The Penn's Grove record., 1909-06-25
Sight Seeing thru The United States,
A Birds Eye Sketch of Alex j.
Carson's Travels.

Mr.. EDITOR;
We enioyed our trip thru the Carolinas,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Missis-
| sippi as tourists, but found the soil SO
poor that it requires two strong men to
| raise an umbrella. While in Florida, we
| took a trip up the famous Qeklawaha
| River. The semi-tropical flora, the var
| ious snakes, birds and the alligators We're
| ouite interesting, but Silver Springs at
the end Of the trip was the best part of
it. Here one can see the fish and
| other marine life swimming as though
| thrn the air. The famous Indian River
| orange groves looked good, being the first
[ had ever seen. A trip thru the Ever
| glades was very interesting,
/ had the pleasure OF meeting MI. Flag
ler who is building the most wonderful
| of all railroads, a railroad to Sea, (Key
| West,)
MIR. Flagler has practically developed
| and made the east coast OF Florida the
GREAT country it is to-day, one of the great
| winter tourist resorts and the great
| orange and pine apple producing belt.
New Orleans was the first southern city
| of importance that we visited. 1t is dis
| tipctly two cities, one French and the
| other American. We found people in
| both quarters who never crossed Canal
| Street. the dividing line. The docks,
| where the flags OF every nation float
wera interesting. One peculiar feature
| Of the town was its cemeteries, interment
| being above ground only, many OF the
| vanlts costing several hundred thousand
dollars.
The Mardi Gras, a carnival held every
| snnng. is well worth seeing, being one of
| the customs retained from the old French
| dominion.
Mark Twain's Life on the Mlssis-
| sippi" meant more to us after a boat trip
from New Orleans to St. Paul. The boats
| are very interesting with their paddle
| wheels. There being no wharves on the
Mississippi, the boat is run ashore n
| the stage dropped, Then the roustabouts
(colored) hustle the freight OF, h mate
| standing over then with two large re-
| ~volvers.
To watch the large rice, sugar cane,
and cotton plantations as the boat glldes
| along on the placid water OF the old
| Mississippi is a beautiful sight. Then as
| you ascend you see the tobacco, and then
the waving grain fields, a picturesque
trip.
Our visit thru the Mammoth Cave,
| Kentucky, truly II OF the worlds won
| ders, will always remain a pleasant mem
| ory. The cave is immense. The first
| time we entered we walked over twelve
miles underground. and only saw a small
part of it. Many Of the main avenues
are several miles long, sixty feet high and
as wide, while the domes are much high
err, and some OF the pits are bottom
| less.
Here we learned how water charged
with carbon dioXlde has served as ma
lures craving tools. On the roofs and
walls we saw the effects which iron and
Manganese oxides yield on a back ground
of gray limestone. 1t is great to see the
crystalllzation and the beautiful forms
which the masses OF sulphate OF lime and
calcite assume.
The blind insects, beetles, crickets,
mites, gnats, the eyeless fish and crus
taceans and leeches make Mammoth Cave
a paradise for the naturalist.
The great %botryoidal forms of calcite
and enormous talactites and stalagmites
are seen in various parts OF the ave. W.
found it very interesting to learn how the
wonderful acicular crystals OF gypsum
grow and spread out into a thousand fan
tastic forms and simulate the flowers 0
the upper world, but whose petals ar
gigantic in comparison. Now and thel
we saw these fanciful beauties growing il
plain defiance OF the laws of gravitatioi
and bending and twisting in a Thousand
devious ways.
We took a half mile boat ride on arrive
$50 feet underground, and the unison Q
sounds coming from tue dark and un
fatomed recesses of Echo River back to tn
ear with a harmony and beauty that Ii,
cathedral note ever yet equaled, finds
response in every human heart. Nam
moth Cave will never cease to attrac
visitors of every degree and from ever
land.
At Louisville, Kentucky, are located
the great dIstilleries and tobacco manu-
featuring plants of our country. This i
the home of the Sunny Brook Whiske,
Distillery and the American Tobacco,
Manufacturing Company. Here we say
the Kentucky Thoroughbred race OH til
famous Churchill Downs.
After taking a trip up the Ohio Rive
(the scenery is grander than that alon
bilC OOCO ~ S1iOllflioul uCIC@h VIC sd
the home OF the world famous Crook
wood Pottery: and many other thing
of interest, among them being the Long
worth home. We took IA trolley rid
across Indiana. The trolleys of Ohio an,
Indiana far surpass the train service Q
the more eastern states in both schedul
and comfort. We stopped at Indianap
oils the home Of eX-Vice President Fair
Banks, and of several famous literar,
men who have helped to make the WORT,
better.
At Charlottesville we saw the home O
the late Gen. Lew Wallace and after
wards when in Santa Fe, New Mexico
we visited the room in which his grea
religious novel "Ben Hurr' was written
After leaving Indiana our next stol
was Chicago. Here the people have
good opinion of themselves, Chicag,
being the windies city on the map.
Ii space permitted would be glad to tel
of our western trip; Denver, Salt LAX
City, Yellowstone National Park; Port
land; Seattle; Canada; Alaska, its mine
and glaciers; the California Redwoods
the largest trees i'll the world; California
Yosemite Valley; Grand Canyon of til
Colorado; Cliff Dwellings, ~HieroglyphIc
and Petriied Forests; Oklahoma; Texas
and various sections of Old Mexico; an,
and of our experiences while visitin
among the Indians in Alaska, those G
the West and OF Mexico, and in climbin
Pixies Peak, Mt. Hood, Mt. Shasta
P~opocatepetl and other mountains in thi
country and old Mexico.
Yours truly,
ALEX. i CARSON