Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1908-09-24
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER "a, 1908.
HERE. THERE AND ELSEWHERE.
PART


the county seat of Carbon Co., Pa. 1t
is about SO miles from Philadelphia. The
following description of the town is CIV
en- in Picturesque America: "Mauch
Chunk is doubtless the most truly pic
turesque town in the Union; it lies in
narrow gorge surrounded by lofty mount
aims and is approached from either ex-
tremity by sharp bends in the river, and
corresponding curves in the railroad
tracks. Its foot as it were rests on the
picturesque little Lehigh river and its
body stretches up the cliff of the mount
aims; it is so compact among the hills
that it's houses impinge upon its narrow
streets and stand backed up against the
rising ground with no space for gardens
except what the owners can manage to
snatch from the hillside above their heads
thus rendering it typical Swiss village. -
Directly opposite the main town is Bear
Mountain, peculiarly shaped elevation
to which the Indians gave the name
"Machk Tschunk" from which the town
derives its present name. A western lit
erary gentleman who lately visited this
Switzerland of America" gives the fol-
lowing graphic account of his sensations
when seeing this marvellous bit of ma
lures handiwork for the first time. at
was nine o'clock at night when | was
awakened from doze by the brakeman
shouting 'Mauch Chunk l got out
hastily and the first impression had, in
my somewhat confused state, was, that
terrible thunder storm was coming up.
could see what took to be dark clouds
lowering all around. the horizon, but a
second glance showed me, however, that
the dark and portentous encrclement
was mountains rising to lofty altitude. y
A settlement was started here in the
year 1918 and now the population is about
10000. There are fine churches, public
building and private residences in the
part of the town which saw but | was
only in one part of it.
One of the greatest attractions of this
unique place is ride on the Switch Back
Railroad a gravity road giving one con-
tnuous panorama of beauty, extensive,
boundeSs and remarkable as well as
striking, imposing, majestic and mag
nifcent. With one exception this piece
of track is said to be the oldest in Amer
lea. 1t is now used exclusively for pleas
ure and is operated daily from May Is to
Oct. 81.
An electric car will take the tourist
from the centre of the town to the Switch
Back depot, but l preferred walking.
At the end of Susquehanna street after
ascending or 10 steps one begins very
steep climb up cement walk which
passes between the beautiful houses and
grounds of the late Judges Asa Packer
H. E. Packer on the left, and the taste
fully decorated villas of DR.. j. S. Wentz
and M. S. Kemmerer on the right.
Strong stone walls are needed to keep
each terrace from being injured by rains,
iron gateways give admission to fine
carriage roads which lead to these homes
so sequestered among foliage and orna-
mental strawberries that an air of great
exclusiveness seems to hover over all
and suggests the abode of mystery and
romance. On the brow of the Hill above
Judge Packers home is the starting point
of the railroad. Though Iywas the only
passenger on the morning of July II, yet
the train ran on schedule time. Propell-
ed by gravity our car left the station and
ran to the foot of Mt. Pisgah Plane.
This is 1892 feet in length with an ele-
walton of 664 feet. Two stationary en-
gines of 12O horsepower each by means
of two heavy steel bands, each u inches
wide, drew our car to the top of the
Plane. Mr.. Henry says of this ride: Cup
up we go, until the mountain tops which
just now lowered above US, sink into the
valleys and become pigmy hills; and the
whole face of the surrounding country
opens under US like one vast flower bed. "
After few moments of enraptured
acclamations over the exquisite beauty
of the scene we passed through the en-
CINE house and then slowly over trestle
spanning a deep, rocky ravine. To the
right and north Broad Mountain can be
seen Glen Onoko another beauty spot of
nature lies in ravine about two miles
away. To the left (and southeast high
above, tier upon tier of mountains loom
while below us are valleys, hills, little
villages and mining settlements in which
the houses look like children's toys max
ing scene of great novelty. Someone
has said "everything seems to have been
twisted and scrumched and hurled and
piled together; then turned, piled and
hurled together again, as if the elements
of nature had been in rebellion when this
part of the country was perfected, if we
may call this rugged broken grandeur
below US, and far out reaching, the per-
lection of nature. To this fascinating
spot have been justly applied the favor
lite lines from Scott:
so won 'drous wild, the whole might seem
The scenery Of Fairy dream"
We proceed by gravity again, and two
miles from Mt. Pisgah pass the old tun-
mel and hamlet of Hackebernie. Four
miles farther we came to Bloomingdale
Valley and the plane of Mt. Jefferson.
This plane is 2,070 feet in length and has
an elevation of 464 feet. This distance