The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-01-26
EDITORIALS
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When we got into the neighborhOod a
the base of the Blue Ridge we found TIT
people very much exercised liz regard t.
their stock. The rebels had sent then
word to have their cattle gathered, a.
they would be after them in two or three
days TO take them off to the army 1t was
the notorious Col. Bill Thomas, com
manding legion of Indians, who sen
them the order. The people were fully
determined to resist the seizure of thei
stock, and sent Thomas word that if he
got their cattle he must gather them him
self. There were perhaps 80 able bodied
men, who were armed and willing to re
kSlSt If the rebels came into their neigh
borhood to enforce the order; and Gray
and ] Joined the inSurrectionary forces
and helped 10 promote the spirit of re-
S1stance among them.
We wayl lid the pass i'm the mountains
through which the rebels must neces-
Sarily COME for a couple of days; but
Thomas must lave learned by some
means that the people were armed and
aH aiting for his arrival, as he did not
come.
We practiccd target shooting one after
noon with several of these mountaineers
Just Tor the sake of making a favorable
impression among them. Gray held a
cap-box between his thumb and finger
Tor me 10 shoot at, and TO show the con
huNhSS VIC Htu III each otneT we ex-
changed positions, and held the box as
a mark for Gray's bullet The distance
was so yards
Larry on the morning of May 20 we
sealed the Blue Eidge-a very severe un-
dertaklng, and one which caused us great
labor and fatigue. When one stands at
the foot OF the mountain and looks up, the
summit appears wrapped in a blue haze;
ana when on the top, looking down, the
loot appears belted in blue "a shade or
two deeper than azure
THE BLUE RIDGE.
From the summit of this ridge the view
IS indeed grand and picturesque Other
mountains rise up i'll every direction to
meet the vision-"Great Smoky" in East
tennessee, being among those distinctly
visible from the point where we then
stood. 1t is no unfrequent occurrence for
It TO DE raining down i'm the valleys while
ON the summit of the ridge the sky is per
fectly clear and the sun shining.
Going along the top of the Long Ridge
or, as the: natives call it, the Ridge Pole
we were aStoniShed at it's hight and sin
gular formation, it being believe, the
most elevated point of land i'm the Allie
ghany Mountains, though my data on this
subject is by no means positive.
The summit of the ridge is extremely
narrow, being not more, in many places,
than SIX or 10 feet in width-the descent
on the west side being regular, but steep.
while on the east it is little else than a
for thousand feet down
One particular feature Of these mount
ANS is the TACT that both sides and tons
are covered with deep, rich soil of very
dark or black color; the tops, however,
being so high as TO he destitute of timber.
Descending TO the foot of the ridge ON
the eastern side we came to the head
waters OF the Tallulah River-so called
by the Indians, on account of its extra
ordinary falls, which are, perhaps, the
highest in the country, though no single
tall is as high as others which might be
There are five cataracts in a
quarter of mile, the water descending
100 feet altogether The roaring of the
waters can be heard an incredible dis
ance, and no wonder that the red men
it Tallulah thunder river.
We followed the stream 10 its junction
With the Chattooga, where the two form
he Iugaio, being conducted on the route
~ man named RAINY, wllum we hired
o pilot US through the most dangerous
sections OF the country, the distance be