The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-12-08
A PENNSYLVANIA SWlTCH-BACK.
Description of a Thrilling Ride in the Coal Re-
gions, by Violet Y. Newcomb.


For The Post.
II you have ever made . trip through
and over the picturesque and interesting
Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains OF
Pennsylvania you viii at once recall scenes
o. wondrous grandeur, especially Is This
true in the fan OF the year Il is then
that the autumn leaves, rich in thousand
hues fash hnck succession OF rainbow
unts beautiful to look upon, Up aud down
the sides Of these great rolling mounds ot
earth, whose altitude will not permit their
being snowbouud the year round ukc their
more sturdy sisters, the majestic Rockies,
can be seen the most beautiful foliage.
thick and healthy looking foliage that
spreads It's great branches out toward the
four winds Of heaven, aud. kissed by the
mountain dew. grows and thrlvcs, covering
the earth as with one Immense garden
You can not fail to have heard about tho
Switzerland of America; we'll yours truly,
accompanied by many others, some who
were artists and some who were not, made
the trip.
After q journey from Philadelphia OF
about three hours and half the train
suddenly turned corner, and the copIac.
tor screamed out 'Mauch Chunk" l.
was awfuly grand anybody who doesn't
link so would be able to 20 to sleep Ia
the presence OF roaring Niagara.
Dropping from the train we were almost
paralyzed by the beauty of the scenery
Mauch Chunk, which Is the county seat
Of Carbon county, Pennsylvania is sltuat-
ed on the Lehigh river, about eighty nine
miles from Philadelphia. The Lehigh river
at this point Is one succession or falls,
rapids and dams. The irst Impression chat
struck us visitors was that the town had
but one street which extends along the
river, and that there We're about 100 house
the foot. cllnging fast TO the sides of a
succession OF mountains making II appear
as though somebody had dropped the town
out of a balloon, aud that IL had sQulshed
q big hole in the mountains, and when II
couldn't squash any deeper, II had made "
its mind TO settle down and behave itscll.
The proprietor Of the hotel at which we
stopped after having been honored With a
fac smile of oHr slgnaturesA and after
having taken charge Of our valuables IN
ease we should slip of with one Of the CO.
lerle OF mountains, introduced MS 10
Jolly. fat faced, rosy checked man.
We were DESTROYS OF knowing all about
the switch Back and Mauch Chunk, so we
interviewed the gentleman. After dinner
we broke loose temporarily from his hos
pitality, and hunted out the early history
During the afternoon stroll we ascer-
tanned the following: II was otakl who
first originated the idea OF the "SNltch
Back" He had his summer resort up on
Summit Hill, and his girl lived down stairs
in the town. He slid down the mountain
side after having tied a rope around his
waist and run IL around a tree Whenever
Otaki heard the old man coming down the
parlor stairs he'd kiss Wenonah ibis girll
under the nose and Jerk himself 10 his
b.udoir up among tho clouds.
One day when Wenonahs old man was
down cellar splitting wood Otaki Cor Onoko)
stole over the back fence, corralled We
nonah and eloped with her. Then they got
married In the Indian fashion by using the
same tooth brush, and they started on
their wedding tour across the country on
q canal boat An old maid who lived next
door told Wenonah's old man, and he got
on hia hind legs and howled Then he
smit the mountain q terrible smit, and the