Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-09-21
Communicated for tte National Inteihgcncer.
TRIP TO THE SUMMIT LEVEL OF THE CHE
sAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL.

! have already told you of my meeting MIR.
CALHOUN, Secretary of War, and Col. RoBER-
DE .U, in Allegheny county, on their way to the
Summit Level of the contemplated route of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and / now pro-
coed TO give you a lasty sketch ofour excursion.
1--WE left Cumberland ON horseback in the after
noon of the Goth August, 1924, accompanied By
Major Albert, who commands the party which
is now engaged in surveying the Potomac from
the mouth of Savage river to tide water, and a
few other gentlemen, and proceeded up the Ma
tionai Road about 81 miles to Mr.. Buskirlss,
formerly Tomlmson'sl where we remained for
the nights and. next morning., after an early
breakfast, continued up the road about two
miles, and then took to the left through the
woods, on the road leading to John McHenry's,
Esq. On our way, we passed through a very
valuable body of well numbered land, and some
beautiful farms, among them MIR. Cunuingham's,
which is very handsome one. We also pass
ed through the farm of the late Col. John Lynn,
end soon after met with Mr.. Shriver's party of
civil engineers, al Camp Howard, in sight of
! Mr.. McHenry's house, on Buffalo Marsh. This
party IS now engaged surveying Athe head wa-
tiers of Deep Creek, and other branches of the
Youghiogeny, and will proceed down that river
( to Monongahela, and thence to Pittsburg, which
they expect to reach by the first of December
We all went on to Mr. McHenry's, where we
met with kind reception, and that sort of High
land welcome which does the heart good
Mr.. Mcfienry's residence is about 40 miles
from Cumberland, and two miles from Deep
Creek Bridge, the Summit Level of the Canal;
and is a very pleasant situation. A very large
spring of the purest water in the low ground in
front of his house boils up violently through tho
sand,c and the sand, when pressed in the hand,
emits musical sounds-and this may become
some day as famous the Helicon Spring, of
Parnassus. Many years ago, when MIR. Nc
Henry first began to build his house, aged
man passed along, and told him that he was
6,atiing the first house of q large city. Mr.
McIIenry pever) saw the stranger before nor
since. He was, perhaps, one of the Children of
the Mist, who had crossed the Atlantic TO a
country and a Cline that resemble the heath
covered mountains of Caledonia; and here too,
sthe Scotch thistle blooms in all its sweetness and
glory, and the bracSens* grow in abundance
Perhaps the prophecy of this fPdriock, or what
ever he was, may yet come true, and, If it does,
trust he will again visit the hospitable inhabi-
tants of Buffalo Marsh.
Mr.. MCI1enFy has lately erected church
not far from his residence, SO that the glad I'll
dings of the gospel of peace will also soon be
heard at the Summit Level.
Alter dinner, we left Mr.. McTfenry on foot,
and walked TO point on Deep Creek, about a
quarter of a mile below the bridge, and immed-
ately above the mouth of Buffalo Marsh rum
where an experiment was made, in the presence
OF the Secretary and the rest of the company
ascertained that there was water sufficient. in
Deep Creek alone, to fill a lock 60 feet long
and IL feet wide, and 10 feet deep, in l3 min
utes-
This experiment was made by erecting two
dams shofs distance a part. The surface of
the water in this section, by particular mark,
was taken as the base; and at given signal,
the opening in the lower dam was closed and a.
gam at another signal it was opened This ex-
pertinent was repeated three times, and, not
WitAstandng there was unavoidable waste of
TTater, the above was the result.
This experiment, it must be remembered,
was made at very dry season of the year. when
no an iuch of rain had fallen for forty DAYS and
from the Information of the hunters and old set
tlnfs, Deep Creek has seldom been seen lower
than it was at that time and Buffalo Marsh Run
which eDpties into Deep Creek little below
where this experiment was made, furnishes, at
his dry season, from two TO three cubic feet Of
water per second.
1t is something remarkable to find such BIO.
dy of water as is contained in Deep Creek, SO
near the top of the Allegheny Mountain Ii is
q slow silent stream, resembling 4 large mill
race, and that 'sStW iraters run dccp,n is emf
nently eXempiiticd in this uncommon mountain
stream.
But, should even Deep Creek, and all its
branches, be found insufficient to furnish water
enough for Canal navigation, it is reduced to a !
certainty that the waters uf both the Touehio- !
geny $ can be brought to the summit level |
k..sch forever settles the question rs TO water |
a Dam of about Il feet ON the Little Youghio- |
gcny near Armstrong;, and Dam of about 35 |
feet on the Big Youghiogeny, near the State |
Road VIII command the waters of those streams !
at Deep Creek Bridge, the summit level. Ind
the water iii Big Youghiogeny alone at the |
Bridge on the State Road, is amply sufficient for
Canal navigation.
We we're all highly delighted with the ap-
pearauce of Deep Creek and the result of the |
experiment, and sincerely gratifed to find that
there was so much more water in that remark !
able stream than the most saneuine among Ms
had anticipated
We walked back to Camp Howard, name
dear to Maryland, and took ia cup of kindness,
with some friends whom we had met at the Ca |
nal Convention iii Washington, and whom we |!
could nov congratulate that tie ssmeetiBr of
the waters" was so near al hand, and that we |
had seen the hailowed spot where this indissou |
bic union was to be ratified.
We returned to Mr.. McIIenry1s to supper.
aud after many and long conversations on the
subject of canals, we retired to rest, but some |
of Us were as busy in our dreams all night in
carrying on the great work, as we had been by |
day, and we surnountcd all obstacles, and one
OF the company actually got the boats running |
across the summit level.
after breakfast next morning we took our |
departure, MIR. MciIcnry with US, and Whilst
the company called in at Camp Howard for Mr.. !
SGSIYer, ! proceeded on slowly .,l,ne To- noo,