The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-08

~asbeyille, Sept. This has been
!. GOOD summer for mountain tourists
,esorts. Southern Railway trains
nave been crowded during the month
~ August. Asheville, WayneSville,
Hendersonville, Black Mountain n
&c enyirons, and other places have
heen filed up with visitors from the
North and South, escaping from the
hot weather of the lowlands and of
the great cities.
II was a great pleasure to be the
guest of MI. ID. A. TOmpkins, in his
SIMMER home at Montreal. Mr..
Tompkins spends the greater part Of
his summers now at this place,-frOm
Anril TO October. His charming house
hold consists of Miss Grace T%ompkins,
his sister. who preSides at his hos
nitable board; Mrs. Tompkins, of
Edgeield, s. c., a near relative; Miss
Abernethy, Of Mount Holly, his stenOg-
rapher; and Miss Davis, of Charlotte,
a trained nurse. The spacious piazza
looks directly out across the North
Fork of the Swannanoa river, a mere
creek at this point, which washes the
feet of Rainbow Mountain, a hill ris-
ing TO a sheer height Of several hum
bred feet directly from it's waters. TFe
mountain is named from it's graceful
curve. The Montreal Association
owns to the top of the ridge, and 1T
would be well if the Association would
build a winding road to the top. The
mountain would seem to END itself
admirably TO road building; and the
view from the top must be superb. 1t
is covered with a thick, short growth
of oak. out of which n single, soil
tary pine tree shoots skyward. The
Tompkins household calls it The
Lonesome Pine; but there is no trail
TO il.
To the southwark looms up the
Blue Ridge, well named-for no
mountains in the world are so ex-
u~uisitely cerulean. At various Pc
RODS during the day, the Ridge, from
whatever point one views it, seems to
exhibit every shade of blue. Some
times it reflects the color Of the sky.
At other times it wear a tint of gray
blue. 1t others it is as deep as in
digo. AS evening draws on, and the
shepherd wind blows up his fluffy
tiocks of cloud, and they cast their
shadows on the hills below, the Ridge
dons its royal purple. The e~xplOiterS
of one part of the Western North
Carolina mountains were happy in
deed in calling their section THE Sap
phire Country lust after unset an
artists eye often detects a lilac tint.
THE world is yelled with tissues fair
les wear,
The wool of sunshine, warp of pur-
pie mist,
And thro' the hazy. soft-enchanted air
The distant hills seem carved OF
amethyst"
When one first comes into the noun.
tains, he is affected by drowsiness. He
wants to sleep, and it is fine to lie
Gown at night, and sing to slumbel
10 the lullaby of the katydids and the
soit murmur of the Swannonoa, like
me sound Of gently falling rain, ant
KNOW that you will wake up in tn
OF a mountain. / know of no plac,
where the mountains beetle NOR,
perfectly than at Montreal. This il
rest indeed! 1t is the place to go, i
'ou wish TO escape genuinely.
Far from the m~adding crowds ig
noble strife"
In driving over the good roads a
MohnIeat and Black Mountain witt
OFF Tompkins or with members of hi
h~UuSehold, we several times passed tn
paninipef plant at Black Mountain, o
nG",ley q Crockett, successors t
hickey & Campbell. Its operation i
Siost interesting. 1t is saving exclu
Ioea at present spruce pine. Tn
vsS are brought in on a little narroy
n1use mountain railroad which run
tha"s miles backward until within
oil 0usand feet of the top of Mt. Mitch
we were fortunate enough to Sc
hin load of eight fiat cars, loade
tboe" Win spruce saw-logs, arrive
Poefmili Just alongside the Souther
Tho T way station, at Black Mountain
laroaos s were quickly dumped into
,psoon by the side of the mill. Her
or noated in the water for ten day
tho @o weeks. The water draws O,
ana ' up from the fibre OF the WOO,
yo"a MS is very essential to secul
6Uou lumber. The logs will NOT d,
san pvrly II they are sawed with til
drpv them, but water soaked los
logs ar. IN perfect condition. TT
q" rforNinan with a long pole with q so
omsn1spear INTO it. With this I