Middletown transcript., 1897-04-17
THE LAND OF THE SKY.

| THE LAND OF THE Sky
The foil owing description Of Ashe-
vile, N. C. is published in the TRAN,
SCRIPT by request. 1t was written fol
the Ohio State Journal, and those Of
our friends who have visited this ,lanG
of the sky," say the descristion is .
true one. Several residents of Middle,
town spent the winter there:
As an evidence of how widely know n
is that clever writer, Mr.. Samuel Glenn,
ems, il is said that letter addressed
simply MARK Twain" reached him
without delay in the big city Of London.
To. illustrate the fame of Ashe vile
as world-renowned resort, its inhabit-
ants with great pride tell a story Of a
letter letter mailed fEeEn fereign country
to "Asheville' which cane straight
to its destination without further indi-
cation of its locality. From a small
UO"H Va 4OOV cOulo at iuC llLuo IL was
connected by rail With the outside world
fourteen years ago, its population has
increased to almost 1900, and with
this increase have come such modern,
improvements as broad, paved ave.
nues to replace the narrow, tortuous
roads, electric railways, water and gas
works, and excellent sewerage system,
etc., until now il is neat little city
boasting fifteen hotels and boarding
houses galore, sufficient 10 accomdate
the summer and winter visitors who
pour In here annually by the thousands.
The splendid climate is, OF course,
the first and the greatest of its attrac-
tiOns, its high altitude of 2300 feet
giving iG coolness in summer as we'll as
warmth in winter. So salubrious are
its breezes that it is claimed the natives
live to be hundreds Of years old. A
friend who spent some time in the
mountains near Asheville, visiting sew
eral points during the season, says
real cemetery Is an unknown quantity
In that section, and statistics seem to
bear out the assertion.
The mountains OF North Carolina
are full of little hamlets, consisting of
a store and several boarding houses,
each claiming for Itself some slight ad-
ventage over the others, but they are
unimportant and undeveIoped as yet,
and the seeker for health fails to fiud
In them the comforts to be had in this
city, so beautiful for situation in the
Land Of the Sky. Mere pleasure seek.
ers will go farther South, perhaps,
where the sun is more constant, but
the far South cannot present anywhere
the attraction Of such pure. delicious,
ozone laden air, as isto be enjoyed in
these regions. On this account visit
of some length to- this part of the
country has become almost a specific
for any disease of pulmonary origin,
IL not too far advanced, and for gen.
eral debility, following those severe
and Weaking troubles to which our
climate seems TO lay US particularly
liable. The winter guests are almost
exclusively invalids. They do not es-
cape entirely the rigors Of the North,
for this country has its spell of bad
weather, as we'll as every other section,
but it has these spells less often, and
they are OF shorter duration. Being iu-
yigorated by the glorious air, one Is
less mindful of the rain or wind than
at home. A few days at a time, per-
lhaps. it is cold or wet, but then the
sun shines out SO warmly that even in
midwinter violets will bloom on the
mountain side. This may appear as
sudden and disagreeable a change as
we often experience at home, but it is
more in the appearance than 10 the reS|
ality, for the changes from warm to
cold are neither sudden nor SO great as
with US, zero weather being very infre-
quent, Though il has been known
and The lasting qualities of the cold
snaps limited toa day or SO. instead OF
the week or two we always expect, and
whit ch we often have to bear for much
longer period.
Asheville Is situated On an unduIat-
ing plateau, surrounded by higher
mountain peaks. the most prominent
of which Mt. Pisgah, belonging to the
Blue Ridge range, marks the point
where the sun sli.s off to bed. Per-
haps there is no view more inspiring
and beautiful than the mounlains at
sunset. They take on u deep. rich pur
plish blue tinge, which by contrast with
the rosy light thIowa on the clouds bsI
the retiring sun, as back ground,
forms q scheme OF color the despair OF
any painter; AID even slodld be ca; eh
it exactly. so uRtrained ars The senses Of |
most Of US. We would plonennce ie
unnat ural An equally beautiful
sight was witnessed the other morning