New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-11-15
From the Baltimore American.
aud Ohio Railroad.

From the Baltimore American.
Baltimore aud Ohio Railroad.
The completion of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road to Cumberland has been accomplished some
DAYS earlier than was intimated previously. The
route from this city to Hancock has been for some
time open to travel. From the latter point TO
Cumberland, distance of ffty-fve miles, the road
i. just finished, and Tor the FIRST time on Thursday
the inhabitants OF the wild regions of the Allegany
behed train Of cars drawn by a smoking loco
motive among their hills. The rails are heavily
laid of the best iron, and after the most approved
style of construction; and SO well graded is the
road, and so firmly settled, that the cars rolled
smoothly onward at velocity unusual even in
railroad travelling. The entire distance from Bal
timore to Cumberland, 17s miles, was performed,
including stoppages, in ten hours; and upon the
new portions of the road the rate of speed was
considerably beyond the average of the rate Oh
that part of the road between the city and Har-
per's Ferry, which is constructed with different
rail-
The route from Hancock to Cumberland pur.
sues the margin of the Potomac river, with -four
exceptions The first occurs at the Doe Gulley,
l9 miles above Hancock where by tunnel OF
1900 feet in length bend Of the river is cut of,
and distance of nearly four miles saved The
second is at the Paw Paw Ridge, where dis
lance of nearly two miles is saved by tunnel OF
$50 feet in length. The third and fourth are
within six miles of Cumberland, where two bends
are cut by the route with considerable les
SEEMING of distance. In advancing westward from
Hancock the line passes along the Western base
of Warm Spring Ridge, approaching within
couple of miles of the Berkeley Springs which
are as the eastern foot of that ridge. 1t thus
sweeps around the termination of the CacaPon
Mountain, opposite the remarkable and insulated
eminence called the Round Top Thence the
road proceeds the crossing of the Great Cacapon
river nine and half miles above Hancock, which
j. crossed by bridge about 400 feet in length
Within the next mile it passes dam No 6, the
present termination of the finished part of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and soon after, 1t
enters the gap of Sideling Hill, that famous bug
bear Of the traveller, which on the National Turn
pike opposes such formidable barrier to his
tourney, but which here is unnoticed except in the
tine profile which it exhibits on each side of the
river, a. it declines rapidly to the water level In
the gap of this mountain the coal veins which
R. Calon Esq, with that zeal which has always
distinguished his researches in this branch OF
practical geology, is endeavoring to turn to Prohta
BILE account The slack water of the Canal dam
extends some two miles above Sideing Hill.
The next point of interest reached is the Tunnel
at the Doe Gallery The approaches to this fol-
midabls work are very imposing, for several
miles above and bslow they cause the road to &C.
cspy high level on the slopes of the river hills,
and thus ford an extensive view of the grand
mountain scenery around The Tunnel is, as be-
fore mentioned ubout quarter OF q mile in length
through compact slate rock which is being
arched with brick to preserve it from future disn
tegration by atmospheric action. The fronts
facades of the arch are Of fine white sandstone
procured from the summit of the neighboring
mountain. The work Of arching is proceeding
wihos, interruption to the travel. The width OF
the opening within the brick work will be 81 feet
and the hight 20t, afordng room for two tracks.
The hight of the hill above the roof of the Tunnel
is Ito feet. The excavation and embellishments
adjacent very heavy and consist of the slate
rock through which the Tunnel is Above
this point the line pursues the very sinuous part of
the river lying between Sideling Hill ON the Eas,
and Fawn Hill on the West. The curves are not
however abrupt, but form fine sweeping circuits,
passing sometimes along beautiful alluvial bottoms
and again at the feot of precipitous cliffs. The
Paw Paw Ridge Tunnel was next reached, thirty
miles from Hancock and twenty-five miles below
Cumberland. This Tunnel is through soft slate
rock, and is curved horizontally with radius OF
$50 feet. 1t is of the same sectional dimensions
with the Doe Gulley Tunnel, and is completely
archsd with brick and fronted with white sand.
stone Thence the route reaches Little Cacapon
Creek, 81 miles from Cumberland Atthe mouth
of this stream there fine fats, and a beautiful
view OF the mountains to Eastward. The Yiaduct
over the Creek is l43 feet. About Sd miles further
on, the South Branch of the Potomac was crossed
on q Bridge 400 feet long. This is in fact the
main Potomac, and would have been (as the
story runs) so treated by the Commissioners who
run the Boundary of Maryland and Virginia, but
that the North Branch has the aDpearance at The
coRfaeaee, of being the larger stream. The river
bottoms are here wide and exceedingly fertile and
tho scenery very beautiful. The arching of the
strata in the section of the South Branch Mountain,
Just above the junction, is most remarkable and
grand
Some two miles above we passed BY fine straight
hne. over the widely expanded flats opposite the
ancient village OF Old Town, in MARYLAND These
are TIE nuess bottom lands on the river and from
the upper END Ut them we obtained the frs, view
OF the hnobly Mountain, thar remarkable RANCE
which hes IN line with the town of Cumberland
and Is SO singalarly diversified by q profile which
makes II appear like succession of artificial
mounds. Ian Mountain towers over it, forming
hne back ground to the view. Soon after, the
route passes the high cliffs known by the nan,a nj
Keely's Rocks, where there has been yery hsavy
excavation Patterson's creek, eight miles from
Cumberland was next reached Immediately be-
low this stream is a lofty mural precipce Of lime.
stone and sandstone rock, singuarly perforated in
some of the lodges by openings which look like
Gothic loop holes The valley of this creek i.
very straight and bordered by beautiful flats. The
yiaducs over the stream is $50 feet long. Les
thas two miles above and six miles from Cumber
land, the North Branch of the Potomac is crossed
by viaduct zoo feet long, and rising in a success
sion of stsps-smbracing also crossing of the