the duke of Sutherland in
Scotland, and one or two royal de-
mesnes on the continent. or course in
making comparisons one must exclude
those immense public preserves, as big
as provinces, where the British govern
ment of India seeks to save the ele-
phant from extinction, and our own na-
tional parks in the west.
The name of Blue mountain attaches
to the entire spur Of hills which bisects
the park, while Croydon designates its
highest shoulder rising to the height Of
nearly 1000 feet. The steep and dense-
" wooded heights of Croydon, curying
like a hump, break the sky line in the
shape of a camers back; near by n
sliirting canyon opens a carriage route
across the mountain. In characteris-
tics it belongs rather to the Green
mountain than to the White mountain
range, though it seems disconnected
from both. The verdure of an immense
forest of spruce, fir, hemlock, pine,
birch, beech and maple infolds il to the
very crest, with here and there brown
pasch of clearing. The greater part of
the Corbin inclosure consists of aban-
doned farms, many of them already be-
ginning to bristle with saphngs; for
the woods are on the march. Dis
mantled houses with windows and
doors gaping like holes in a skull, ram
shackle barns, rotten and weather
stained, the wreck of stone fences thick
set with brambles-these meet the eye
at every turn.
The general outline of the park is
that of an ellipse with respective dia-
meters OF about Az and IL miles, and
the surface is cut diagonally by back
bone of mountain running northeast.
The lower slopes and the meadow levels
are diversified with brooks and swamp
land. while extensive groves of second
growth profusely dot the surface. 1t
is in these that the wild swine, the pro-
I genitors of which clashed their tusks
against the boar spears of medieval
4 kings and barons, root and propagate
/ their kind with fecundity which is a
marvel 10 the keepers.
One can scarcely grasp the bigness
Of the park by figures. But let the read.
CO fancy demesne considerably more
ihan double the size of Boston and all
/ its suburbs; 80 times the area of Cen
tral park New York; almost ten times
bigger than Fairmount park, Philadel.
phia; OF il times the acreage Of the
whole park system of Chicago. Roads
many Of them thoroughfares Of days
gone by, variously intersect the in
closure, and an excellent carriage tracl
crosses the park from east TO ives
through the picturesque notch. Or
the western side the declivity is NOR,
sloping and open, but has the same
agreeable diversity of scene.
\ wire fence. partly mesh, partly
barbed, nearly eight feet in height ant
p miles in circuit, confines the four
footed tenants within its steel bar
rier. The same posts which suppor
the fence until the trees which have
been set shall have grown TO take theii
place, string a telephone connecting
the nine substations at the differen
gates with the central station, the HON,
Of the superintendent, the Corbin villa
and the town of Newport. The keep
ers and other employees of the parl
vary from 25 to so, according to tn
season of the year. It need scarcely b.
said that the needs of attendance com
pei vigilance which never rests. Mere
ly to watch the fence, lestit should hav
parted somewhere by accident or wan
ton malice, requires an inspection tYic
a week.-G. T. Ferris, in Century.