36 Some Account of the IFIxiie Mountains 



In some instances the fire had run over the sides of the moun- 

 tain, destroying ti'e vegetation and leaving the dead trnnks of 

 the trees standinu' hke stuhble in a field, and presenting a sin- 

 gular appearance of desolation for some miles in extent. Several 

 brooks, tlie trihuturies of the Saco, fall down the aijrupt decli- 

 vities, forming a succession of beautiful cascades in sight of the 

 road. We were told that the wind sweeps through the Notch 

 at times with great violence. The lightning is said to strike 

 frequently in the inountain^'i from the clouds about their sides, 

 and the sound of the thunder iu this place is represented as un- 

 usuallv loud and severe. The report of a musket discharged in 

 the Notch was followed bv a long echo, reverberated for some 

 time from both sides of the mountain. 



The White Hills have been ascended by various routes, from 

 the irdifferent sides The course which is usually considered as 

 attended with the least difiiculties, is that which commences at 

 the plain of Pigwacket, at present the town of Conway, and fol- 

 lows the course of Ellis river, a northern branch of the Sa**!), 

 having its orii>:in high in the mountain. 



The place of leaving the road, to follow the track of this stream, 

 is in the town of Adams, about twenty miles from the summit of 

 the highest part of the mountain. Of this distance seven or 

 eight miles may be rode over on horseback, the rest must be 

 perfornted on foot. After leaving the borders of cultivation, our 

 course lay through thick woods, on a level or with a gentle 

 ascent, not much encumbered with an under growth of bushes, 

 for six miles. The walking was tolerably good, except the cir- 

 cumstance of being obliged once or twice to ford the streams. 

 Our encampment for the night was made at the mouth of New 

 river, a principal branch of the Ellis. This river takes its name 

 from the recencv of its origin, which happened in Octol)er 1775. 

 At this time, during a great flood that took place in consequence 

 of heavy rains, a large bodv of waters, which had formerly de- 

 scended bv other channels, found their way over the eastern brink 

 of the mountains, and fell down toward the Ellis, carrying the 

 rocks and trees before them iu their course, and iuuuflating the 

 adjacent countrv. Bv this freshet the banks of the Saco were 

 overflowed, cattle were drowned, and fields of corn were swept 

 away and destroyed. Since that period, the New river has re- 

 mained a constant stream, and at the place where it descends 

 the last precipice, forms a splemlid cascade of 100 feet in height. 



From this encampment, which was seven miles from the top 

 of the mountain, we proceeded the next day (July 2) two or 

 three miles by the side of Ellis river, on a gradual ascent, occa- 

 sionally encumbered by the trunks of fallen trees. We now left 



the 



