. Philadelphia and its environs, and the railroad scenery of Pennsylvania . ring out from some old mineadds sensibly to its volume, and it degenerates into a mere ditch beside the railroad track; 28 THE RAILROAD SCENERY OF PENNSYLVANIA. and finally, above Tuscarora, we lose it altogether in the marshes around its source. All alongthe valley are mining settlements, and here and there is a colliery at work, but most of themines along this route date from the earliest period of the trade, and are now exhaustedThere is plenty of coal deep down in the rocks, but it will require large capital and an
. Philadelphia and its environs, and the railroad scenery of Pennsylvania . ring out from some old mineadds sensibly to its volume, and it degenerates into a mere ditch beside the railroad track; 28 THE RAILROAD SCENERY OF PENNSYLVANIA. and finally, above Tuscarora, we lose it altogether in the marshes around its source. All alongthe valley are mining settlements, and here and there is a colliery at work, but most of themines along this route date from the earliest period of the trade, and are now exhaustedThere is plenty of coal deep down in the rocks, but it will require large capital and an exten-sive plant. like the deep Norwegian shafts of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and IronCompany, near Pottsville, to develop it. These shafts, by the way, are well worth the touristsattention. They are 1500 feet deep, cost a million of dollars, and have opened coal enoughto keep them working for at least a hundred years. They are the pioneers of deep coal-miningin America. * The chief attraction of this valley now, however, is its natural scenery; our now familiar. mountains. There are charming nooks inthese wooded steeps which seem just madefor excursion parties, and one in special,readily accessible from Brockville Station,deserves a passing word. It has not beenimproved. It still bears the prosaic name of Big Run given it by the practical miners, and there are no sign-boards warning visitors to Keep off the grass and dont break the shrubbery. A mouldy old road, grown up withbushes until it is nothing but a path, runs through it. There are huge rocks and picturesquecascades and gloomy caverns and shady trees and deep, soft cushions of moss, and everythingthat makes a glen delightful, but it is still waiting for public fame and favor. A few miles more and we reach Tamaqua, one of the oldest and most important towns inthe region, the terminus of the Little Schuylkill Railroad, of which we saw the other end at PortClinton. We make short pause here, but hurry on to the Mah
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