AMONG THE COAL MINERS. 



HHHERE is no more picturesque or interesting 

 region of country in the United States than 

 that in which are found the anthracite coal-beds of 

 Pennsylvania. In many respects it is more attrac- 

 tive than the mountain regions of New Hampshire, 

 or the Adirondacks of New York, and it is equally 

 accessible. Upon entering this section from New 

 York, by way of the New Jersey Central Railroad, 

 the first remarkable point reached is the town of 

 Mauch Chunk, a name which few dare attempt to 

 pronounce without first taking lessons in the feat 

 from some one of the residents of the place. Cor- 

 rectly interpreted, it means " Bear Mountain," an 

 Indian name for a lofty peak ascending from the 

 valley. Mauch Chunk lies in a narrow gorge be- 

 tween and among high hills or mountains. This 

 gorge is quite narrow, and the scenery is wild and 

 grand. The little Lehigh River, arrested in its 

 course by dams, canal locks, and rocks, foams and 

 frets on its way through the defile, and the scream 

 of steam whistles, the rumbling of innumerable 

 trains of cars, and the shouts of boatmen, make up 

 a chorus of noises, day and night, altogether unus- 



