Harper's Monthly, 1850
SCENERY ON THE ERIE RAILROAD.
THE construction
of the Erie railroad through the hitherto secluded valleys of
the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers, and reaching now almost,
to the Allegany, has opened to access new fields for the tourist,
abounding with the loveliest and, the grandest works of Nature.
From the Hudson to the Lakes, the scenery is constantly changing
from the romantic and beautiful to the bold and rugged; and again
from the sublime and fearfully grand to the sweetest pictures
of gentle beauty. There is probably no road in the world that
passes through such a variety of scenery as does the Erie, and
there is certainly none that can present to the traveler such
a succession of triumphs of art over the formidable obstacles
which nature has, at almost every step, raised against the iron-clad
intruders into her loveliest recesses. The enchanting magnificence
of the scenery keeps the attention alive, while its varying character
at every turn, continually opens new sources of enjoyment. Immense
rocky excavations salute you upon every side. Miles of mountain
acclivities of solid rock have been borne away by the Herculean
arm of persevering industry. You see where the lofty cliff has
been beaten down; the huge mountain-barrier leveled; rough and
rugged precipices overcome; chasms spanned, and wide valleys and
rivers crossed.
The scenery in the valley of the Delaware is grand beyond description;
and in the valley of the Susquehanna, after passing out of a wilderness,
where every portion is stamped with the impress of grandeur, a
truly agricultural region, in a high state of cultivation, and
smiling with abundance, meets the eye. At the point where the
road first strikes the Susquehanna, that noble river is seen in
the plenitude of its magnificent beauty.
It is not our purpose to point out the particular objects most
worthy of examination, or to describe any one of the numerous
landscapes which lie all along the track; but we will venture
to assert, that nowhere between sun and sun can such a combination
and variety of the wonderful in nature and art, with the beautiful
be seen, as in a day's ride on the Erie railroad. Sketches of
some of these views accompany this article and we may, from time
to time, give such others as we think prove interesting to our
readers.
The reader is familiar with the geography of the road: commencing
at Piermont, on the Hudson, twenty-four miles from New York, on
the long pier that projects a mile into the river, it winds its
way westward among the hills along the course of the Sparkill.
Just before leaving the pier, looking north, the view above is
presented.
From the Sparkill
the road leads over to the Ramapo, where the first lovely scenery
commences, in a wild and broken, but picturesque region; thence
through Orange county, beautiful mostly from its fertility and
high cultivation. Passing on, the road approaches the Shawangunk
mountains, which are seen stretching away to the northeast, where
the eye catches a misty glimpse of the distant Catskills. The
appearance of these mountains from the east is truly sublime;
and ascending toward the summit the country is as rugged as the
wildest steeps of the Appenines or Styrian Alps. After passing
the summit of the mountain through a rock-cutting, half a mile
in length, the road winds by a gentle slope of a dozen miles along
the mountain side to the valley below. About half way down, another
deep cutting through the rock is passed, on emerging from which,
a view of remarkable loveliness meets the eye. At this point the
traveler has an unbroken view of the enchanting valley of the
Neversink in all its cultivated beauty. The accompanying view
represents the scene from the spot where the road boldly sweeps
toward the south, and shows the western verge of the valley bordered
by a chain of mountains, at the foot of which gleams the village
of Port Jervis and its level fields, losing themselves far in
the south where rolls the Delaware, beyond which again the distant
town of Milford may be seen in the misty light. Running south
through this beautiful area is a winding grove of trees, marking
the course of the Neversink to where it unites with the Delaware.
We will present
only one other view, which represents one of the imposing structures
which characterize the Erie road. This is the viaduct over the
valley of the Starrucca, built of stone. It is elevated one hundred
feet above the valley, is over twelve hundred feet long, and twenty-five
wide, and is composed of eighteen heavy piers, with arches of
fifty feet span. It is simple in its design, but symmetrical and
beautiful, and is altogether the noblest piece of work upon the
whole line of the road. It is one of the most interesting objects
which invite the notice of the traveler, and gives dignity and
grandeur, as well as a picturesque character to the work. In this
immediate neighborhood is some of the finest scenery to be found
on the whole line of the road, and will tempt many a traveler
to repeat his visit, and linger to explore new beauties, which
the eye in the rolling car does not detect.
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