Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-08-17
THE NORWAY
OF AMERICA.
Scenry of Surprising Grandeur and
Beauty--Interesting Tidal Pho
nOmena--The Homo of the Ice
Man and The District Of the Log
uer--The Chief Port of Maine AMI
Its Capital CITY, Etc Etc.

Man anu ne UlStrlCt vi sno 10y
qer--The Chief Port of Maine ant
Its Capital City. Etc Etc.
[staff Correspondence of the Spectator
From Boston the great highway tt
th. north and northeast is over the
B .ston & Maine railway, a vast system
that spreads out from a common ceL
ter, as the fingers of man 70 hand
with many spurs or short lines thai
reach the mountain and sea shore re-
sorts that have made northern New
England famous.
TIE system as it branches out ia a
bewiIdering maze of tracks, but they
unerringly guide the trains to every
resort of note in the scenic White
Mountain district or to the even more
remarkable palisades and cliffs along
the coast of Maine. AS our party wert
familiar with mountain scenery WI
chose the route that led by the sea, a
choice we shall never regret. This
coast is popularity known as the Nor
way of America, and well deserves the
name. Its wild rugged scenery. lts
long days, its short nights. its great
tides. it's cool bracing climate-a re-
fuge from the summers heat of lower
climes-have cOnspired to make it a
Mecca for summer travel. All this we
had heard of and read of till the desire
to see il became a paramount issue. y
This wonder land of scenery and rich
atmospheric cOlOrings reaches from
Marble Head, Mass, to the Bay OF
Fundy and the harbOr of st. John In
New Brunswick-a thousand miles of
scenery such as is found nowhere else
in this country, either on the Atlantic
or Pacific slopes. Rugged and wild the
ragged rock coast winds its tOrtuOus
course. Far back into stony cliffs the
ceaseless roar of surf is ever pounding
and digging away at new caverns and
forming new chambers, while far over
hanging rocks like great eye brows
frown down upon the reefs and bould~
ers that lash the sea into fury of
eternal spray. In other places the
drop down to the sea and
half submerged they offer navigation
into their deep recesses or hOllOws that
reach back into the very heart of the
TIDAL PHENOMENA.
AS one follows north along this coast.
there is no phenomenon 30 interesting as
the heavy tides, that increase in VOL
ume as they flow northward. At Port
land, Maine, the tide is 8 feet, at points
along Mt. Desert Island it is about 20,
while at St. John, New Brunswick 1t
reaches the great height of SO feet and,
as have heard. as much as 60 feet at
place on the Bay of Fundy.
There are several explanations offered
for this phenomenon, the most reason
able perhaps being based on the theory
of jun cture of the Arctic current
and the Gulf stream together with the
southwest winds which unite
to force the water in great volume into
the mouth of the bays and harbors.
where confined by surrounding high
cliffs it must bank up to great depths.
Another Theory Is based on the unus-
ual topography of the coast. But what
ever the cause, the effect is most re-
BILE, especially when the tides
are coming in. At low tide the inlets
and some of the harbors are destitute
of water-then the tide turns and the
water forced through narrow channels
comes on in great pillows with rush
that is both grand and awe in.
spring. Many unwary strangers have
been caught and overwhelmed while
in the very sight of frier DIS, standing
pOWerless to rescue them, for the heavi
est of these tides move with great
rapidity and force, whirling and eddy
ing in mad torrent like.unto Niagara
On one of our drives along an oceaI
road our guide pointed down a great
cliff against whose rock walls he de
clared seven men bad been caught by
the tide and dashed to death. That
day we turned homeward but not be-
cause of nervous fear-because fOrsOOtt
onr time WAS limited. Regretfully
very regretfully must one leave tina
wonder land of grand scenery and hos
pitable people, for so we found then
everywhere, a people as courteous al
they are kind. But any resume of
trip so delightfully."- frought with inter
est and incident would be incomplete
without specific mentiOn-0f the towns
the cities, the unusual in urban life
and the great beauties of Mt. Deser
Island and its famous capita Ba
HarbOr.
PLACES WORTH SEEING.
The visitor who makes pilgrim
age to Boston should by all mean
see Marble Head, but 10 miles distan
north and at the very beginning of tn
long line of cliffs that stretch off to til
northeast. If he is down easterne
used only to smooth sandy beache
the unusual wild beauty at Marbl
H cad will fill him with admiration an
delight. If he can, and even if he ca
not. do so any way = keep right o
nor Inward and watch the panOram
of unusual beauty as it unfOlds befor
him, mill after mill.in rapid flight. a
the train speeds onward. Near MAJ
nOlia is the reef of ''Norman's Woe
made famous in verse by LongfellOw
poem 1.-The Schooner Hesperas.
Swampscott and Rockport are al
worthy of a stop over. At Salem the
are many points of historic interest
he old witch house, the Peabod
Museum, etc. One sees in Salem OIL
of the cleanest, nearest cities in tn