Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-07-11

ken stone bed Is more elastic than gravel,
consequently {. Is much easier on the rolling
machinery.
Another peculiarity Of the B. 4 0. we
might refer ., one that reflects infinite credit
on the coniFpny. It is, they have an organ
he'd road police 10 watch the track, The
traveller will notice police station house at
regular intervals of mile for the whole
length OF the road. Hence the remarkable
exemption Of the road from accidents. This
feature Of the road, viii commend itself to the
traveller.
The first TO agitate the building OF this
great road, is the venerable Philip Thomas,
Esq, an opulent Quaker merchant Of Baiti-
mere, who initiated the first step towards its
construction as early as 1926. The corner
stone was laid on the 4th Of July, 1928, by
the venerable Charles Carroll Two years
after or thereabout, the first section of the
road was finished to ElicOtt's Mills, twelve
miles from the city. Tho cars ran daily, and
Il being one Of the first roads, Il not the very
frst built in America, thousands were induced
to ride on them. Persons came from distant
parts merely for the purpose of enjoying the
privilege of ride.
As the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is
now completed, and stands prominent among
the great works Of our county, il may prove
interesting TO give brief outline of some of
its most prominent features. In the first
place it involves & capital stock of nearly, OF
quite thirty-two millions Of dollars This,
however, might have been materially reduced
had it not been an experimental work.
H., I,..o-tb 80 A. y,,a;- linz ,f fba rDod ho
tween Baltimore and Wheeling is 379 miles;
that Of the Washington branch 80 miles (;
branch from Mount Clare junction to Locust
Point shipping stations miles; Monocacy
branch to Frederick 3 miles; Northwestern
Virginia road, from Grafton on the Main
Stem (2T9 miles from Baltimore) to Parkers-
burg, on the Ohio river, lO4 miles. Total
length of first branch 5l9 miles Length of
second track (including 1876 miles sidelings)
on the main stem, 212 miles. Total present
length Of the road owned and worked by the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, 745
miles, TO this may be added the following
local tributaries: Winchester and Potomac
railway from Harper's Ferry to Winchester,
Va, 80 miles; also the several roads travers-
ing the coal regions 40 miles; making a total
of S22 miles. The heaviest permanent grade
per mile is ll6 feet; heaviest temporary grade
worked with a locomotive, $40 feet per mile;
longest continuous grade from Piedmont to
Altamont, ls miles, greatest altitude Of the
road above tide water 1920 feet; weight of
rail per lineal yard on main and second track,
55 to s5 pounds; number of locomotive en-
CINE houses and shops, 81; aggregate num-
Der Of stalls for locomotives, 230; number of
machinery and car repairing stations II;
repair shops, SO; water stations on the main
stem, 70; on the Washington branch 4 and
Northwestern Virginia Read, 10; telegraph
stations, 80, and two lines of wires; number
of tunnels between Baltimore and Wheeling,
IA; total length of tunneling, 1884 feet;
number of bridges between Baltimore and
Wheeling, 1856; total length Of bridging, l5,-
Oss feet Freight in 1857, 695, ,4OI tOns.-
The number Of officers and employees now
engaged on this road is 1900 persons.
In conclusion we will say that the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad is one of the institu-
tiOns-a big institution. It runs over fright
ful cipices-climbs lofty mountains, dives
into the bowels of theearth, through immense
tunnels-threads along the sides of great
raVines, traverses the SUBMITS of mountains
and dashes down hill with grade of Il6 feet
to the mile, and perambulates through per-
feet wilderness of trees and rocks for hun
dreds of miles. Such, readers, is the Bslti-
more & Ohio Railroad. If you wish to see
some of the widest and most mountainous
scenery to be seen on any railroad in Amer
ica, then take the cars for Baltimore and
Washington via the above described route