Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1918-08-01
to every capital.

TO every capital.
Thursday afternoon l had the
pleasure9f INSPECTING the beau
tiful Kdifilwerth Inn. This huge
hotel Of mountain stone and
palatial grandeiE is built on a
high hill, just outside Asheville
with a wonderful panorama. II
has been leased by the Govern
ment for hospital purposes, and
here is being sent even now
wounded officers forrecuperation
Further east, two miles distant,
is a large camp that is nearly
completed. 1t is named "Azalea'
and will be for soldiers suffering
from tuberculosis. The Govern
ment is spending a large amount
of money in equipping and pre-
pairing this health-healing camp
for those who in the service of
their country should be so un-
fortunate as to contract this
disease. The camp consists of
scores of long, single-story wood
en- buildings, with full length
porches on each side of the build
ings, fully screened. The camp
can accommodate several thou
sand patients, and nestles in the
mountains-an ideal spot for rest
and comfort. These are both in
cidental instances of how our
Government is to care for its
wards.
Friday morning our Editorial
party left Asheville for Mount
Mitchell station-l7 miles east
of Asheville on the Asheville-
Salisbury division of the South
ern. At this station we disem-
barked for a trip over the scenic
railway to the top of Mount
Mitchell. Looking round, l saw
near the station a make-believe
train of six cars and what ap-
peared to be a toy engine. l
asked where the train was that
should carry US up the noun
tain. There" replied a train
hand, pointing to the dinkey
engine and cars nearby. And
the sight of this baby outfit re-
minded me of ajoke that ex-judge
Francis D. Winston so often
tells; of course it's hoary with
age:
"We have small narrowguaged railroad
in our county. For number of years
various railroad projects were discussed.
Railroads rose and fell. An old friend of
mine stoutly maintained that there would
never be a railroad 10 Winsdor; that he
heard they had them in New York and the
big cities, but none would ever be built in
BERTHE. The final arrangements were
made and the engineers surveyed the line
and had it cut out. Itook old man Dave
down to see the wide strip and asked him
how it looked. well sonny" he said,
have seen wood paths before, but that
lacks heap of being railroad" Anoth-
er month passed and the roadbed was
thrown up and the cross ties put on. |
took old man Dave to the spot again and
asked him how it looked now. well,
have seen corduroy roads before this, but
marry" a railroad went on them" 1t took
some time to get the iron. 1t was during
one of those periods of depression when
it takes the steel trust over a year to
furnish iron for a20-mile track. The iron
finally came. carried the old man down
again. He gazed on the shining metal and
said with disgust takes more'n two
iron streaks to make a railroad, so they
tell me-. Finally the engine was brought
from Norfolk on barge. | arranged to
have old man Dave present when the
hands rolled it on skids to the track. The
old man walked around it, looked it over
carefully, eyed it from tender to cowcatch-
er; finally he squared himself back on his
launches and with a confident drawl ex-
claimed: by gosh they'll never start her."
We had arranged short run down the
track and the engineer had promised me
to chit her up lively" when we struck a
level track. Old man Dave was seated
by me on plank on an open sand car.
The steam was got up. The iron horse
breathed and began to move His pace
was quickened. We soon came to a good
piece of track. The engineer opened his
throttle. The engine bounded forward
and we going at fifty mile gait. turn