The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1914-06-26
GREAT ESTATE To
Be U. S. RESERVE
Government to Buy So, 700
Acres at BilimOr0, n. G.
GAME AND FISH ABOUND.

est Preserved, Will Sell Place to Un-
Gle Sann-One of the Most Magnifi-
cent Domains In America.
Asheyille, n. C.-The S6,700 acres OF
beautiful wilderness at Biltmore, \. u.
which the United States forest reserva-
ton commission recently decided 10
buy from Mrs George w. Vanderbilt.
is the largest area owned by the ma
ton east of the Mississippi river ana Is
destined to serve as a national PARK
for the 35,000,000 people who live WITH
in q radius of a days journey from IL
Most of them know nothing of Its
character, and few of the many thou
sand visitors who have passed on the
white roads of the Biltmore estate ana
admired the magnifcence OF Blltmore
house have glimpsed more of it than
the misty blue barrier that bounds 1t
on the northwest
1t is a lordly domain of 134 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. Ii
has seventeen miles of good roads built
| for use by automObilists, cresung
heights over 5000 feet above sea level
Great mountains rise in its bounds,
| eliminating in the rock peak of 5,7oI
| feet high Pisgah There are grassy
| "balds" and domes dark with balsam,
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 riyulets
down to streams which foam over beds
of rock and swirl in dark pools by vast
powders 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 Davidson river, which empties into
the French Broad
The reserve extends from point
| six miles from Ashevile southwest tt
| Pisgah Forest station on the ToXaWay
branch of the Southern railway, lylnt
between the Breyard AsheylIle stau
road on the southeast and Pisgah ridg'
on the northwest, its due north iiml
being a line drawn from Pisgah to
point four miles from Biltmore house
Much the greater part Of it is in Tran
sylvania county.
The automobile road built by MI
Vanderbilt overlooks 1t. and by using
one can be in the midst of the wilder
ness in two hours ride from Asheville
and Asheville is only twenty-one hour
journey from New York The autOmc
bile road ascends $500 feet to the elat
crate hunting lodge of the Vanderhilts
, | which with 500 acres adjoining is eS
, | cepted from the sale. and then contiI
ues along the ridge ten miles, toppin
some heights and circling other peak
while maintaining an average elevatio
of 4.500 feet above sea level.
Each turn of this road develops neN
beauties Sometimes ii hangs over
| precipice looking down on a sea &
, greenery. and again from lofty poir
one sees a vast panorama of moul
. tains rising and falling apparently lik
| bilIows-several of the balsams bein
. higher than Mount Washington-and
the distance the prodigious wall of tt
( Great Smokes on the Tennessee lin
+ The secretaries of agriculture. interiC
d and war came up this road from Ash
= Vile to the hunting lodge, twenty-seve
e miles, in an hour and a half. and ;
that the chauffeur took no chances ,
y creating any vacancies in the cabine
: These government officials inspecte
t the property in June. 1913.
n An extension of this road doZe
e miles to Brevard would connect it Wi
J. the state road to Asheville. now
very good condition. and thus proyi'
1t sixty mile tour for automobile
n From 1t Mr.. Vanderbilt construct
y two well graded roads leading dow
- into the valleys, and there one fin
ls many miles of easy gradient highwi
3 which he built along the water course
+, The Appalachian Park associate
u whose headquarters are In Ashevil
has been for year actively promoti
co the conversion of all lands bought
the forest reservation commission ir
of national parks, which should be &C
ng nected by automobile roads built
I'M the government
rd 1t Is estimated that there are nt
ne 5000 deer on the tract. besides bea
in wolves, foxes. squirrels. raccoons. qu'
at wild turkeys. native pheasants and
descendants OF the English and {
In nese pheasants and the wild boar w
ed which It was stocked many years ag
nd