The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-06-23
Great ESTATE TO
Be U. S. RESERVE
Government to Buy 86, 700
Acres at BiItmOre, n. c.
GAME and FISH ABOUND.

00Ot AO W. NdHdSEobkt
Wishes Of Her Husband to Have For
est Preserved, Will Sell Place to un-
Gle Sam-one of the Most Maanifi-
cent Domains In America.
Asheville, N. C.--The S6,700 acres Of
which the United States forest reserva-
ton commission recently decided to
buy from Mrs. George w. Vanderbilt,
Is the largest area owned by the ma
ton east of the Mississippi river and Ia
destined to serve as a national park
for the 35,O00O00 people who live with
In radius of days journey from it
Most of them know nothing of It's
character, and few of the many thou
sand visitors who have passed on the
white roads of the Biltmore estate and
admired the magnificence of Biltmore
house have glimpsed more of it than
the misty blue Barrier that bounds ii
on the northwest
1t is a lordly domain of 1874 square
miles of wooded mountains and rush
ing streams which has thus been add
ed to the national possessions. 1t is
the most extensive hardwood reserve
east of the Rockies. 1t is a game and
fish preserve which has few equals. 1t
has seventeen miles of good roads built
for use by automobiists, cresting
heights over 5000 feet above sea level
Great mountains rise in it's bounds,
eliminating in the rock peak of 5,757
feet high Pisgah. There are grassy
"balds" and domes dark with baisam,
and rock cliffs governing bear and
wolves. On the slopes are magnificent
trees and tangled areas of rhododen-
dron and laurel.
Thousands of high placed springs
send their icy waters in rushing rivulets
down to streams which foam over beds
of rock and swirl in dark pools by vast
bowlders. The beds are paved with
rocks, and often the white water
spreads in silvery simmer over giant
floors of granite. Waterfalls are here
and there. one on Looking Glass creek
having an abrupt fall of sixty feet
Scores of small streams unite to form
the French Broad.
The reserve extends from a point
six miles from Asheville southwest to
Pisgah Forest station on the Toxaway
branch of the Southern railway, lying
between the Brevard-Asheville state
road on the southeast and Pisgah ridge
on the northwest, its due north limit
hninO a Hnn Hro ptCnroh 70
point four miles from Biltmore house
Much the greater part of 1t is in Tran
sylvania county.
The automobile road built by Mr.
Vanderbilt overlooks it, and by using 1t
one can be in the midst of the wilder
ness in two hours ride from Asheville
and Asheville is only twenty-one hours
journey from New York. The automo
bile road ascends $500 feet to the elab
crate hunting lodge of the Vanderbilts
which with 500 acres adjoining is ex.
cepted from the sale, and then contin.
ues along the ridge ten miles, topping
some heights and circling other peaks
while maintaining an average elevation
of $500 feet above sea level.
Each turn of this road develops new
beauties. Sometimes 1t hangs over
pnecipice looking down on sea OF
greenery. and again from lofty point
one sees vast panorama of noun
tains rising and falling apparently like
billows-several of the balsams being
higher than Mount Washington-and in
the distance the prodigious wall Of the
Snnlinc
The secretaries of agriculture, interior
and war came up this road from Ashe-
vile to the hunting lodge, twenty-seven
miles, in All hour and half, and at
that the chauffeur took no chances of
creating any vacancies in the cabinet.
These government officials inspected
the property in June, 1913.
An extension of this road a dozen
miles to Brevard would connect it with
the state road to Asheville. now in
very good condition, and thus provide
sixty mile tour for automobiles
From it Mr.. Vanderbilt constructed
two well graded roads leading down
into the valleys, and there one fnds
many miles Of easy gradient highway
which he built along the water courses.
The Appalachian Park association.
whose headquarters are In Asheville
has been for year actively promoting
the conversion Of all lands bought by
the forest reservation commission into
national parks, which should be con
nected by automobile roads built by
the government.
II Is estimated that there are now
5000 deer on the tract, besides bears,
wolves, foxes, squirrels, raccoons. quail,
wild turkeys. native pheasants and the
descendants of the English and Chi
sese pheasanrs and the wild boar with
which it was stocked many years ago