'THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1927
nr. rnftiiftLtii r t,.u
No.
It
AN
iiroumi
fj0
Nosing
Way
1
Word"
"New Wonders in That Land of
Wonderful Scenery in Store"
Says Charlotte Observer's
Editor Highway Being
Blasted Through Gorges
and Across Mountain
On his recent trip to Franklin Col.
Wade. Harris, editor of The Char
v lotte Observer, made a trip to the
Cullasaja gorge where highway No.
I 28 is being blasted through solid
, Cgck. The Colonel was captivated
ijf by the scenery along the route and on
' his . return to Charlotte wrote the
; following editorial which appeared
in The Observer on November 3 un
der the caption seen at the head of
this article: ',
And yet for the tourist and home
traveler, as well, new wonders in that
land of wonderful scenery are in
store. Highway No. 28 is being steadi
ly blasted and carved through gorges
and around mountain sides between
Highlands to Franklin and on to
Hayesville and when that route is
opened through a hitherto untraveled
section, North, Carolina will invite the
. 1 people who are acustomed to the
Rockies to come along and experience
the delights of "real scenery." High-
WATCHES
JEWELRY
Expert Watch
Repairing
Glasses Fitted
Licensed Optometrist
Since 1909 v
Grover Jamison
way No. 28 branches off from High
way No. 20, the great across-state
Lroute.from Wrightsville Beach through
Charlotte . to Asheville whence it
cuts across to Paint Rock, at the Ten
nessee line. Number 28 runs through
Hendersonville and Brevard to Toxa
way, Sapphire, High Hampton and
Highlands to Franklin, thence over
the Nantahalas to Hayesville. It is
paved all the way to Sapphire and
the first time the people travel over
the finished road, they will come in
to appreciation of the time that was
consumed in . its construction. The
conquest of the gorge of the Cullasaja
River will serve as an example. The
gorge is twelve miles east of Frank
lin and the highway is graded from
that town to the place where the
road is being carved around the north
ern side of the gorge. For half a
mile a roadway has been cut through
solid granite. The stone is sliced as
neatlyas a loaf of bread could be
carved, a wall straight up from one
side the roadbed to distances varying
from 50 to 75 feet. There is a floor
ing of 24 feet of smooth rock upon
which the resilient treatment of as
phalt will be necessary. On the
southern side the land disappears and
glancing down one looks into the
tops of the trees receding into the
narrow bed over which the river
roars along 2,000 feet down. It is
a narrow gorge, and up front the op
posite side the cliff . rises straight.
There are successive growths of trees,
rising roots to tops , half way up the
precipitous walls, thence all is' smooth
rock, with irregular rifts in its sur
face, from which tree growth bends
at eccentric angles to the top, another
1,500 feet. At the head of the gorge
starts a series t of cascades, ending
further down in a great water, fall,
for it is just above the cascades that
the volume of the Cullasaja is rein
forced by the waters of Walnut,
Big Buck, Little Buck, Brush, Laurel
and , Stephens Creeks. It is a cas
cade and waterfall of mighty propor
tions, even in dry weather.
Going through this gorge, the trav
eler must feel that the world is clos
ing in around him in awesome man
ner, but then, eastward-bound out of
Highlands, he will come suddenly in
to one of the broadest patches of
daylight he could desire. It is the
panorama from No. 28 known v as
"Sunset View," which probably covers
a larger scope of mountain lands than
any other spot in the State. More
impressive, even than (thc piled up
masses of ridge and peaks, is the
tremendous recesses of the valley
bowl, for the trees recede into ac
tually shadowy depths. Up one slope
the houses of' the villages of Glen
ville and Cashiers shine white in the
sunlight; Chimney Top overshadows
High Hampton and in the foreground
the great bulk of Whitesides Moun
tain, with its towering granite corn
er known as the Devil's Court House
looms high into the sky and hard-by
the Wild Cat cliffs, exposed in all
their nakedness. From the northern
to the southern end of the curving
outline of mountain ridge is a, dis
tance of an old-time horse-back journ
ey of a hundred miles.'
Very much of mountain wildness is
encountered between -Franklin and
Hayesville, the immediate objective
point of Hlic road builders, and the
latter place having been reached,
Highway No. 28 will be opened to
Murphy, where it joins . thci neighbor
it left at Bat Cave, to completion of
a .scenic circle that is going to make
North Carolina as well known to the
traveling public as is the Garden of
the Gods, or any one of the Nation
al parks "out West." There arc
thrills in store for the automobile
public when Highway 28 is opened
through that section of the State,
and especially so if the proposition
to run the highway under Drv Falls,
as projected by The Asheville Times
and T he Franklin Press is carried
oitt. This fall takes its name from
-the fact that the water roars over
a giant projecting rock, the cavernous
space under it being left dry. There
is ample room for the roadway, and
The Press says this project would
give No. 28 a scenic effect "not dupli
cated perhaps in the Nation." And a
half day's ride would take the people
of Charlotte into a world that is not
only rugged, but new.
