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Historic “Rocky Face Ridge,”
And Its Treasures.
It has been known for a long time
that Rocky Face Mountain, in "Whit
field. county, Ga., affords some of the
grandest scenery that is to be found
on any mountain in Georgia. Large
rocks stand like huge sentinels all over
the craggy steeps, while on their gray,
mottled sides, droop ferny sprays,
bright hued mosses, and crisp, curled
lichens.
Far as the eye can reach, range on
range of mountains rise, melting away
in the distance like banks of heavy
clouds. Looking to the east, you be
hold Cohutta, with its deep gorges and
lofty peaks. To the west Lookout
Mountain rises in one mighty unbroken
mass. Fertile valleys lie on either
side, with neat farm houses and fields
of waving grain.
About four miles northwest of Dal
ton, Mill Creek Cap cuts through this
gigantic, palisaded ridge. This gap is
very narrow in some places, and its
steep sides rise almost perpendicularly.
Mill Creek, which rises at the foot of
Rocky Face Ridge, flows northward for
several miles, runs through this gap,
and reaching the more open country
eastward, within a few miles, flows
into the Connasauga river.
The Western & Atlantic Railroad
also runs through this gap, and tourists
over this favorite line are delighted
with the wild and picturesque scenery
shown in the gorge. At Mill Creek
Gap occurred several hotly contested
fights between the Federate and Con
federates in 1863 and 1864.
Extending along Rocky Face is an
unbroken line of breast-works built by
the Confederates. The minnie balls,
wedged here and there in the crevices
of the rocks, and the broken shells
found there, will, for years to come,
bear evidence of a time that “tried
men’s souls,” and a nation’s strength
and resources.
Geologists and mineralogists have
passed along and lingered on this moun
tain.
Rich veins of iron ore have been dis
covered, which, on being tested, made
the finest steel.
Not until recently have other devel
opments been made which are of strik
ing interest to this section.
An Englishman, of thirty years ex
perience in coal mining, has within the
last month, with the labor of a few
hands, developed what he believes to
be an inexhaustible bed of coal of the
finest quality.
A company is now being formed for
working this mine.
It is within one mile of the track of
the Western & Atlantic Railroad. On
the opposite side of the track, within a
short distance of it, mineral springs of
various kinds have been discovered.
These springs are now being visited by
many from different parts of the coun
try.
A gentleman, who has visited most
of the noted watering places in the
United States, says the medicinal vir
tue of these springs equal, if not ex
ceed, any he has ever found.
THE GREAT KENNESAW ROUTE GAZETTE.
The coal mines and mineral springs
are within two miles of Tunnel Hill,
Ga., which is located on the Western
& Atlantic Railroad. Any one wish
ing to visit either place will find a good
hotel at Tunnel Hill, and conveyances
to carry him to any point desired.
Tunnel Hill is “no mean village.” It
is noted for good health, pure air, fine
mountain scenery, good society, and is
a pleasant place for the weary traveler
to stop for rest.
These medicinal springs are in the
gap of the Blue Ridge that divides the
waters. The close proximity of the
springs to the Western & Atlantic
Railroad makes it an easy task to run
the water in pipes to the road, and, as
a countryman remarked, with little.
trouble and expense travelers on the
Great Kennesaw Route can be furnish
ed with this pure medicinal beverage
gushing from the Blue Ridge Moun
tains.
From the Southern Industrial Record.
“ War Scenes on the W. A A.”
5 A greater hit, in its way, was never
made, than Joseph M Brown, general
passenger agent of the Western and
Atlantic railroad, has made with his
Mountain Campaigns in Georgia, or
liar Scenes on the the IF. A A., which
the Record has previously noticed.
Mr. Brown did not hash up a dish of
stale matter, illustrated with old ad
vertising cuts; but he spent months
and money, getting accurate informa
tion. He engaged first-class artists,
and with them, visited those scenes of
such thrilling interest, from Lookout
Mountain, near Chattanooga, to “Leg
get’s hill,” near Atlanta, and they
sketched and photographed, and, from
accurate descriptions, filled in battle
scenes. The most careful and pains
taking maps were made, and correct
portraits of distinguished generals en
graved. No pains or expense was
spared to make the Mountain Cam
paigns in Georgia perfect. How well
Mr. Brown succeeded is told in the
many letters he has received from dis
tinguished commanders of both sides,
commending his work and congratu
lating him upon its great success. The
great attention the book has directed
to the scenes of absorbing interest, re
curring upon almost every mile of the
W. & A. railroad,infalliably marks its
success.
