The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-03

W1esing-Celebratio Of the Evsnt-Intsr-
e'ting Description &C.
BALTIMORE, January ?, 1853
To tie Editor of the National Era:
The 10th day of January, 1883, was most
important one, commercially, to Baltimore
proud day" to quote the language Of popular
exultation which heralded its advent; and il
may be said to have dated the commencement
OF q new era in the life Of our Monumental
city. % its bright and bracing morning, two
long trains of cars, filled to their capacity with
invited guests, ornamented with flags, and re-
sOnant with music, moved of under the assur-
ing care Of Conductor Owens and-Superintend-
ent Cole, from the new depot of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad in Camden street amid the
shouts of an eager crowd, of all ages, sexes. and
conditions, on " trial trip" TO the Western
terminus Of their great work at Wheeling.
Having been one of the invited guests of the
Company and accompanied the excursion par
~ on this occasion of celebrating the opening
Of the road to Wheeling, propose to give your
readers some account Of the dOngs of the occa-
sion and do 30 the more willingly because Of
the fact Of 70 large proportion Of your large
circulation being among the people interested
IN the opening Of this new means Of trans-m mon.
tame communication.
Our large party, which consisted of the in
defatigable President Of the Railroad Compa.
nv Mr. Swami; the faithful Treasurer. Mr..
Atkinson; the Chief Engineer, Mr. Latrobe
the Directors of the Company. members of our
City Councils and of the legislatures of Mary
laud and Virginia, the Governors ofthese States.
representatives of the press and many other
persons left this city at nine o'clock on Mon
day the 10th, and arrived safely at Wheeling
about two O'Clock on the morning Of the 18th.
Our progress was no indication whatever OF the
degree Of speed attainable by the route since
We had % await from time to time, the con
Venionce 81 the regular mail cars while suffer
ing detentions, en- route, incidental 10 a trial
trip. with heavy train Of new cars and loco
motives passing over a new road never yet sub
iected TO 20 severe u test of it, reliability
Among these deteutOns we're several "run-offs y
which caused more or less damage 10 the en-
gines hut which would have been nothing re-
markable, perhaps, to long tried roads all other
things being equally conditioned We had
too, compensatory circumstance in most iibund-
ant provisions for tho inner man. provided on
the cars, and thus rendering severe priyations
by no means menacing, to say nothing of open
hotels awaiting us, at the expense Of the Rail
road Company, at Cumberland. And here |
would take occasion to say, as feel impelled
60 do, that the only thing which had to re-
greet Ia thIs respect was the too usual accom-
paniment OF intoxicating liquors, in quantities
whose generous profuNon" indicated that the
Company were decidedly more indulgent than
oOnsderate. When will those in controlling
positions learn to avoid the social wrong thus
perpetrated at the nero dictatiOn of custom
At Wheeling we were received as the guests
OF the municipal authorities, at whose instance
"a large and cOmmOdiOus new hotel, called the
Mcclure House, was thrown open for our ex-
elusive uSe. A. the courthouse an appropriate
address Of welcome was made by the Mayor of
Wheeling Mr. Nelson, and responded to by
Mr. Swami. in equally good taste Mr. s., in
turn, was followed by Governor Johnson, of
Virginia, with terse aud apropos speech
which WA wotully contrasted by verbose and
hatulent attempt Mt eloquence by Gov Lowe
Vt Maryland; and during the delivery of which
his "patriotic habit betrayed him into the
ianentabie four pas OF denouncing the fanat.
acism of The AntLSlayery sentiment, in the
midst OF people whose local business custom
comes from Ohioans, while they have too little
ownership of slave property to give any hope
Of sympathy with his Exoelency, especially on
All occasion designed TO isvite trade from free
region h. a slave one
The city authorities were proflse ia further
demonstrations of welcome and determination.
During tho day, carriages were provided for
such as desired to inspect the varied manu(ac.
turing establishments for which Wheeling IL |
distinguished, and tho various other sights
including the famous bridge over tho Ohio |
aud at night grand banquet awaited us at n
large hall recently erected at the intersection
of Main and Monroe streets. At it the usual
number Of tOasts were drunk, aud numerous
- good bad, and indifferent speeches were
made Some of the latter we're very appro.
pirate, giving, rs they did, intensely interesting
"reminiscences of the early struggles of the Rail
road Company III commencing the first Amer
ioan raIlroad II quarter of century ago, and
pushing it, against many Disadvantages, to it's
temporary terminus at Cumberland and final.
ly to its ultimate terminus. Ia these speeches
Justice was properly done to the first President
and first Treasurer of the Company, philip f..
Thomas and George Brown and other pioneers
in the gigantic undertaking now 40 happily nc.
Oomplshed.
The entire distance now traversed by the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is three hundred
and seventy -nlne miles To those acquainted
with TIA" wild mountnnousness of the greater
part Of the route | need not say that this is tho
greatest project Of railroad construction ever
accomplished 1t will probably long remain
unsurpassed Some Of the barriers overcome
must, indeed have been most fearful to contem.
plate, even with the encouraging assurances of
engineering science. will briefly specify some
OF them.
The feature Of this road which strikes most
fearlulIy, by reason OF it, uncommonness is the
trestIe work 10y which some of the yawning
gOrges Of the Alleghauies are passed lima
CINE yourself gliding upon wooden supports,
suspended nearly two hundred feet above moth.
er earth without even the slightest guard rail
90 give sense OF security against accidents.
aud ahudder, as you may, at the bare thought
OF IL! Aud, yet, thus you can pass safely. with
she and of Modern Art IL is but Justice to the
Railroad Company to state that the wooden
columns now used to support these trestles are
shortly to be superseded by iron ones, rendering
assurance doubly sure These will have stone
piers TO stand upon--they being already erect
ed, IN fact AZ supports of the temporary wood.
work
Tunnels are quite frequent Some of those
already finished are half mile long But the
longest IL Pettlbone tunnel, as yet unfinished |
and Will not be ready for use until the 1T Of |
March, at the nearest. 1t will DO mile in |
extent, running through mountain of three |
hundred feet OF altitude. This fearful obstacle |
~ surmounted, temporarily, by device which |
was he wonder Of our trip. II was my inten-
ton to have attempted a description Of our pas.
sage over this great natural barrier, but have
concluded To substitute that of an engineer in
stead
Imagine yourself approaching long range
Of mountains up narrow gorge with precip-
itous sides which terminates in deep cove at
the base OF the principal ascent. At the bot
tom Of this gorge runs the main railway, and
in the deepest part Of the cove is the mouth of
the suunol that penetrates the range. Leaving
this II lateral road asccnds the right-hand slope
VI the gorge at the rate of 800 feet to the mile
up which grade the engine pushes two cars be-