The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-02-15

over the breast works. which still re-
main, but long since the cannon have
yielded their places to flowers and
shrubs and the happy voices of children
are heard as they romp over the we'll
turfed slopes. The hotel Is modern and
architecturally beautiful. Its frontage
is di5 feet and wide, comfortable ver-
andas, encompass 1t on all sides, they
are so broken by gables, oriel and bow
windows, that the dimensions deceive
the eye. They are made doubly attrac-
tive in summer by an abundance OF
floral baskets and wide awnings and
in winter enclosed in glass, so that in
inclement weather, the invalid guests
may enjoy their sun-baths and
promenades without leaving the hotel
The main Office or rotunda is most
home-like and attractive with its huge
and old fashioned furniture, broad and
graceful stairways and easy stairs.
Directly off the rotunda, on one side
are the spacious parlors and on the
other a series OF tastefully furnished
connecting rooms, devoted to the use
of the ladies for writing, reading and
billiard playing. The ball room Is $50
X50 feet and one of the handsomest
of any resort In the country. The hotel
is heated by steam, and open fire
places and lighted wholly by electricity.
The house is especially adapted for an
all-the-year-round patronage. The
The manager. Mr. II. +. McSissicls, also
proprietor, is q gentleman, whose genial
personality and all around good fellow
ship, has given him reputation as an
ideal host which has reached far be-
yound the limits Of North Carolina.
A SWELL FEATURE.
/ should mention one of the popular
and enjoyable features Of the hotel
the "Swannanoa Hunt club" 1t is the
swell Feature" socially of the city, it's
leading people being members and it's
balls which are held at the Battery
Park are brilliant affairs. The club has
two houses, one occupies u pleasant
place on the lawn of the hotel adjoining
the conservatories, the other near Sui
phur Springs, four miles from the city,
All guests of the hotel are made well
come at either club, and for those who
do not care for fox hunting, the hotel
provides an ample supply of either sad
die or driving horses, as an out-of-door
exercise. The club houses are artistic
ally furnished with mementos of the
chase trappings, and pictures of the
hunt. special room being fitted up for
ladies who ride in, or enjoy the chase.
So I might enumerate. This feature
added TO golf, fishing and hunting for
big game, makes Asheville an ideal
spot for sportsmen. The Battery Park
in all respects ranks among the most
complete resorts in the South. Truly
the haven OF health, recreation and
pleasure unalloyed.
From the hotel veranda n marvellous
vista opens before the eye. The scene
changes with the hours for the rosy
lights of morning, the glare of noon
day and the shadows of the evening,
give each in their turn new and
varied charm to the view-the most
magnificent panorama of mountain
scenery in America.
What do we see? Dominating the
city like the capitol at Washington,
one looks out on every side across an
interval of compacted brick and mortar
to circumjacent hills and wooded ridges
crowned with modern villas In the
near foreground are the we'll paved
streets and boulevards and handsome
homes of Asheville. To the left two
miles on a higher plateau the capacious
kenilworth Inn, proudly overlooking
the city and valley and adjoining 1t
in full view, some three miles distant,
the noble Vanderbilt chateau and
directly in front, as II grand center
piece of this array of mountains stands
old Pisgah GIT feet high with its SEN
tinels on each side forming a gigantic
loop $50 miles long by so miles wide.
The loftiest range is the Black noun
tains and said by geologists to be the
oldest land" in America The highest
peak Mount Mitchell, Gill feet or 424
feet higher than Mount Washington.
Clingman's Dome. 6,666 feet is the high
est peak of the Smoky mountains.
Richland Balsam. the highest peak of
the Balsam, the yellow mountains, 5, 1873
feet the highest in the Cowee range,
while Standing Indian and Wayah
Bald are $500 feet the loftiest peaks in
the Nantahala range and the Tusquittee
peaks rise to an elevation of 5,3l4 feet.
There are AZ mountains in western
North Carolina that tower over 5000
feet high
I[ENILWORTH INN.
The first view which the traveller
from the North has of Ashevile, is that
of the superb KenilWOrth Inn, which
graces like Il queen, a noble hill, en-
circled by mountains and overlooking
the city, 200 feet below and two miles
away, and the beautiful French Broad
and Swannonoa rivers in the valley. It's
many picturesque gables and towers
are seen for miles, either up or down
the fertile valleys.
\ few years ago Il party of Northern
capitalists, among them George W.
Vanderbilt, attracted by the equable
climate and beauties of Asheville, pur-
chased II tract Of 100 acres upon the
sunny slops Of Beaumont mountain.
within the city limits and erected this
massive, beautiful structure which from
any point of view Is picturesque from
without and inviting ana home-like
from within The roadway, leading
from Biltmore station is deeply ma
cadamZed and winds gracefully up
through the ravine and woodland to the
hotel Just on top of the foot hill. The
porte cochere, marking it's entrance
Is constructed of granite and is built
in the style Of a fortress. This first
story of the Inn is built of stone ana
surrounded By piazaas, some twenty
feet in width, which are duplicated on
the stories above. The porches cover
1000 feet of surface and are broken up
TO give variety. Within the towers are
two magnificent sun parlors. thirty
three feet in diameter from which can
be obtained views covering 1,200 square
miles of territory, including 70 peaks, of
the 43 TO he found in this section, which
are higher than Mount Washington, or
anything east of the Rocky mountains.
the highest being Mount Mitchell, 6,742