If you are going to travel between
the northwest and Atlanta or Florida
you should by all means go over the
Western and Atlantic Railroad through
the wild and historic scenery at and
near Allatoona Pass, and amid the
Allatoona Mountains. The Western
and Atlantic Railroad passes through
scenery which must always be im
pressive to lovers of the gospel as it
penetrates the mountain fastnesses at
and near Allatoona Pass, and every
lover of the stirring song, “Hold the
fort, for I am coming !” should travel
through the scenes where the moun
tain signals were exchanged just be
fore the famous battle of Allatoona.
Sam Jones, the evangelist, lives on
the Kennesaw Route.
Written for the Kennesaw Gazette.
Demoralized at Kennesaw.
Comrade, that’s faulty
Them words you say,
Got to assault, eh!
Johnston to-day.
Chas’d him ! that’s sin,
Call this a chase?
Fought since we Hank’d him
From Rocky Face!
Lord! what a muscle
He’s got, you bet!
Ain’t, in a tussel,
Wallop’d him yet.
Two to one on him
Still he ain’t skeer’d
Johnston, dog gone him !
Boys, I’m afeard.
Where Oostanaula,
Coosawattee,
Swift Connasauga,
Rivers join, three,
There at Resaca
’Mong the hills hid,
We made attack —ah !
Sorry we did.
Adairsville, Lay’s ferry,
There we had lights,
He look’d ugly, very,
From Cassville’s heights.
Next at New Hope,sir,
’Mid the woods thick,
While we did grope, sir,
He made us sick.
From Allatoona
We Hank’d him out,
Then—but no sooner —
All gave a shout.
Now at Kennesaw —
What’s that you say ?
“Round him our ranks draw,
Brought him to bay,”
“Bay,” yes, three weeks now
So he’s been held ;
His claws ev’ry day show
The cat can’t be bell’d.
Got to attack him
Right here this morn ?
Let us git back, .Jim,
Wish I wern’t born.
Johnston been tackled
At Kennesaw ;
Fool’s goose has cackled,
Lord, ain’t I raw.
Drubbed us —1 guess so !
Don’t we all look it!
Routed, yes, jesso,
Squire, you may book it.
What’s that ?— don’t do it,
Cap., you’ll get hurt,
Goin’ to renew it?
Gosh ! I’ll desert.
The Western and Atlantic Railroad
runs through the wild and picturesque
scenery among the Allatoona Moun
tains after going northward through
Allatoona Pass.
There are few more charming spots
in the south, if you take the rugged
and striking landscape into considera
tion.
A wild country this is to travel
through in a palace car in times of
peace. How impressive, therefore, it
must have appeared to the tens of
thousands of soldiers who fought and
flanked each other through this coun
try in the days of ’64!
The Western and Atlantic railroad
runs more passenger trains over the
same rails than any other railroad in
the South.
B» / ‘ A
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THE SIDETRACK.
A School Boy’s Composition,
f The Sidetrack is a very useful thing.
Pa once bad a pet rooster. He would
fly upon bis knee and crow when he
wanted corn. I mean the rooster
would. I seen two trains a coming to
wards one'another yesterday, and I
thought they was a going to run to
gether and have a smash up, but one
of them got into the sidetrack and the
other kept on over the main line that
is fastened to the sidetrack, and they
didn’t have no trouble. Sister Jane
was a reading to me about a wild horse
that tried to stomp on a rooster ; but
the rooster crowed and jumped at him
and the wild horse he got scared and
galloped away. A policeman told a
engineer that he was a going io have a
accident, but the engineer said “Oh,
no, I’m on the sidetrack.” “Oh, well,”
said the policeman, “I wasn’t a notic
ing that. If you are on the sidetrack
you are all safe.” They say that folks
are happy who ride on the sidetrack.
The histories tell us that the Roman
empire conquered the world. I guess
the world must have got even with it
and conquered the Roman empire, for
there ain’t no Roman empire now and
there is a world. In fact there is two
worlds, for Columbus discovered a new
world. As there ain’t no account of a
sidetrack ever being licked, maybe if
the Roman empire had have had a
sidetrack it would have kept on a con
quering the world.
Ladies have trains to their dresses,
but them trains don’t run on a side
track, so men get their feet tangled in
them and stumble and then sometimes
they sware.
Uncle Perkins he said that a coach
whip snake could go as fast as greased
lightning, and beat anything a run
ning; but Pa says a coachwhip snake
can t run as fast as the trains on the
sidetrack do. I don’t think Uncle
Perkins meant to tell a story; but I
am sure Pa knowed what he was a talk
ing about.
I wish I had a gote. A blind man
was a grinding a hand organ once, and
a billy gote seen him and thought the
man was a daring him for a fight, and
he run and butted him and his organ
over. 6
Another billy gote he once chawed
up Aunt Agnes’ straw bonnet, and
Aunt Agnes she was so mad that she
went and got some hot water and
throwed it on him and the billy gote
