New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-11
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS.
WHAT rs TO BE SEEN IN AUTUMN IN
THE ASHEvILLE REGION OF
NORTH CAROLINA.


Ashevil1e. N c. Nov. 10 CspeciaD.-In this vast
| country there are numberless places where con-
ventiouality can be forgotten and one can revel in
nature without the calling accomplishments OF Gus
tom But nowhere can the insignifcance of man
and the grandeur of nature be more emphatically
| seen than In the enchanted region OF the Land or
! the Sky" in Western North Carolina conceive the
crags of Harper's Ferry, with the rushing river at
| their base extended indefinitely, imagine winding
about through passes in the mountains 1oho"lns
! mountain torrents. for hundreds of miles and one
gains some idea Of the ruggedness and immensely
of the Great Smoky Mountain region ono may
| have seen higher mountains, may have crossed
| Canada in winter, the Rockies In summer TAG
Hakone range in Japan, may have been through the
Goshen pass on the way to the Natural Bridge, n
Virginia may have wandered In the and upon
the sides of the Blue Ridge. but nowhere can one
be more charmed with nature than in October IN the
| Great Smokes.
| New-York knows all about Asheville. for to 1t
| turn the many consumptives from the inhospitable
! North, and fashionable New-York knows 1t. too,
| for here is the finest estate in America-George
| vanderbilt's Btmore. From the car windows. after
| a climb up the foothills Of the Black Mountains
! one suddenly comes upon a picture ike an old
| fashioned English cut, rural scene. model VII
Iage the of model cottages, but with nothing
! dapidated; the hedges Of green. the church with
the tower ivy clad, where Mr. Vanderbilt takes up
the collection for charities he is deacon OF his
own church. 1t is said that not only the tenantry
of Mr.. Vanderbilt occupy these cottages but tnat
others
month Forty more OF these houses are to be
erected soon and certainly. II within is the peace
and plenty that the picture without suggests happy
is the lot of the tenants.
The entire estate contains ten thousand acres.
but Mr.. Vanderbilt has hunting preserves IN Pts
gah Forest estimated at loo acres 1t is impos-
sible to the mansion itself from the ralIroao'
| and to go to It must apply at the auditors
office after o'clock Wednesdays or Saturdays.
the passes being limited to fifty for each visitors
day. This became necessary by the abuse OF Mr.
Vanderbilts hospitality by the public. The chateau
Is built In the French Renaissance style and Is 80
by $50 feet. It's furnishings of the finest but
the charm of the estate is In its deer parks, its
drives its mountain ranges and dimpling valleys
WHAT AsHEvILLE POSSESSES.
II is easy, In view OF the surrounding mountains,
realize that Ashevie is 1850 feet above the sea
level and $50 feet above the French Broad River
There hotels sanatoriums boarding houses,
villas banks philanthropic institutions. Schools
churches, an opera house, ice, broom, furniture,
woodworking and tobacco factories, an $500 spindle
cotton mill. tanneries, newspaper offices. sewer
age system. a fire department, clubs, shops and
electric trolley lines and adequate accommodation
for fuctuating population OF from 1900 to D0S
differs from the average resort in that 1t is an
all around summer and winter retreat. From the
torrd South the pleasure seekers in mid
summer and in winter many fnvaiids come TO drink
in the healing air and bask in the sunshine.
The Inhabitants quote the relative temperatures
of the various famous resorts as follows: Ashe-
4
Cal Ga. and Denver, 4s.7. In summer the average
temperature is IA and in winter So degrees. Elk
cept when It rains the climate is IDEAL It Is dry
and invigorating
There are beautiful drives particularly along the
Swannanos and Beaucatcher to the city.
Excursions be made to Round Knob. Paint
Rock Mount Mitchell Hickory Nut Gap. Mount
Pisgah. Chimney Rock. "Gombroon," CAESARS
Head and Craggy Mountain, 5000 feet to the top
All these things well worth the 703 miles Oh
ira o 4
greater pleasure in store for the occasional
tourist who penetrates the Great Smoky Mountain
region, the Murphy branch of the Southern
Railway. One gets In spite OF oneself
when told that 1t is nothing TO be dug ont OF
landslide often three times In journey
through these wild passes. This is after rains.
which raise the rivers formidable bounds water
log the roedv ay and undermine the trestles.
The solemn eyed mountainous who tower rugged
and guieless like their heights and the SNUFF
taking. curiosity consumed women know nothing
of the artifclallty of society. They weigh the
stranger in the balances OF their artless sincerity
and may abide that decision? Do not suppose
that these mountains produce these types alone.
At a certain village is young who went
| down to Baltimore four years ago. and now has
returned bearing the highest hOnors OF univer
sity. and is settling down among these hills of his
childhood practise the medical profession. This
young man sat gossipng until the beIated train
came up. although he could scarcely hold up his
head from attack of grip. He strenuousy re-
fused even to look over the New-York newspapers
but he did refuse TO ride in the fog and dark
ness beside the swollen river, mountain
trails. when later he for by some pa
tient perhaps not sick he himself. At an
| other place there to be the hale, hearty
practitioner of the old school. who insisted tina
| the fevers of the neghborhood were not typhoid
being nothing more than 'pIgpen fevers" because
for all his preaching and his nursing. the people
would pay no attention to the laws Of sanitation
WHAT TOURISTS FIND
The tourist through this region must not exnec,
to lie softly dantily. The best room In the
best "hotel" Of place of unfinished lumber
the cracks in the floor afforded grotesaue gltmnses
of the hickerins flames and ghostly shadows Of the
great open fireplace in the room below and befors
the dawn smoke thick enough 70 cut came rolling
upward through these cracks and laggards arose
swiftly but they were only starting the FIRE To
| any comment a mining man exclaimed:
This is luxury Were there not sheets unon tbc
shuck bed? Were there not a white bowl and even
pitcher of water. and actual towels-n0t on a
Family roller This Is a marvellous Improvement
| upon last year. when washed after men women
and children, white and black IN one community
tin basin upon bench outside'
rms man knows thoroughly the country the
people, the mountain trains the hear dens' nc
best shooting, the river fords, and as he talkad 70
the mountain men who before the great To- no
fire, waiting for the dawn ii was a study 10 watcSS
their immobe faces, their steadfast eyes thu nm
conscious dignity OF their bearing their siou, ~
| men do not know their place. The very fact that
they tall. strong honest dignifed gentle cn1 l
free. and an idea of inferiority once crosses
| such minds. 8eS
The so interesting At SaItsb,r,.
| woman spat accurately through door ar tba |
railroad station and one has to take as a mattnr
mountain women. They say they rub the stun on
their teeth with those little wooden sticks cbeu,e6
| teeth! Women surprisingly presentabIe have fbis
nIt iy nanlt The son OF Il wealthy man obtained a