CRAWFORD HOUSE NOTCH, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Turning back north from Profile House, our artist proceeded west from Bethlehem Junction over the Maine Central Railway, and after a short ride reached Fabyan’s, where the scenery of the White Mountains broke upon his enraptured vision in all its glory. Two miles below is Crawford’s Notch, the natural pass into the range, and here the visitor has his surprise as well as admiration quickened by a sight of the “Elephant’s Head.” Standing on the piazza of a hotel at Crawford’s, the enormous head and trunk seem to be just emerging from the deep woods near the entrance to the pass, and the gray of the granite slope serves to strengthen the illusion. From the Elephant’s Head Hotel there is a particularly fine view of the Notch, a gigantic cleft through which the Titans may have forced a way, but which is now utilized by the railroad. It is from this point that excursions to the summit of Mount Washington, by way of the bridle-path opened by Thos. J. Crawford in 1840, are made. A great majority of persons prefer the easier ascent by means of the cog-wheel railroad, which was completed in 1869, and requires one and one-half hours to make the trip, the fare being $6.00. The summit of Mount Washington is 6,293 feet above sea level; and as the rail distance is three miles, the grade is very great, in one place being a rise of one foot in three, or 33 per cent. To secure perfect safety the track is composed of three rails bolted to a trestle of heavy timbers, the center rail being an immense wrought-iron ladder, with rounds four inches apart, into which the cogs of the locomotive drive-wheels fit, and thus drag the train up the steep, as well as control it in making the descent, though automatic air-brakes are used in emergencies. But though the rail route, in swinging seats, is more comfortable and expeditious, if time be any consideration, the carriage-road is almost as popular with travelers, who, as a rule, are willing to make sacrifices, if by so doing they obtain the recompense of grander sights. As our artist had made the ascent of Pike’s Peak by car, he concluded to take in the larger experience of gaining the summit of Mount Washington by stage, that he might be better able to report the contrast. Though the distance by rail is only three miles, by wagon-road it is ten, so winding is the way, and to add to the distress of the latter journey, the first four miles is toilsome without revealing any scenery worth the effort of a glance. But above the four-mile point the dreary, tame and desolate aspect is succeeded by a landscape that cannot be excelled for magnificence. It is here that the creaking stage emerges from the woods that hides the prospect and moves out upon the bare crags, and the Ledge House, or Half-Way Station, is reached, where a stop is made to rest the horses and give passengers opportunity and time to drink in the glories of the wondrous view that is thus presented. Far down below yawns the measureless void of a tremendous gulf, while above is a colossal pile of granite that supports the dome of Washington and a wide-spreading wilderness of tumult. Looking off in the distance from this natural observatory, the presidential peaks of Mounts Adams, Jefferson and Madison are plainly visible, whose aged sides are cloven by deep crevasses and their feet are hidden in gorges of tremendous depths; while a glance downward over the ragged tops of the forest trees discovers Peabody Glen and river, with a white spot in the fading distance that by aid of glass is found to be the Crawford House. Following the vale out to its entrance upon the Androscoggin Meadows, the vision sweeps up Mount Moriah, and traversing the Confederate Peaks to the summit of Mount Carter, finally rests upon the brow of Washington, which is almost overhead.
MOUNT WASHINGTON AND COG-WHEEL RAILROAD, WHITE MOUNTAINS.—The summit of Mount Washington is 6293 feet above the sea-level, and as the distance by rail is only three miles the grade is very steep, in some places as much as one foot in three. To secure perfect safety in ascending and descending such a tremendous grade, the track is composed of three rails bolted to a trestle of heavy timbers, the centre rail being an immense wrought-iron ladder, with rounds four inches apart, into which the cogs of the locomotive drive-wheel fit, and thus drag the train up the steep as well as control it, with aid of air-brakes, in making the descent. One and a half hours are consumed in making the round trip, and the fare is six dollars, but the view from the summit is so magnificent that it fully justifies the expense.
SQUAM LAKE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.