New-York tribune., 1902-02-18
SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS.
THEIR HYDROGRAPHY. SCENERY, MIN
FRAL AND TIMBER PRODUCTS.

Washington. Feb. Il (speciaD.-In the series OF
water supply and irrigation papers the United
States Geological Survey. F. H Newell. hydrog-
erapher in charge, has now in press Nos 81 and O5
being Parts / and II Of the "Hydrography OF the
Southern Appalachian Mountain Region, by II. A
Pressey. This great mountain system stretches
from Maine southwesterIy for nearly thirteen hun
dred miles. terminating in Northern Alabama
From the Potomac south the ranges are higher and
---=aer than in Pennsylvania. They spread OUT
into the Blue Ridge. the Shenandoah. the Allie
ghany and the Greenbriar Mountains, extending
with broad and fertile valleys between in nearly
parallel lines through Virginia and West Virginia
into North Carolina and Tennessee. and culminat-
ing in the Iron and tEe Great Smoky ranges the
great mountain region Of the Southeastern states
in this mountain So peaks equal or eX-
ceed 3 height Of 5000 feet . peaks are higher
than Mount Washington and 2ss peaks are over
5.G1g feet From North Carolina and Tennessee the
ranges leaving spurs in South Carolina, turn more
westward through Georgia and Alabama. and sink
into the hills of the Gulf watershed This great
mountain system forms the backbone and water
shed Of the Eastern part Of the United States
The greatest masses and the highest peaks are
in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennes-
see which region may be considered a high plateau
bounded by the Smoky Mountains and east
by the Blue Ridge. These ranges. almost touch
ing on the north, part company. and then al
most come together again in the south. thus in
closing this upland plateau which has maximum
width
square miles
The region is well watered The main divide of
the river systems is the Blue Ridge. The States
OF Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor-
gia, Alabama, Tennessee and West Virginia are
partially watered by rivers rising in mountains
the North Carolina and Tennessee State
line. One of the principal tributaries of the Ohio
and one Of the largest feeders of the Mississippi
head in the mountains. and the region may
Justly be termed one of the chief watersheds Of
the United States. Grandfather Mountain, at the
junction of Watauea. Mitchell and Caldwell coun-
tes IN North Carolina probably the most massive
3L b the Southerp IN APnalachiaps' may be taken as
pour norul. east south ana west from the many
springs on the southern slope Of Grandfather
taWba, which rising in the Black Mountains and
descending IN leaps Of from . TO 100 feet 10 the
and, as the Wateree. passes on to the Allan
tawba into the Atlantic are the Yadkin Broad
Saluda, ChatooEa. Tugaloo and Oconee; into the
the Mississippi are New River and the Tennessee
From the western slopes of the Blue Ridge flow the
headwaters Of the great Tennessee River system
as DO its larger tributaries, the Hoston, the No
lachucky and the French Broad.
the grandest in the Eastern States. The mean an
Fahrenheit Salisbury G6O feet). east OF the noun
tains TO 49 degrees Fahrenheit Linnville g. 500
feeD. the latter being the mean annual tempera-
ture Of Boston Chicago The annual rainfall
copious especially on the eastern slopes of the
mountains At Highlands, in Macon County. the
annual normal precipitation is about y inches; at
N9twithstanding ST.. the inroads that have, been
whole of these mountains, nowhere in the United
States is there equal area of land covered with
so great a variety of valuable timber. The wal
credible sizes. White pine in large tracts
Laundering on large scale has been carried
for only a few years but is very destructive
Some of the companies anything that Will
make a plank In the case of the bark gatherers
the wastefulness is even more deplOrabe and ruin
Gus. This section is comparatively free from for
est fires. number OF railroads into this
gion, but the transportation facilities and the high
ways are very poor Splash dams much used
In sending timber downstream The soil is gener-
ally deep and fairly fertile the mountain
tops, but IL washes easily when exposed. The
tire region is well adapted to stock raising:
iron ore occurs in large quantities In a number OF
counties copper, mica, COrundum gold and other
minerals have been mined 10 extent. Many
varieties Of shrubs and Towering plants abound
and the region should prove Mecca 10 botanists.
The drainage basins, discharge measurements and
water powers of the various rivers and their tribu-
taries are described at length by Mr.. Pressey and
much information OF great value to millers. sawml
men, lumbermen miners. cattlemen farmers and
travellers is 10 be found in the report.
Mr.. Pressey insists upon the importance Of the
forest to the preservation OF the soil of this region
and notes with satisfaction that the heavy forest
growth Grandfather Mountain is not 10 be de-
stroyed- In order that the springs which give rise
10 so many streams on Grandfather Mountain may
not be disturbed fourteen hundred acres have been
set aside as public park under five commissioners
one OF whom is the Commissioner OF Agriculture
gist. Professor J. A. Holmes with whose active
assistance the surveys ard examinations described
by Mr.. Pressey made The study Is ilus-
uated by forty-four plates.