Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1859-09-08
HLigrtliunruus.
From the Home journal.
Trip ON The Baltimore and Chic
Railroad.
DY y. +. WILLIS


DEAR MoREls:--
TO get back the halfway house between
Baltimore and Wheeling.
Aitel the dcliciouslat breakfast upon trout
and vcui8on, at Oakland, wc We're introduced
almost Immediately to the beautiful river up
Oh y lich are s,iung the pearls of THEN local
poetry and associitou--the Iougl;ogheny-
difficult naine which | only remember be-
cause it rhymes with mahogdny, and that
chances 10 lie the color of the water in the
nrXt stream bcl ond. One Of the unex plain
sd natural culiositics Of Virginia, you know,
is the translucent mahogany tint of the Cheat
lsiver--n"t satisfactorily accounted for, l
should think, hy the usual theory, that hem
locks, black spruce and laurel, are thu pre-
vaiIing growths where it rises. In case Of any
future American mythology. lorsee that thii
Cheat River, Of tint uuexplanahle, will be
the shrine Of the deity Of the dyed bearlsnow
so numerous" "Balcholor's liair-dye," Of
course in that case, taking the more poetic
name of holy water Of the Cheat Or, las it
is the color Of many bright brown creek
parhal the mulatto population may take it
for their sympathizing Jordan. 1t is inter
cstiug, in a new country, to sec what is like
ly to be traditional.
As close INTERVIEWING Of mechanic mar
vcls with picturesque scenery, ! SUPPOSE the
next twcnty-nilc stretch of Runs" und Riv-
ers better worth pedestrian excursion than
any equal distance in the world. Wonders
follow upon wonders, beauties upon beauties,
till, in the bcwiIdcrmrIt ofaccumulatcd sights,
one feels that the cyc-appetic has its limit.
1t is surGrit Of human maryels Of contri-
vance and Of bcwitching surprises Of Nature.
For = month Of Epicurian enjoyment, ] should
say, there could be few better plans than to
take kuapsack in your baggage aad make
o lklamd a centre Of excursion, rambling the
valleys and taking the train over the inter
mediate country. 1t IS so enjoyable to see
sccrery from lettering walk--though, for
me, i; would be still better if there We're
horse under me to do the walking. Alas for
the cumbrollsncss Of stable and fodder! In
prcvcments in pocket pistols, am sorry to
see, show 40 likelihood OF II pocket (olh por-
table and producble at pleasure.
But the parts Of our trip which most
wondered at, are after all, the most difficult
of description. The mere measurements in
figures-to those who have seen some of the
achievements of the roads poetry ensugl!.
To describe in words the viaduct Of Tray Run,
for instance, is like striving to picture the ef-
feet Of great anthem by musical notes writ
ten on paper. Ny friend Prescott Smith has
more hardihood than Though in reading
his audscious attempt, (which believe will
q1ote,) pray do him the justice to ponder well
the suLlimities Of his arithmetic! Thus dis
courses the handsome fellow, when recording
the trip of the Foregn Ministers and mag
mates, over the same route, year or more
ago.
.Tlc engineering difficulties overcome in
the part of the road withing the first few miles
west of Cheat River bridge, must have been
appalling; hut for lis the rough places had
been made smooth as the prairie levels. AZ
ter crossing the river itself at Rowlesburg, the
next point was to ascend along its banks the
Cheat River Ilil.' The ravine OF kyer's Run,
a mile from the bridge, seventy-six feet deep,
was crossed by solid enbankment. Then,
after bold cutting along the steep rocky hill
side, We reached Buckeye Hollow, which is
one hundred and eight feet below the read
evd, and finally came to Tray Run, which
we crossed al u height eta hundred and fifty
feet uJoce its original ded bya spici.did cia-
duct, sir hundrsd feet long, founded on Il mas
aive Lase Of masonry piled upon the solid
rock below. These yaducts are Of iron-de-
signed by Mr.. Albert Fink, one of aIr. Lat
robes assistants-aEd are exceedingly grace
Iul us well as very substantial structures
When We reached the west end of the great
Tray Run Niaduct the cars halted, and the
company alightcd Tor better view Of the
works. \ walk Of a few feet brought Us to the
brow Of the prccipice overlooking the river,
nearly three hundred feet below.
"The view from this spot, both Of the see
merry and the grand structure which 10 splen-
didly spanned the immense mountain rav.ne,
was truly inspiring. From our great eleva-
ton the stream appeared to be almost beneath
oar feet, an i'll, sion promptly dispeiled when
the strongest and longest-armed among US
failed to throw a stone far enough to drop it
in its bed. With the entire train full Of
guests, the band also nlighted here, and, ta-
king position near the cliff, struck up the pop
slow much more beautiful, as well as how
| much more descriptive and correct, is this
Southern word (Rnn,) for small river, than
the northern word creek, which both sounds