The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-18

,,od until near Johnson lily, A ~
when the valley began 70 "loeu atua
rraad farms took the place or tne
narrow ones here and there along the
nnner valleys: and Of those queer
farms set at sharp angles on eilc
m~ountainside, where by no manner "
means any down country ioi9e -
,,nIa could ever be duc 70 CO.
nv Of them so steep that only a noe
AN he uSed and even then II seems
. miracle that the man with the noe
can stand unsupported. These farms
are in fact one of the curlOsltles o.
the route and they show now laIu
dressed for land the mountain people
arc and how they have to use every
available spot to get their bredo' lo{
they are great c~Orn-ra.sers. NeS.eiH
North Carolina is at most Oh euse-
WAYS ANYHOW and along this route d
great majority OF n farms ale 49,
" nm and down. Elsewhere III tne
State one can speak OF an uprlgnt
farmer. but there are upright 1arnS'
too.
Johnson City is a typical
town, its great attraction beng the
Soldiers Home. built five years ago
and one Of the most beautiful in the
country, with some 1900 inmates; q
hotel. owned by the government ana
admirably kept being a novel feature.
From Johnson City the trip was
made TO DANTE. 90 1IltIeS diSldlil 49,
nOrthward, this being the present ter
MINIS of the road. Splendid farms,
and a limestone country, were on
either hand nearly all the way and
the road ran along the CHnch river.
a fine stream. and vas marked by
ten tunnels. which added to the nine
teen on the mountain division giving
a total of twenty-nine " Bostlc
and Dante. At st. Pau the track of
the Norfolk & Western was crossed
and the journey up to Dante was most
of the way in a gorge, Whlcn flnaliE
narrowed SO that it seemed the tram
could get no further. At Dante. where
there are $500 miners and a brand
new and very curious mining town
with model houses, set in various di-
rections like the toes Of a turkey,
there are 125 mine openings N opera
ton, and a world Of coal is coming
out and going South.
AT Dante we met Mr.. John II. Win
der. the president Of the Clinchfleld
Coal Corporation, which is 50 great
interested in this o and which has
275,O00 acres Of coal land lying be-
tween Elkhorn and Dante. The road
is to be extended at once to ElkhOrn,
sum of money Will be expended on
this and ten more tunnel will be
added to the already great collection
in the possession Of this road. The
ubiquitous Raleigh boy was found at
Dante, not only in the person of Mr..
Winder but also was represented by
MIR. George Syne and Mr.. William
Norson, who are in the engineering di-
vision and who were as busy as bees.
as indeed everybody else is in that
part of the world. Mr.. Winder Will
build a Very handsome home on the
the mining town. whose narrow
streets, if streets they can be called,
We're t%hronged by people of half a
dozen different natiOna!ities and as
many languages could be heard spoken
at any minute, miners with lamps in
their caps coming and DIN all the
while. The oal they get out goes
over all the South. over the great new
road.
On the return journey the visiting
and inspecting party, looking not only
at the practical but the beautiful
things along the line, stopped at Unaka
Springs, Tenn. which Will be a fine
esort bye and bye. and saw a score
of splendid places for summer resorts
IN both Tennessee and Mort Caro-
lima. One of the great features. in
tact the chief one of the entire trip,
was a two days stop at iinville
Falls. AS we came southwark we
stopped at the mountain crest, this
j OF A~ltapaSS, and had a look. in
the course OF a couple hours walk. at
the grand scenery there afforded. and
1t was stated that it vas the purpose
to build a fine turnpike from Altapass
TO llnVllle Falls, ten miles in length,
though the distance in an airline is
only four miles. but really this seems
though strictly true. The
views from the peaks around Altapass
are beyond description. After we had
looked and looked, admiring more and
more, we resumed the journey down
the mountains, stopping at Linville
rails Station. and there horses and
ponies We're in readiness which We
mounted and road UP the six mile
tTall' winch by no compliment could
De termed a road. though it is used
as one daily. 1t is in a gorge all the
and all of it besides a stream
which is most of the distance like a
procession OF waterfalls. with cease