620 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



The Summit. The buildings upon the summit are quite numerous. 

 There are a large hotel, two railroad edifices, the old Tip-top and 

 Summit houses, and the observatory, besides two barns just under the 

 crest on the south-east. The views in different directions now need to 

 be obtained from several stand-points about the platforms and among 

 the buildings. From favored rooms in the hotel the sunrise can be seen, 

 without the necessity of leaving a comfortable room. The observatory 

 is specially favored in its situation, as the finest views can be obtained 

 from indoors. With the severe arctic climate of this locality, one natu- 

 rally seeks for physical comfort to the neglect of the esthetic ; but if both 

 can be secured, the possessor should be doubly happy. 



Most people are disappointed in the views from Mt. Washington sum- 

 mit. They reach the top about noon, and remain one, two, or more hours 

 in the middle of the day, when there are no shadows. They are bewil- 

 dered by the vastness of the panorama, perhaps insensibly. It may be 

 that there is no one to point out particular features of beauty. The 

 landscapes require considerable study to be properly appreciated. Let 

 one take a map of New England, and trace out all the mountains west by 

 name, then in other quarters. Let him realize that in one direction, one 

 hundred and fifty miles away, the minute spire of Mt. Katahdin pierces 

 the horizon, while opposite (the same distance) the remotest projection is 

 Graylock in western Massachusetts. Beyond the Green Mountains are 

 the clearly defined Adirondacks ; on the north the great valley of the St. 

 Lawrence. On the south-east, in a clear morning, he may, with a glass, 

 see the ocean steamers in Casco bay. With this panorama before him, 

 let the observer carefully note all the smaller peaks and valleys, study 

 them out from their locations on the map, and he will become greatly 

 interested. Except by a thorough inspection of what seem small areas, 

 he cannot appreciate the immense number and variety of objects visible. 

 He can spend a full month in observing, and discover some new feature 

 every day. 



The atlas contains a plate showing in outline the principal mountains 

 and valleys, as seen in the sweep from this summit. The foundation 

 of the sketch is a series of drawings with a camera, so that its accuracy 

 can be vouched for. The more distant points have been exaggerated a 

 little,— otherwise they could not be seen. The reader is referred to 



