The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-07-24
THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD
"TRIP OVER IuE ALL EGII NIES

/
The New York Herald of yesterday, publishes a
long article which the editor is pleased to fern ga
route for the great American tour, in comparison
WIN winch Mont Blanc, and the Alps, and the Lake
OF Geneva, and Vesuvus and the whole of the grand
european tour Is but mere child's play. 1t is the
grand American continental tour from the Atlantic
70 inc racine, and one over which, a few years
hence, numerous pleasure parties will be TRAVELLING
That portion of the article referring to the Bati-
more and Ohio Railroad we transfer to our columns
Inc writer has evidently been over the road and
seems perfectly acquainted with all the points of
interest:
OVER THE ALLEGHANIES.
Let the traveller seek st. Louis bv way of tba
Sie41 ehofoughiares concentrating in that New
!, ork OF the West. The Erie or the Central will
Dfng him to Buffalo, and thence he can travel alone
me Lake Shore road to Toledo, thence along the
Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad
to Chicago, and thence by his choice of half dozen
roads to CINCINNATI and st. Louis. This is the most
lrequented route between New York and the latter
city. There is, however, another road 70 Cincin
natl which the lover of the picturesque MIGHT we'll
prefer, if he could only get to Baltimore bv some
other direction than by the State of Camden and
amboy and through the city of Brotherly Love
Once on the road from Baltimore, however. bv the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the beauties of the
route begin to develope themselves For hours Won
skirt the rushing Patapsco, with mills and mann
factories and rose covered cottages along its banks
and with its noisy babblng waters crossed here and
there by picturesque bridges, and you are often
tempted to ask yourselfwhy it is that our busy pop
ualon is all the time pressing out to distant terri
tories, when so large portion of it might find
room and space enough in this beautiful and
fertile region. But we have no time to speculate
ON this. The road is gradually ascending
spur of the Aeghanes new objects of interest
are presented at every turn; the Blue Ridge is
barely perceptible in the falling twilight although
the guide book informs you that it can be seen when
the tram reaches certain point in the road; and
after ride of four five hours YOU sit down to
comfortable supper in the inn at Harper's Ferry.
unconscious perhaps, except it be a moonlight
night, and that you have not been counting the
drowsy god, of the beauty of the surrounding see
merry, with the mountains towering hi~h above and
the arrowy Potomac rushing far below. If not
pressed Tor time this place, with its great national
afmory ana picturesque scenery, will well repay
the tourist for the day he may devote to it,
The Western Virginia Railroad built at an i'm
mense cost to the State through a wild unpeoped
ddstrlct, taps the Baltimore and Ohio at the vare
of Grafton, eight or nine hours distance from Har
pers Ferry; There you get good early breakfast
az" II you 40 not care to cross the mountains by
e "igZag plan, which is here carried out to per
lection, you can take the Western Virginia Road.
which runs through innumerable tunnels to Par
point on the Ohio river, where, for
inc hrst time on your route, you make the ac-
qgantance of the tiatboat of the Western rivers.
when conveys you to a place called Marietta |
famous in the history of the settlement of the |
WESTERN territory 1nence the Marietta and |
CINCINNATI Railroad carries you to the Queen Citv
OF the West But, if instead of taking the Virginia
central line, you prosecute your Journey to Wheel
ing on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Won are |
carried through some of the widest and crandnst |
scenery this side of the Rock Mountains Here Won |
SKIRT the Cheat river, rolling over its pebblv bed
hundreds oil feet below you, while on the OPPOSITE |
snore the mountains rise perpendicularly with their
sues covered with apparently impenetrable forest
giving one the grandest idea of unbroken solitude
Inc Cheat river is famous as are all the rivers Of
estern Virginia, for its excellent fishing; but al
though easily accessible from New York PhiladeI-
Pha, Baltimore and Washington, but few tourists
lind their way there.
- crossing the mountains between Wheelino and
faton Is one OF the characteristic features Of tbs
aunt. 1t is intensely exciting. The train comes
lashlng up to the very base of the mountain which
appears to bar any further progress Tunnellino
works are In operation for the purpose of BORING
passage through solid limestone and granite But
I VIII require years to perfect the work. In
ne meantime, engineering science has devised
way TO get the cars up to the summit and
,rlng them down the other side. This is
lone by means of short diagonal tracks Thus. the
ram runs over track of say 200 yards which has
gradual elevation. BY means of a switch at the
hu on mat short track it gets on another cut and
,achS sun up grade on another track: there apain
switches oil and runs couple of hundred wards
onward on another piece. Again it backs. and
Vercomes another grade of like length. And So
y zigzagging backward and forward-the train
ahSln9 all the time over beetling precipes-the
ummlt is at length gained, and the descent COM
nehced IN the same way, but of course with still