Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1853-10-15

An Excursion across the Alleghanics on
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,

in the cars, 10 moment the "iron horse =
neighed, the bell rang and we were of We
swept down the banks Of the beau
tful Ohio, eleven miles to Moundsville, a neat
village on its banks, and so named from n ma.
jestic Indian mound near by. The scenery
here is beautiful; the hills Of the Ohio loom
up in majestic grandeur. and seem to stand as
eternal sentinols Of the graves 's
"Where the red forefathers Of the hamlet sleep"
Here we leave the Ohio and enter Grave
Greek Valley, and commence a devious way
among the most romantic scenery imaginable.
Twenty miles from Wheeling We pass Shep-
herds Tunnel, which is 800 feet long, hcwn
out Of the solid rock, at the depth Of so feet
below the apex Of the hill. Ten miles more
brings us to Wellingtons Tunnel. about a
quarter Of a mile through, which ushers into
Fish Creek Valley, which is dark, and deep
and densely covered with wild shrubbery; this
leads us to Pettybone's Tunnel, which is a
half mile through Before entering this the
lamps were lighted, we soon found ourselves
surrounded by black darkness, but few min
utes, however, brought us into broad day
light again. Vending our way on among
the mountains, the sides of which and the
valleys were covered with henlock and pine
equal perhaps TO Millions, "Hewn in Norwe-
gian hills to be the mast of some grea. Ad
miral," we soon find ourselves in Fairmount,
village of some two thousand inhabitants,
situated on the banks of the Monongehala,
across which at !his point is a suspension Wire
Bridge. Pausing here about &C minutes for
dinner. we roll on across the Monongehala on
a cast-iron Bridge. which cost s46s,ooo, and
pass up Tgerts Valley River, which is re-
markable for its falls affordng facilities suffi-
cient to make Lowell of it, if in possession
of the Yankees.
Passing on up Raccoon Valley, we COM
mence ascending grade. Here they divide
the train and attach part Of it TO another
engine, we continue ascending this grade 9
miles at ll6 feet to the mile. This leads us
to the great Cheat River Mountain Tunnel,
seven-eights Of mile long. This | was in
formed was about 500 feet below the top OF
the mountain The cars pass through in about
I minutes. Having passed through we stop
ped short time. From this point what a
beautiful landscape! For miles and miles
around us rise innumerabe mountains hud-
died together with deep and dark chasms be-
tween. Their tops looking toward heavens
azure, are bare and bleached by the storms of
centuries, and ther sides thickly covered with
dark colored evergreen. We could gaze up
On the works Of the Almighty as like Alps on
Alps the upheaved mountain mass loomed up
to heaven. Here we were also brought to
consider the works Of man in clcayng or bo-
ring the mountain, filling up and bridging the
chasm, and making highway where erewhile
nought but the solitary eagle
sat on the storm beat rock, or the forest beast
had his unmolested lair.
We thundered on amid the world of won.
drous grandeur. Descending at the same
rate as we assembled for II miles, we pass over
several chasms on cast-iron tresse work, on
one of which the cars pass over at the height
Of lsO feet above the base; 81 feet of this lis
cnst-iron, sufficiently wide for two tracks, the
remaining part mason work.
Near this, the place was pointed out TO us
where most distressing accident occurred
last Spring. The Conductor informed me
that in descending this grade to Cheat River.
there being two engines attached to the same
train. the weight of which pressed apart the
railing, all the cars got safely over except the
two last passenger cars, which by the parting
of the track were thrown down the river side,
falling distance Of over 100 feet, and ma
king four sommersetts in their fearful descent
The cars were broken TO pieces, and of some
forty passengers in the two cars, eight were
killed, and number wounded. The bodies
Of the dead were forwarded to Cumberland
and deposited in a vault for further removal
by their friends.
This is the first and only serious accident
that has ever occurred on this road. Great
care is taken on the part of the Conductor
and Brakemen who are continually on the
"look out" passing very slowly over the dan
gerous chasms.
We rolled on amidst the Alleghanies.-
Pausing moment to take in fuel, we saw ii
the distance before us indications of an ap-
preaching storm. Passing on about ffteer
miles the cars stop again; We are now in the
midst Of the thunderstorm in the mountains
All is silent in the cars. The lightning, fiasl
after fash. in quick succession, seems to b'
more vivid and fiery than ] ever saw before
while the deep and heavy peals of thunder
reverberated from mountain to mountain, ant
even to the deep, dark wales between,
"How il thnnders, how il lghtnings-
/ Breathless silence note the shock;