The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-07-22

mountains, with an altitude of 6,711|
feet. 1t occupies the southern half
of Yancey county, to the east of Bun
combe county, and is one Of number
os high peaks forming the Black
mountains. a spur of the Blue Ridge.
Mount Mitchell, or Mitchell's peak,
as il is also called, took it's name from
DR.. elisha Mitchell, a professor of the
University of North Carolina, at
Chapel Hill. In 1885 pr. Mitchell ex-
plored this wonderful mountain and
measured it's height, giving to the
world the first information that it's
summit was the highest land in east
ern North America, exceeding that of
Mount Washington, of New Hamp-
shire, by 419 feet. Previous to 1895
Mount Washington was considered
the highest peak east Of the Rockies
DR.. Mitchell. professor of chemis-
try, minerology and geology in the
North Carolina university at Chapel
Hill, was born in Washington, Conn,
in 1898. He graduated with honors
at Yale college in 1913 in the class
with George f. Badger, Thomas P.
DevereauX and other distinguished
Southern men, and in January, 1918,
Shrough the influence of Judge Gas
ton, was appointed to professorship
in the University Of North Carolina,
along with DR.. Olmsted, another
81, ~
versty we'll for nearly 90 years. In
making the final survey which gave
TO the world the information as to
Mount Mitchell's true elevation above
sea level he lost his life during the
night of Saturday, June 27, 1856,
when he lost his way in returning to
his camp and fell over precipitous
rocky cliff into small pool. whore
his body was found a week later by
searchers who had explored the
mountain Businesses to locate him
DIR Mitchell was one Of the most emil
nent men OF the entire country and
his death caused great sorrow every
where. His body was buried in Ashc-
vile, but later removed and was
buried on the very summit of the
great peak on which he lost his life,
and which bears his name.
One of Many.
Mount Mitchell is one of a number
a spur Of the Blue Ridge, about 30
miles long, shaped somewhat like
giant fishhook, with the shank lying
parallel to the Blue Ridge and close
toward the north and holds the wat
ers Of Cane river. The shank of the
fishhook is thrown far out into the
South Toe river valley, whose waters
The area of a 10-mile circle about
this point contains about 100000
acres Of as absolute wilderness as can
be found anywhere in America,
eSts
Mount Mitchell and its companion
peaks in the heart of the Blue Ridge,
are claimed by biologists to be the
Oldest mountains Of the world and
that this was dry lands when Noah's
flood swept over Asia, that before
Abraham was Mount Mitchell was.
1t was here when the Atlantic ocean
extended to its base and the central
states were part of the Gulf of Mex
leo. In solemn grandeur and prime
val solitude it has stood for ages.
mute. rugged and eternal.
The vast forests of spruce and j.
sam offer rare opportunities for the
lumbermen who about 10 years ago
built a railroad from point one mile
east OF Black Mountain TO a point
near the summit of Mount Mitchell,
over which thousands of carloads of
spruce and balsam logs are brought
900 feet of board measure lumber per
day. The lumberman's axe and the
forest fires, which broke out in the
numbering operations wrought havoc
on the fair sides Of the great noun
tain to such an extent that Governor
Locke Craig in 1914 held a confer
enCe with Perley and Crockett. lum-
Der operators, who magnanimously
agreed to desist cutting lumber near
the top until Governor Craig could Sc
cure legislation which would enable
North Carolina to purchase the top
of Mount NIitchaII fNr IL