The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1911-01-11

- - ''''''C w l''i'hiiif,itt W.
meath you on 100 pound rails
like the sensation impaired
when walking over heavy
velvet carpet on the floors of a
we'll built mansion.
The altitude Of Bostic is 900
feet, and you are leaving the
cotton belt behind. Here the
Clinchtield Crosses the Seaboard
Air Line, running from Char
lotte to Rutherfordtou.
The c. G. x o. uses the tele
phone to transmitting train
orders. Every baggage car and
freight cab on the line is equip
ped with trolley pole device
for instant connection with the
wires so that if n train OF any
class is detained between tele-
phone stations rep ,rt OF con
ditions can at once be sent in 10
headquarters.
Leaving Bostic, the valley of
the second broad river is
assembled, the first tunnel is
passed and you are at Marion.
N. g., altitude | 800 feet. Here,
at the foot Of the southern
slope of the blue ridge noun
tains, the Southcrns line from
Salisbury to Ashevillc is cross
ed. The stations of the two
systems are about two miles
apart and transfers are made by
hack. Marion is county seat
in the Catawba valley, furni-
tnre factories and the largest
population to he found between
Spartanburg and Johnson City.
An Easy Grade.
The Thee C's road OF some
ycars ago had Johnson City as
it's destination. but was never
carried beyond Marion, for at
this point the problem of seal
ing a vertical height OF 300
feet looms large before the
would-be railroad builder.
What it means to 40 this on
grade that is practicable is dif
iicult.to convey To the average
mind. To come and see "thcI
lay Of the land" is about the
only way most of us could be
made to comprehend the ditH
cult character of the underrak
ing. Dlsregarding whatever was
in the way whether this was
mountain or Il chasm, the G.. G. |
~ o., climbed to the top at
uniform grade of sixty three
feet 10 the mile. The work is
some of the best construction to
be seen east of the Mississippi
river, reminding one Of the
Moifatt road out of Denver of
the "9hort Line up to Cripple
Greek, Colo. The loops, passes
or zigzags are taken Ia avoid
the lesser peaks that buttrcss
the main ridges of the noun.
tains. Where there was no way
around these then tunnel was
called for. Most of these are
through the hardest kind Of
granite. Al Quo point on the
way down, YOU stand on the
rear platform and look back
through three tunnels at the
same time. At another point on
the way up, the train pmcrges
from one tunnel. makes a loop
on an embark ment over 100
feet high, and goes back
through the same butte hy
another tunnel few feet high
or up.
Ia stocking shape loop to
gain 400 feet vertically, where
there are six miles of track
having nine tunnels in this
distance. Tired at last of dou.
bling, the Gordian knot is cut
and the summit of the Blue
Ridge is pierced by IA straight
tunnel one third of mile long
and perhaps $50 feet below the
crest of the ridge. The north
erly end of it is Alta Pass.
ninety miles from Spartanburg
and $500 feet above the level of
the sea. Before starting down
from this point, let's stand for
moment. Here is one of the
finest views TO be had in all the
region. TO your right is Mount
Mitchell, the tallest peak this
side the Rockies, then Gig
mans dome, and a little more
to the left the massive, square
Nttlincs Af 10 III, ID - ~