The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-06-21
AN EDITORS PICNIC.
The Tennessee Press Takes an Outing in
North Carolina.

North Carolina
The thirtieth annual meeting of the
Tennessee Press Association was held
last week Mt Morehead City, N. @. The
editors assembled in Chattanooga on
the 18th instant. The day was spent
in looking over the city. The Rapid
Transit company placed their cars at
our disposal and took the party to
Chicamauga Park. The Incline road
wanted so cents for the round trip to
Lookout and but few were inclined to
go.
Wednesday morning at LEO the party
left in their special cars over the South
ern for Asheville, n @. At Knoxville
Passenger Agent j. L. Meek took
charge of tho party, going as far as
Asheville, We desire to say right here
that the party could not have been in
better hands. John Meek is one of the
best passenger agents in the south and
deservedly popular. He has a correct
idea that there is nothing too good for
an editor
A stop was made at Asheville to allow
the party to see Biltmore and the"Land
of the Sky. Unfortunately the hotel
selected for our accommodation was q
Joint called by that beautiful name,
Swannanoa, but we were unanimous in
agreeing that there was nothing in a
name or the dining room either. We
slept in the hospital room, we think,
from the way the proprietor pulled our
leg the next morning. Forgetting this
hotel there is nothing the matter with
Asheville.
1t is a beautiful city overlooking some
of the greatest mountain scenery in the
world. The afternoon was spent in
driving through Biltmore and here it
was that We first got homesick. The
mole we wandered around over the so
miles of road through the grounds, the
more we were reminded of home. We
offered a workman The COMET one
year to let us drive his sprinkling cart
by the door of the residence and he ac-
tually refused-he didn't know q good
thing when he saw it. George was at
home and gave the party cordial invi-
tation to visit the pig pen, hennery and
COW barn. These were all right but We
were hogs enough to want to see
his front yard. There were hogs
that cost 81, 300 each and weigh
: ed about 1000 pound each. More
> than 100 fine Jersey COWS are
MIXED daily and 10 standard varitie
of chickens are raised. The culls ar,
= killed as soon as Matched and nothins
o but show birds are sold. A large por
ton of the land is devoted to trucl
farming and everything that grows il
IS that climate is raised in abundance TO
t. eastern markets. So far as we coulC
% see George is well fixed but we didn'
see any children playing around hi
- grounds. After all "what is home with
out baby?"
Fortifying ourselves with an empt,
q stomach rather than try to get a mea
e at the Swannanoa we boarded our trail
Il at 5:15 Thursday morning and starte,
- to Morehead City, or the coast. w
had just gotten comfortably seated
aud were skimming along up tn
mountains drawn by two engines at
lively gait when all at once we reached
l. period in our journey THE COME
r representative was standing on th,
,e rear platform of the rear coach whel
the engineer first found the 'emer
gency stop" with his air and we grab
{ bed the brake wheel to steady ourselve
l. for q head end collision. There wer,
t. two other slight shocks and the trail
was still. We stepped off the platform
to keep from being driven back by tn
At approaching train that we felt sure wa
; coming down upon us. Our surpris
can only be imagined when we foun
~ that our train had gone rabbit hunting
n down an embankment rs feet high
Or Being on the ground and altogether W
~ felt safe and knew that our special car
were on the track and that our part,
lwere practically unhurt, but we shud
u dered to go forward, expecting fint
l. many killed and wounded. The sec
j. ond engine lay down at the foot of tn
q. high fill and the escaping steam an
hot water made the air so foggy yo
could not see anything and the engin
was painting like huge beast that ha
l. been wounded and was trying to &C
: away. The remarkable thing is tbs
lo no one was killed outright and no on
y was MORALLY wounded, The mail cler
Id had nose broken aud the baggage
m master leaped- from the car and wa
buried beneath it but was dug out wit
" only slight bruises. The colored fire
&c man of the second engine was seriousl
e, hurt internally. We were moyin
ed through the Land of the Sky and cam
al near changing cars for heaven.
After delay of two hours the part
- was on its way again via Spartanbure
81 and reached Morehead City about on
ey o'clock in the morning Here it VIZ
if. that the business meeting was to
= held, and Friday and Saturday WEI
spent there. The days were spent
10 sea fishing, sailing, shell hunting an
ne surf bathing. 1t was in this latte
VS. sport that the party took most deligl