The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-31

Tacoma, Wash, August S.-(Sepcial)
 We came over frog Seattle to Tacoma
 by trolley, a distance of 42 miles in
 one hour and ten minutes, and were
 landed within half d block of the
 Tacoma Inn from whose verandas on
 on fair days a fine view of Mount Rain
 fer or Mount Tacoma as the residents or
 this city insist on having it called, may
 be had although it is 75 miles dis
 tant
 Tacomians seem to have good grounds
 on which to support their contention
 as to why the mountain should be
 known as Tacoma rather than Mount
 Rainier, for they say it was named by
 the Indians and it's names means in
 their language "Nourishing Breasts
 which is appropriate as the streams
 form it's summit and the glaciers on it's
 sides, nourish the valleys below and
 furnish the moisture necessary TOT
 vegetable growth and the sustenance or
 life, while Rainier, the name given by
 the explorer Vancouver, was bestowed,
 in honor of an Englishman who was not
 particular distinguished. Another name
 given by the Indians was signified the
 Mount of God.
 Tacoma says also that Seattle pre-
 fers the name Rainier and always speak
 of it by that name, because they are
 somewhat jealous of Tacoma, and do
 not much like the idea of people from
 Seattle having to go through Tacoma,
 which is forty-two miles nearer the
 mountain, to reach it, and the National
 Park in which it is situated.
 We left Tacoma, after a very pleas
 ant night spent in the Tacoma Inn, at
 seven o'clock in the morning, with a
 pleasant party of six and peach Of
 driver in a big seven passenger Cadll-
 lac, on our seventy-five mile drive to
 Paradise Inn situated at the foot of
 the mountain or it would be more cor
 rect to say as high up it's sides as an
 automobile could go.
 The road for twenty-five miles out
 was built of vitrified brick, and the remaining fifty miles was of macadam or well constructed mountain road, only for short distance was the road at all rough and that where the workers were resurfacing it, So we bowled along at 25 to 30 miles an hour every mile showing new beauties, of forest, stream or mountain until we reached at about 57 miles from Tacoma the entrance to the National Park, where we were re- quired to alight and register. Along about II o'clock we reached Longmire Springs, where we had fine view or the snow capped mountain. sauntered around until lunch time, sampled the waters of the Sulphur springs, which tasted as bad and were not as effeca- cious, am sure, as the sulphur springs
 at Blount Springs, Alabama.
 Coming this far we had travelled through a mist, which was heavy
 enough to deposit drops of moisture on our overcoats and cloaks and to ob- scure the tops of the mountains, but
 at this point the mist rolled away and the sun came out disclosing a scene of surpassing beauty, which well re- l paid us for our trip had we gone no ] further.
 | Coming into the park we passed under an immense arch built of native | logs, and from thence onward there was every evidence of the care which the government of hte United States bestows on all the property under its ] immediate control. The real ascent of the mountain begins at Longmire Springs. and from thence for twenty i miles we passed over roads which were
 marvels of engineering skill. When We arrived at the foot of the Mis- qually glacier, under and from which flows the Misqual1y river whose course we had followed through the gorges, admiring the mountain torrent as it flowed through the gorges, or over pebbly stretches we were halted at a DTlQSt, ndNlHB d Sdlc anu 5udIucu Dy the forest rangers who allowed no one to start up the mountain, until those in the block, or section above had come down and passed through, for
 the road from this point up, was not sufficiently wide for two automobiles
 to pass except at stations provided for the purpose, and at which there were
 guards and telephones used to inform
 guards in other sections of the move- | ho
 being permitted to pass the gates we
 started up and were climbing merrily towards the clouds when suddenly around sharp curve appeared another car coming down and there was tense moment, while our driver showed marvellous skill and a cool head, and the other driver likewise seemed' en- dowed with unusual level headedness and a catastrophe was averted. We were at a point where there seemed nothing below us but space and above us but the wall of the mountain, and apparently no room in the road at all. but we got by and proceeded on our way, knowing that we had been in an adventure the like of which had never before occur again. Somebody had would never occur again. Somebody had , miscounted, or somebody had misun- derstood, or somebody had violated the rule not to stop on the road, hence the result. Our driver said when he saw | the other car coming round the curve , that his eyeballs fell out on his should CTS, maybe they did, but his brains were in the right place and his hands | did not lose their cunning, and we l were safe. If I ever get money enough to buy an auto. and he is available and I have money enough left to hire
 him l am going to get that driver tc
 run my car.
 1 I was not much disturbed for felt sure my time would not come until
 had had an opportunity of telling my Birmingham friends about our wonder full trip.
 l About o'clock we reached Paradise Inn, after passing beautiful waterfalls and through Paradise valley which is well named, because of the wealth oi lovely flowers of infinite variety blooming among the snow patches anc Iinterspersed with what appeared to b> carpets and rugs of green velvet. The mountain still lowered above us some thing like six thousand feet its sum- mits, for it has two or more, covered with the eternal snows and it's sides draped with the glaciers supplying life giving streams