Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-02-11

be advisable III some Instances TO bridge th..
stream. Al MANASSAS Gap the present road
crosses the valley direct TO s,Irasburg, then uu
the valley 10 Iiarrisonburg. a shorter line and
NOR" direct would be to turn 10 the sou; b west
Z alter attaining the summit. and ny skirting the
base OF the mount tain, and reaching the river
some miles up, "A moderate grade could he had
for the west side of the mountain; The river
+ could be followed up 10 Staunton, IN Augusta
county. Here the line would reach the Vir.
ginia CenTai, and by folio wing thai line which
~ designed 10 meet with the Coyington and
Ohio road at Coyington, and then la Guyan-
dotte, Oh The OHIO river, by the COyin,ston and
Ohio road. This line would be a very direct
one. anu no line thar crosses the Alleghany
mountains north OF ii has anything like "a easy
u grade in ascending the meunran from the
west Chief Engineer Fish, in his report TO the
Virginia Legislature Just before the W an, stated
that a line had been run and reached the sum
init AZ grade II thirty feet the mile. From
Guyandotte line along the river would ~
equal 10 q level The Allegheny mountain and
ridges east Of them forbid line being made
acre IS them between Cumberland, in
Mary land, and CoSington, ia Virginia
The branches OF the Potomac and OF James
river that rise in these mountains All run
northeast and southwest with mountains or
high hills between them. and lew gaps thai
would admit rain throngn them, and a
line would necessarily nqnir- many tunnels,
ard he attended with an enormous expense
From Fisks report. the grade from tn. Ohio
river 10 the summit, OF the Allegheny would
not exceed "a feel per mile going east. On the
east side OF the summit the grade would b..
higher; but thai being in the direction of the
heavier traffic, would not b. so important. [
Am not acquainted with the grades on ,he Vir-
sinia Central 10 Staunton. From ihis latter
place, II the line il continued dow the main
Shenandoah, the grade would De very light;
and all DOWNWARD 10 near Manassas Gap.
Should they take the Manassas line from Haf.
risonburg, there Is 10 feet rise per mile for Il
few miles from that town. and then Il level or
dow grade TO River Station. AT the crossing OF
the Shenandoah. The present line from the
river to the summit has about seven miles OF "a
feet per mile: bnt The chief engineer, q ODDS.
borough, stated that by funneiing for half a
mile the crest OF the ridge, they might get q 81
foot grade from the river mp.
BY turning southwest from the Gap, and
striking the river higher up, there is DO doubt 4
3l.feet Crude may be had 80 the summit. From
the summit down the east side the grade is
about the same as on the west side ioT a few
miles: then down from Markham 20 about the
Loudon line, perhaps IL feet per mile; while
the main Goose Greek below has fall Of little
more than i've feet per mile. After leaving the
main stream, near Balls Mill, rise of may be
~ feet per mile for a couple OF miles would
have To be encountered; and again, from, Broad,
Run rise OF 10 or 10 feet may be necessary for
a couple Of miles, not more, I think; from there
n level or descent 10 GeOrgetown.
In short, there IL NO line that can be run west.
ward from Washington, except Keeping along
the margin Of the Potomac river, hat would be
anything like ~ moderate grades Is the one I'M
diested in 'tsis paper, - lar - Staanton, In