The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-07-28

.(copyrIsht BY W. PInYIenns.,

erscial Correspondence OF lntelllgencer.
SWEET SPRINGS. w. va, July az
The traveller south-bound, over thu
Chesapeake & ohlo's fast line from tho
hot and dusty atmosphere OF the Ohio
and, Mississippi valleys first feels the re.
freshing ali. Of the mountains as thp
train plunges into the Gruid Canon o!
the New river Just above Kanawha
Falls. Here commences scenery as grand
rugged and as wild as any on the cont.
ncnt The canon OF tho New river is
the deepest and most picturesque OF an,
east Of Grand Canon or this. Colorado.
For nearly a hundred miles the waters
OF New river, with It's head pillowea
among the Billie Ridge mountains o.
North Carolina, here pours down Its ac-
cumulated volumes OF understanding
tumbllng, tossing waters, dashlng with
mad abandon against the powders
amid stream and curling In white eat )
falls against the rock-bound and Ear-
row confinement. Again the river will
widen out into lake-iike pools, only to
run It's mad and frothing course again
and again between clirfsithat tower on
either side In almost perpendicular
height to the distance OF over thou
sand feet, covered in3places with pines
and forest trees and with luxurious
climbing vines which nature provides
as variegated vail to hide her rugged
face. In places the action OF the waters
long years ago have clearly marked
!. their course. inch by inch. as they cut
their way down through the strata OF
mother earth to their present narrow
and ,tortuous channel. .1t:.1s scene
worthy OF the artist, the seologist. Of
the lover ofSthe wild and picturesque.
OF a lover OF the beautiful and roman
tic and of the grand and sublime Ca
noemen who go to the wlds of Malna
and Canada and toll over rough roads
and heavy portages will find q foeman
worthy OF their skill! in the rushing
waters Of the New River Canon. Along
the almost precipitous walls Of the ca
non are numerous dark entrances, down
from which seem hung suspended dou-
BILE lines of narrow gauge railways. up
which creep empty cars. as cars full Uf
black diamonds slowly DESCEND, looking
like toy tracks and. toy cars.
Perched like. martin boxes on top OF
boulders. on every part ot!level rock,
on levels dug out Of the side OF the
canon can be seen the small and twin.
like houses OF the miners. for these are
the coal works OF the celebrated cokius
and steam coal Of the Newrriver field.
From the canon OF the New river tn :
scene changes 10 the blue grass lands of
West Virginia. Along the calm AMI
placid Grcenbriec river, which winds
among dairy-bedecked meadows Of the
greenest blue grass.with Its blue waters
unrufied in their serpentlne. course. ex-
cept by the splash OF the gamy black
bass as 1t rises In its 1.-THE activity and
darts at the stray ly which has drop
ped on the CLASSY waters Here as no.
where else In America except In the
Blue Grass section of Kentucky, can
scenes of unsurpassed pastoral beauty
be seen. Here the country roads abound
in perfect beauty not unlike the famous
by-ways OF Suffolk In mother England.
All along the drives are .homcs-cozy
homes In the finest settings on earth.
The fields are Of the rolling, billowy,
undulatIng kind that are found only
where blue grass is Indigenous, ami
where limestone Is 4 natural product.
On every side stretch fields OF the grpn-
est grass. fields of waving gray-green
oats, the old gold wheat fields. the sub
dued browns and grays Of the fallows,
while here and there are woodlawn
groves OF magnificent forest trees, I'M
der WHOSE cooling shades rest in that
peace which only true content brings.
even to restless mankind.a and mild-eyed,
{ sleek cattle. Here the background. thu
majestic Alleghenies, makes the. scene
surpass even the most picturesque sec
tons Of Kentucky. In the distance rise
in regulnr order the foothills. with their
varying green's while here and there,
perched upon their summitss. are thu
homes OF farmers, small looking and
distant. surrounded with screens OF the
brightest emerald Further up. the
Chesapeake &C Ohio leaves the blue
grass section OF the Grcenbrler and
climbs up into the very heart OF the AL
lcghcnts, where the spurs Of the main
range jut out here and thore, running
nj angles and breaking into Knobs. with
the exception Of Peters Mountain which
runs Bouth for over sixty niles In on,
uubroken chain OF misty blue, until
broken by the-watrrs OF My river,
where 1t has cut Its way over II thou
sand feet through the hardegt: of blue
limestone and thereby making. way
for Itsalf Info the youngest SfIthe Vir-
glnsns. Above old Pctars rise thu knobs
Of pocnhontns and Pendlctonocounties.
towering sentineI-lllsc 1000 fcfts. .closhe1
In weird and misty blue. whose smoky
Outlines are scarcely 'discrrnible where
they blend with the dim anddlstant
blue Of tho heavens. Even in,tiiis rare
fed atmosphere the naturafeyc can
scarcely discern Bald and Spruce Knobs
tho highest mountains In wEISvlrgin-
In, aa they stand Ms acknowledgements
OF the battle OF Drop Mountaiht one OF
the blodlest llttla battles betys3en tho
blue and tho gray. The seas OF the
cannon balls and grape shoteupon tho
hides OF the Grand old oaks atG,i deeper
now thnn thr scars ,inon thn nilnla nj