Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-07-31

SKETCHES OF SUMNER TRAVEL.


Harper's Ferry, though Its stupendous land and |
water marks visible thirty years ago, remain al
most the same Though man has been hammer
ing, blasting, and building upon them for all
that time,) land marks which tell with tongue
less voice, as nought else can, Of the inscrutible
vastness Of the power Of natures God-partakes
amszingly Of the spirit of progress which has so
changed the appearance Of our whole long settled
country. Nests for comfortable and well-built
houses have been dug out In great numbers in
hooks and crannies Of the mountains sides that
30 preciPitously overhang the waters of the
Potomac and Shenandoah here. The town has
increased perhaps fourfold in population, and
has been vastly modernized in all its attri-
butes. Though the bridge of which John
Brown held possession for half a day or night
and the engine-house wherein he surrendered
for the nonce, attracted most attention of the
passengers, Of course. To me, however, the
point of interest there was that loveliest of
all views on this continent, which one NAV
enjoy for ten minutes, out of the back windows
OF the hindmost car Of the train going west, i'm.
mediately after leaving Harper's Ferry. Or,
Should rather write, that series of views, chang
Ing with the rapidity of the kaleidoscope, and
each succeeding one extracting rapturous exclama-
lions from the lover Of striking scenery-of grace
ful and fantastic combinations of mountain, tor
rent, river-exPanse bright fields, frowning rocks,
and the unmistakable evidences of the sway of
mans industrial skill over them all. Harper's
Ferry as thus seen, will repay the voyager the
trouble OF trip over the Atlantic, Thomas JEFF
ferson once wrote, for this world to remember,
though railroads were not then dreamed Of to
afford the traveller thousand facilities In a day
for seeing new sights, as l am pleasantly expe-
rieRcing at this moment.
Up the Potomac to Martinsburg, we traverse for
the most part the celebrated county of Jefferson,
Va, the pride Of Virginia's valley. Beautiful in
its subdued scenery, its well rounded hills and
outstretched plains, dotted over with huge barns,
high bred cattle, and crops of corn, proving the
fulness of the earth here. Ii is the seat of much
wealth, great thrift, and far famed berality and
intelligence
Dining at Martinsburg, the county seat of
Berkely from thence the rail track lies wholly I'm
Virginia for many miles up, toward Cumberland
Gradually the immediate valley of the Potomac
In which 1t courses narrows until short distance
above Sir Johns Run 1t becomes on the Virginia
side, hardly more than wide enough to contain
the railroads. and on the Maryland SIDE but wide
enough, with heavy rock cutting to hold the
chesapeake and Ohio Canal Timber slides run
ming Tor perhaps quarter of mile up the little
mountains here skirting the river in Maryland
begin TO make their appearance, and everything
reclaimed from natures entire sway begins to
Indicate that it was reclaimed only by very
hard labor. On the "turn outs" of this portion
OF the road, we met large number of descending
trains, laden with coal, produce, lumber, &c;
on one Of them trains sufficient to make quite
mile Of cars stretched one after the other.
Not the most uninteresting portion of this part
OF our route are the palisades Of the Potomac,
where for miles on miles the (here) little river
seems TO have cleft the Virginia spurs Of the ALE
games, along the base OF which it courses now so
quietly. AS though with the blow of a broad
ak, for the height Of hundreds of feet the rock
appears as though split perpendicularly down.
only in order to let the significant stream nestle
cozily at its base. How apt an ilIustration-this
gradual abrasion Of a river bed hundreds Of feet
below the rock surface-of the eventual triumph
Of patient perseverance,
AS we approached the South Branch of the
Potomac, the quality of the soil on both sides of
the river, and the breadth of arabic land in the
valley, greatly improved and increased The
population there are evidently far better off in
this worlds goods than In the rougher portion of
the valley last described washington's well
known encomiu ms upon the cattle fatteninp and
cereal producing capabilities Of the South Branch
region Of Virginia and Of Maryland adjacent, are
deserved to this day, the enormous Weld of
oats laying around yet unstac ked, and the still
more enormous promise of a seasons yield of corn
upon the valleys fats testify Above the cross
ing Of the South Branch the mountains suddenly
leave the rivers banks, and the valley spreads
out into wide plains, bordered with gentler hills
and covered with the fatness which gladdeneth
the heart Of the husbandman
The river here is hardly wider than Rock Greek
at Georgetown, though in rainy times it becomes
terrific torrent, as the damage II not unfreauently
does to crops, herds and canal hereabout testify.
The rapid descent of the stream of this more
mountainous region causes Its bed to ALI past the
capacity Of its banks to hold the waters accumu
lafing In them, often In a few brief hours From
the South Branch up to Cumberland is a lovely
region Indeed. Washington was accustomed to
grow rapturous over 1t. He first became familiar
with 1t upon Braddock's expedition, 1t will be
remembered and afterwards more so as the engl-
neer Of the Potomac Navigation Company; DER.
haps the first work of intended extensive internal
improvement ever essayed on the North American
continent
When engaged in engineering lower down the
river-that is between Harper's Ferry and Georoe-
town. have not unfrequently hunted nm and
found 'beech marks; made by the hand Of
washington himself, their position being so dis.
AHSus anu accurately lnolcdtcd In his notes of
his surveys (stil preserved) that there was no
mistaking their paternity In all, hundreds il
may De, OF civil engineers have labored over the
routes Of Washingtons original survey of the
Potomac In the last thirtythree or four wears and
one and all, they will testify that the evidences
remaining Of his professional labors prove his re-
markaoie method in all things as unerringIy as
his subsequent glorious military and civil history
The Potomac is crossed by the Railroad into
Maryland mile or two below the city of Cum
berland, which when but old Fort Cumberland
teeming with events of pioneer enterprise, daring
atrocities and escapes, was long the jumping off
place of western civilization. Now, il is the
largest and most iourishing inland city of Mary
land, made so by the immense trafic of the
Maryland and Virginia coal mining companies.
whose business, operations, head and front here.
A considerable portion Of its buildings, however.
still wear their air and mein of the times when II
was frst but military frontier post sheltering adj
venturing travellers seeking to make the then wea-
risome and dangerous pilgrimage of the Allegha-
MES search Of the unoccupied and fertile lands