And of course the traveler will have
to eo through Highlands, the town
whose natives lately "got, after" The
Obser'T phont on th'' -mc of neg
lect. Far down below Highlands nest
les "the smallest post office" in the
United Stntes, known as Gnmshaw
It has "The Printery," at Black
Mountain "skinned." for there.' is room
within its walls for only the post
master and a mail sack. This little
postoffice gets mail twice a day the
New York papers, they proudly s.p','
the day after publication, and more
proudly, The Observer before supper
time. Up on top of Whitesides, un
der whose shadow Grimshaw lives out
its uneventful, life, one can almost see
the highest postoffice cast of the
Rockies," which is Balsam, and with
a bent telescope he might look over
the ridge and see "the, smallest print
ing office ni the United States," which
is Trelyon Browne's establishment at
Black Mountain. Well, the Highlands
people will tell you that they live in
"the highest incorporated town East
of the Rockies." And all these facts
are so. Highlands is making better
preparedness against the coming of
No. 28. Scott Hudson, of Atlanta,
is completing, under direction of Don
ald Ross,' a golf course of unique
features, on a tract of 400 acres edg
ing on the town. Nine holes of this
course surround a lake now being
built within the property. The other
holes leading off from the clubhouse,
extend to the shore line of the Muni
cipal Lake, on which the property
fronts for half a mile. The club
house has 32 rooms with bath in
each. Highway 28 passes along the
lake, and power house on the Culla
saja, thus developing another scenic
asset. Highlands is ( already equipped
with hotels, but is going to have
another big(one. Its setting of pri
vate homes is one of the most beauti
ful in the State. The Chamber of
Commerce has issued an illustrated'
booklet of Highland scenery that)
"challenges comparison" with the best j
in America. The Highlands folk tell!
us we must' stay a day or two up
there before we could "do the town")
justice," in which Conclusion there
was ready concurrence. The Observer I
is . saving Highlands for additional i
treatment when Number 28 bids us
come. . I
Franklin Church
Gets New Pastor
The Rev. A. P. Ratlcdge, pastor
of the Franklin Methodist church
for the past yearl, will not return to
Franklin next year, but has been (
transferred to Cherryville, it became
known Monday, when the appoint
ments of ministers were read at the
annual Western North Carolina Con
ferenc oef the Methodist church, in
Asheville. .
,In place of Mr. Ratlcdge, the Rev.
R. F. Mock will come to Franklin.
Mr. Mock, it is understood, comes
here from Cherryville. '
The Rev. Mr. Ratlcdge has re
turned to Franklin, prior to going to
his new charge, and will fill 'the pul
pit here next Sunday.
There were . no other changes in
the Methodist ministers in this coun
ty, the others all returning to the
charges they had during the past'
year. '
Following are the appointments for
the Waynesville district:
, P. W. Tucker, presiding elder; An
drews, J. R. Church ; Bethel, J. C,
Gentry ; Bryson City,. D. V. Howell ;
Canton, A. C. Gibbs; Cherokee Mis
sion. William Hornbucklc; Cullowhee,
J.'.S. Folker; Dellwood, E. W. Need
ham; Franklin, R. F. Mock; Franklin
circuit, J. H. Strickland; Fines Creek,
H. C. Freeman.
Glenville, C. C. Totherow (supply) ;
Hayesville, C. S.Plylcr (supply); Hay
wood, Van B. Harrison; Hikhlands,
C. E. Williams; Jonathan, G. N. Du
lin; Judson, L. H. Hipps (supply);
Llyde-Junaluska, rrank ruler.
Macon, T. S. Roten (supply); Mur
phy, H. P. Powell; Murphy circuit, J.
Winkler (supply) ; Sylva, G. B. Qem
mcr; Waynesville, J. T. Mangu'm;
Webster, F. W. Kiker; Whittier, R.
L.Bass. ,
ALL KINDS OF
"OLD LINE" INSURANCE
The Dependable Kind
"Performance Beyond the Contract"
Inquiries Cheerfully Answered
"NUFF SED"
W. B. LENOIR, Agent
-lULit,WJSL
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The Orlando Apartments new building '
is finished. ; The good people of Franklin
' art proud of it, and we share their pride,
and we are grateful for the co-operation
and kindly assistance of all those who help-'
cd to erect this beautiful building.
The Franklin Hardware Company fur
nished cement, lime, lumber, doors, sash,
screens, millwork, sheetrock wallboard, tex
tone, and paints, hardware, cook ranges,.
. roofing.
The Macon County Supply Company
furnished hardware, plumbing, electric light
fixtures, heaters.
The Franklin Furniture Company fur-',
nished bricks, and some lumber.
The Carolina Provision Company fur
nished re-enforcing steel.
Brick- masons , were Claude - Russel, - Jess ;
"THE ORLANDO APARTMENTS
Keener, Ben McDonald.
Cement worker : George Mashburn.
Carpenters: I. A. Peppard, Fred Slagle, Burnell Waldroop, Ralph West, Elbert Anderson, John X. Davis, Thos. J. Johns
ton, Jr. ' ' ' : ". ' '
i ' ' ' i .. ' .
Fire insurance: Allen and Jamison. ' ' t.
Financial: Bank of Franklin, and Citizens Bank. j'r,
Floor planning: Ralph West.
Electrical work : John Gribble, Ted Gribble, Carey Patton.
Plumbers: Frank Curtis, Fred Parrish,
: '". -;'.. '
."' We thank you, '
Come and see our new building.
'''.'
49
IVANHOE COMPANY
E. GEORGE WURST, President.