Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-12-01
The BEAUTIFUL
BLUE RIDGE
An Entertaining Description of the Scenic
Beauties Along the Carolina, CIinch-
field and Ohio Railway.

To the Engineers, the wizards who's
word books no delay
The deserts shimmerirg silence breaks
The snow clad hills obeissnce makes
And low The Open Way
We take pleasure in presenting to our
readers a sketch by Mr.. D. C. Boy, of
johnson City, Tenn, of the senic beau
ties along the new trunk line of the
Southwest, the C. C. and o. Railway.
Interesting as the scenery is along
this new route to the South, and we be-
lieve there is no place in America, ss
readily, accessible that is more pict-
uresquely beautiful than the trip down
the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge, and
as replete with historic scenes as the
trip from Dante to Spartanburg is to
one familiar with the early history of
this section, neither is of more interest
TO the observant traveller than the pi-
gantic task of The Builders" to whom
the seeming unsurmountable barriers
succumbered to make the "Open Way" I"
The development of the road down the
east slope of the Blue Ridge is one of
the greatest fests of engineering to be
seen in America today and the entire
line beautiful tribute of mans domin-
ion over nature.
But we anticipate. Let Mr.. Boy tell
of the many and varied beauties of the
new outlet of the Southwest to the Sea.
We leave the coal fields at Dante, as
the morning sun rises effulgently above
the eastern slopes, and sends his bril-
liant rays across the landscape to
sparkle IN the frozen dew drops with
which the receding night has painted
the valleys and clothed the hill sides,
and glide along down the beautiful
Clinch River, through Southwest Vir-
ginia, until the first great barrier
looms up before Us in the form of the
Clinch hountain-a barrier that stood
10 the way of the pioneers who tramped
the Wilderness Trail to the Dark and
Bloody Ground.
Modern railway engineering has de-
stroyed the barrier-not by removing
the mountain-but today the train rolls
through tunnel nearly a mile long; the
great geological formation of nature
has been penetrated by mans ingenuity,
and there before you, as you dart from
the tunnel. lies, spread out like vast
vale of Hature, the beautiful Valley of
East Tennessee.
Passing hurriedly On across the north
and south forks of Holston River.
through the little town of Kingsport,
high up over historic Boone Creek by a
massive vigduct, until we reach the
fiourishing town of johnson City, at
which point is located a magnificent
home for disabled volunteer soldiers,
erected by the United States Govern
ment at cost of three million dollars.
We must not tarry here, for the grand
est, the richest and most awe-inspiring
scenes are yet to come.
Just north of the Tennessee-North
Carolina State line the freaks of Nature
spell amazement at every throb of the
iron horse. Geolok lists will tell you that
when the chaotic mass of molten liquid
began to cool down, and the earth as
sumed its spherical shape, the upheaval
that followed the collision of the ele-
ments, as they came in contact with
the harder substances, piled up here q
mountain, there a hill, and yonder a
promontory, each within itself proud
sentinel standing guard at the gate,
left as it were by the Divine Builder for
an outlet through which might pass the
ripling, roaring, bouncing waters that
rise back in the foothills of the Blue
Ridge. and ever flowing incessently on
their hurried mission to the Sea.
Later man came along and gave the
mountains and river, each a name,
many of which were borrowed from the
Indians, the white mans predecessor.
The beautiful stream which tumbles
and roars over the great boulders, LASH
ing into foam the waves of a mad on
rushing current, is called the Nola-
chucky Gorge. No pen can picture the
grandeur and sublimity of this most of
all picturesque Gorge. The eye of the
traveller will feast upon it, and his very
being will spring forward, as it were,
to grasp the silent force that holds him
spell-bound in wondering arnazement.
This beautiful Nolachucky Gorge has
added luste- to the pages of history,
and in passing, let Us remember that it
was over this route that the immortal
Daniel Boone trod his weary wsy to the
Wilderness beyond; and later, but of
no less moment, the brave and sturdy
pioneers marched across the Blue Ridge
and fought the battle of Kings Noun
tain.
TIE sun has slowly climbed the meri-
dian until he has reached his zenith, and
pours forth a food Of light upon the
hills and valleys. In striking contrast,
the huge engine pulls the Clinchfield
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