The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-22

Chomas ye6ersen's Deseripaiea Of
Its Crandeur-A Scene Worth
Crsssine the Atlantic Ocean e
ylevv.-Reminlseence Of the Jshn
brown Raia-Hsw IL Get Its Name.

rising OF the rivers and their tiundersn
at the feet Of the stately mountains. hav
ing taken its place as q connecting linl
between the shores OF Maryland and VIZ
ginla-
There have been foundations In thes
rivers. just as there have been uprising
of men in these regions to alarm and ter
rify the little town OF some 1900 souls
The last time the waters beat with some
thing OF their ancient vigor against tn,
mountain base. was during the terrible
Jamestown food. On that occasion thu
bridge was kept from being swept awal
only by placing engines and freight can
upon it, and even then It rocked to III
foundations as the waters that had deal
such wholesale death and destruction else.
where came boiling and surgiEs down.
On the opposite side Of the river, by the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and nesting
against the mountain side. one sees an odd
little structure like an extraordinary kind
Of sentry box, which is connected with the
history Of the terrible Johnstown disaster
in the following manner: There came down
on that occasion ON the usually placid
waters Of the canal, together with notsam
and jetsam OF all descriptions. boat
which became stranded upon rock. II
was ''overhauled" by two men, between
wsom a dispute arose as to which should
hsve possession. The contest was at
length settled by their cutting the boat in
two. each taking half, the one remaining
by the side of the canal being tenanted at
the present time by the widow of one of
tho captors OF the craft.
Tokens Of another kind of uprising, due
to human agency, but none the less ter
rible. are to be seen in the monument
marking the site Of John Browns fort, so
called. and in the black tablets, lettered
in white. setting forth how the town was
captured and recaptured during the civil
war. now by Confederates, now by the Un-
ion Army, although no description can
bring before the eye Of the visitor the
scenes Of strife and bloodshed then en-
acted.
The general aspect Of the town. how
ever, is theatric and scenic, and would
probably make a promising background to
any historic drama. The old-fashioned
gabled houses built in great part, of the
stone which forms natures own founda-
sAod " Ahe NA0iG pidICs lOth AiOA LUG
back of one street far down upon the
roofs of the tenemelts in the adjoining
thoroughfare, while the side streets have
necessarily. little less inclination than
ladders. A series of stone steps. cut in
the solid rock, lead up from the lower For
lion of the town, to a church. pictur-
csQuely situated upon the mountain side.
its windows commanding glimpse of the
Shenandoah.
0f oil ba In
one October morning In the year 1853, JOHN
Brown, fanatic. hero. or traitor, came
down along the canal road from Kennedy s
farm with seventeen white men and five
blacks. and captured the town and arsenal
That was an exciting time for the sur
prised inhabitants, forty or fifty of whom
were taken prisoners. Those who resisted
were shot. Men crouched in corners and
with leveled rifles and pistols awaited the
appearance of the invaders who in turn
perambulated the place with firearms al
ways ready for action. The places are
pointed out at this day by the old inhabi-
tants, where so-and-so LAY" after a bull
let had ended his life.
The old engine house where Brown and
his followers made a last stand against
the fifteen militia men who had arrived
twenty-four hours after he entered the
place, remains no longer in the town pro-
per, its site being marked by the granite
obelisk before referred to. The old fort"
as this engine house was called, was re-
moved to Chicago during the Worlds Fair
in that city. but it was brought back again
through the efforts of Miss Kate Field, and
at present stands on what are known as
Bolivar Heights. come three miles from its
original site.
In few places does nature appear more
serenely beautiful than from the mountain
SUBMITS around Harp.-'s Ferry. From JEFF
ferson's Rock. overlooking the valley Of the |
and the junction of that |
stream with the Potomac, the scene pre- |
sented is truly magnificent. The Rock" |
itself is huge fiat piece Of stone, stand |
Ing upon four artificially constructed legs, |
nus resembling gigantic table. From this |
spot Thomas jefferson surveyed the scene |
and wrote the following glowing descrip- |
ton OF its beauties: l
The passage Of the Potomac through
Lhe Blue Ridge Is. perhaps, one Of the most
Btupendous scenes in nature. You stand
On very high point Of land. On your
right comes uo the Shenandoah, having
ranged along the foot Of the mountain
hundred miles. to seek q vent On your
left approaches the Potomac in quest of
\ passage also. In the moment of their |
junction they rush together against the |
rend it assunder, and pass OF to |
the sea.
THE first glance Of this scene hurries |
our senses into the opinion that this earth 1
has been created in time: that the noun
aims were formed first; that the rivers |
began to flow afterwards; that, in this |
place particularly. they have been damned |
up by the Blue Ridge of mountains, and
have formed an ocean which flied the
whole valley; that. continuing to rise, they |
have at length broken over at this spot
and have torn the mountain down from its |
summit to Its base. The piles OF rock
IN each hand. but particularly on the She
iandoah. the evident marks Of their dis
-uption and revulsion from their beds by
he most powerful agents of nature. corro-
,orate this impression
But the distant finishing which nature
has given to the picture is OF a yery
iiGerent character. It is a true contrast
o the foreground. That is as placid and
as this is wild and tremendous.
For the mountain being cloven assunder
presents to your eye, through the cleft.
mall catch Of smooth blue horizon, at an |
nfinite distance In the plain country. in
Iiting you. as It were, from the riot and
umult roaring around. to pass through the
'reach, and particularly Of the calm below.
Here the eye ultimately composes itself;
md that way, too, the road happens actu-
lily to lead. You cross the Potomac above
he junction, pass along its side through
he base Of the mountain, for three miles;
ts terrible precipices hanging In frag.
nents over you This scene Is worth a
oyage across the Atlantic. Yet here, as In
be neighborhood Of the Natural Bridge,
re people who have passed their liyesj
Tfhtin half q dozen miles, and have never
zen to survey these mountains Of war
etween rivers and mountains which must