COG-WHEEL RAILWAY UP MT. WASHINGTON.
MONUMENT AT PLYMOUTH ROCK, MASSACHUSETTS.
Wild-Cat River cuts the town of Jackson in twain, a stream which is in fact a mountain cataract, filling the air about with its incessant roar. Within less than two hundred yards of the place the river makes a swift descent over granite ledges, which it has washed to almost whiteness, and near the bridge it is divided by a large bowlder into two cascades that are half-concealed by the rich foliage that bends down to receive the refreshing spray. The crest of the falls is split by huge stones and the main stream has overcome the obstacles in its way by cutting a passage under the rocks, after which it shoots down the ledge and becomes a faithful servant to a miller, who has utilized its power. Besides these cataracts there are several others, principal among which is Goodrich Falls, at which point the river pours its restless flood over a precipice eighty feet high. Bridal Veil Cascades are a mile further up the river, but there is a pleasant bridle-path all the way, and visitors to this district rarely fail to pay their respects to this very interesting part of the stream. The bed of the river is full of enormous bowlders, and its flow takes, accordingly, an erratic course; in fact, in every direction save upward. At the cascades the stream is parted by an elevation in the center of the ledge, and thus falls in a double sheet at almost right angles, where, gathering new force again, it goes rushing away to join the Androscoggin, which bears its waters to the sea. A tour of the mountains having been completed, our photographer doubled upon his tracks and returned to the Profile House, from which road-terminus he crossed the twelve-mile interval to North Woodstock, and there took train on the Concord and Montreal Railroad for points of attraction towards the southwest. The mountain region, however, was not yet entirely passed, for many prominent elevations, such as Mounts Moosilauke, Tecumseh, Tri-pyramid, Welch, Fisher, Stinson, Irael, and others, continued in view until Ashland was reached, at which place a stop was made to visit Squam Lake, one of the most exquisite sheets of water in the world. It is irregular in shape, but about six miles long by half as many broad. The expanse is not great, but the beauties which it presents are charming in the extreme. Over its bosom are scattered numerous islands which are very bowers of beauty, green with thickets of hazel and margined with mosaics of wild flowers. The waters are of such limpid purity that they swarm with fish, which may be seen frisking and playing tag twenty feet below the surface. The shores are banked but level, and along the edge is a perfect carriage-road, making a circuit of twenty-one miles, affording the finest excursion that can be made by vehicle. Squam Lake is separated from Lake Winnipiseogee by a strip of land two miles wide, and the village of Center Harbor lies on the west shore of the latter, where steamer may be taken for a ride to Wolfborough, twelve miles distant. The trip is a delightful one through narrow channels between islands of exceeding beauty, so thickly strewed over the water as to make the way appear like a labyrinth. Six miles northwest of the lake is an eminence over two thousand feet high, known as Red Hill, which is annually visited by many hundreds of tourists. There is a good carriage-road to the base, but the ascent is so steep and rugged that by foot or horse-back is the only means for gaining the summit. Though not nearly so lofty as a score or more of the mountains we have mentioned, yet visitors maintain that the view afforded from its peak exceeds in extent and magnificence that obtained from the observatory of Mount Washington or the summits of any of its brothers. This superiority is due to the absence of intervening peaks, as Red Hill is isolated, and overlooks a comparatively level district, in which Squam and Winnipiseogee Lakes are conspicuously visible, with their ragged shore-lines and lovely islands clearly definable.
BRIDAL VEIL CASCADE, WHITE MOUNTAINS.—Wild Cat River, inaptly named in the pioneer times of New England, is an enchanting stream for the tourist and the painter. Its course is broken by many ravishingly beautiful waterfalls and cascades, each presenting new and charming features. At Bridal Veil Cascade the bed of the river is full of immense boulders, upon which the descending stream is broken into a thousand forms of diversified loveliness. At the summit the stream is parted by an elevation in the centre of the ledge, and thus falls in a double sheet at almost right angles, greatly enhancing the charming features of the delightful scene.
THE OLD TOWER AT NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.