Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-11-01
in THE MOUNTAINS
OF VIRGINIA

ne Pleasures OF Business Trip, or I
What May be Seen from a Car Win
dow October Forest Colors-A Sweep
of Wild Fire-An Interesting Curiosi-
+, 1y-Incident and Comment.
(staf Correspondence of the spectator.)
Clifton Forge, Oct. %.
Whether for business or on pleasure
bent, the traveller who traverses the |
of Virginia during the early |
days of October, is sure to behold a
sight the beauty and magniticence of
which be will never forget. If on bust |
ness, as happened to be, the cares and
strife for ones daily bread does not
prevent keen enjoyment of the ever
varying panorama, of forest and stream.
The seasOnable rains of the summer
and fall have given to the foliage life
and verdue, that when kissed by the
early frosts, blushed into the deepest /
crimson, the richest brown or faded in
to the most decided yellow. There was
no compromise in the shades of color
irg-for every tree stood forth radiant
in its robe most gorgeous. with here
and there clump of silver pines or
spruce in their emerald green, as gems
in setting of pearls. My route lay
along the line of the G. 81 o. Railway
and from Buffalo Gap on, the noun
tain scenery as viewed from the car
window is spectacular panorama,
the beauty of which l have not seen
equaled in many seasons. On the
mountain slopes and in the narrow
valley, as far as the eye can reach,
spreads out this wonderfully beautiful
coloring, as vast bouquet, holding
almost every color known to the rain
bow. A company of lady travellers, to
whose refined tastes such scenery ap-
pealed, but to whom the sight was new,
declared it the most beautiful sight
they had ever looked upon. And so
the living picture unfolded, fitted by,
till my journeys end at Clifton Forge.
That was two weeks ago. Yesterday
as I passed over part of the route the
air was filled with black smoke. and
the SCOT of cracking forest fires. That
night 1 stopped at Augusta Springs a
fortunate guest in the hospitable home
Of the Pattesons. When night closed
in, the darkness of the whole country
side was illumined by tongues OF
flame that Tapped the side of North
Mountain. From wantOn vandalism
or wanton thoughtlessness, some one
or ones had started fires in the dry
LEAVES and brush at point near Chest
nut Flats, and swept by stiff wind, the
flames soon spread over the entire
mountain side and as far east as Ell
liott's Knob.
However outrageous the destruction
of timber, or however reprehenslblt
the deed, the scene presented thereby
!. was nevertheless the grandest that has
been witness in that section. A lint
of roaring flame more than two miles II
length and bounding upward from elf
to cliff, in the darkness seemed vas
sheet of fire climbing the sky. A
1.-TWO miles distance it's roar anc
crackle could be distinctly heard. A
the ragged line of fire advanced
spread over cliff, ravine and preclpice
illuminating their jagged edges ant
y deep recesses with a thousand tOrcl
light fires. l am familiar over thi
mountain and thought knew its re
;. cesses, but it's topography as Who'll
III had never seen till then, an
never bad imagined it so varied. 8
vast in it's depressions and so lofty il
l. it's uphevals. The draught made by tn
fire was intense and driven by the win
it whirled fire brands across the SIX
like meteors and landed them hundred
of wards in front of the on comm
u fire, each one starting blaze OF ii
y own and each rushing and spreading
till they burned into one another
When the spreading flames, leaped uE
~ on clump of trees clad In dry leave
the effect was grand. With a roar tn
flames would envelope the trees an
like a powder flash, the flames darte
1t skyward into the lurid smoke hui
dreds of feet above the tree tops. a
e one time Elliott's Knob-the highei
e point in the State-was a roaring fu
- mace, shedding its light over vast e.
N panse of country. The whole was
c. beautiful, a grand spectacle, as cost
n in it's destruction as 1t was picture
q cue in appearance. Sunday evenin
j.. the country side became alarmed ar
I'd were called out to fight back the fir
y which by this time had reached Il
foot of the mountain and was endange
u ing the properties in all that sectio
ie All night long they fought by "firiI
" against the fire." till the mornin
or when the worst was over and the fam
under control. Such valuable pro
critics as those of E. G. Pendleton.
- &c. Daniel, Geo. M. Crawford and Va
iety Springs we're in imminent per
As for the past, forest fires are usu
J. at this season of this year, but no
such has afflicted this section befor
a' and widespread feeling of indign
>, tion is felt towards the perpetrators
the crime. Mr.. Pendleton has offer
ur a reward of $4,000 for the name
n names of the party who started t
! fires and this reward it is thought W
ut be supplemented by other indlvidu;
10 land nronertv owners in the distri,