The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-08-14
Editorial Excursion.

chester and Jordan Springs were the chlef
points visited by the exeursionists. Balti-
more city had been agreed upon as the
starting point, where the excursionists to
the number of fourteen or fifteen had as
sembled on Friday morning. The officers
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had
been waited OH by delegation of the AS
ISOLATION a short time previous, for the
purpose of making arrangements for the
cars for the trip with all the necessary de-
tails, free of charge. Mr.. Edward Potts,
President CARROTS private secretary, had
charge of the excursion cars, and more
courteous, clever and accommodating gen.
tleman we have never had the pleasure of
meeting. At SIS AM, the train left Cam
den Station, and was soon dashing along
it's serpentine track, which winds with the
Patapsco through Western Maryland till it
reaches the Potomac The valley lying be-
tween the Cotoctin Mountains and Monoc-
acy range of hills is the garden spot of our
State. The undulating fields which cover
this region with their growth of luxuriant
corn and brown wheat stubbles; the Or
chards bending with golden apples; the
stacks of grain and hay and bursting barns
present scene of agricultural beauty which
is seldom equaled and never surpassed
The marks of devastation caused by the
great flood in 1868 are still visible along the
river and especially at Elicott City, where
so large an amount of property was des-
troyed and so many lives sacrificed to the
angry floods. At els our train reached
Harper's Ferry where it switched off and
remained till evening, giving the excur-
tionists time to examine the place, which
presents sorry appearance in contrast
with its former glory. The railroad at
this place crosses the Potomac on mag
niticent iron bridge. The railroad bridges
here were burned eleven times during the
war; The town is situated at the conflu-
ence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers,
where they cut through the Blue Ridge,
forming on the Maryland side that bold
eminence known as Maryland Heights,
and ON the Virginia side Loudon Heights.
VIC UP biS SoSSpt poSh VI eAiS
town to the far-famed rock known as
"Jefferson's Rock" which is the cap stone
of mountain of tremendous rocks. The
rock is propped in its present position by
wooden pillars, and tradition designates it
as the spot where jefferson, seated on it,
wrote his "Notes on Virginia" This, we
think, like the majority of traditions, is
rather doubtful, as authors prefer the con-
venience of writing desk and comfortable
seat to perch of a bare rock in the air.
The view from this rock, however, is con
sidered one of the grandest in America,
and was pronounced by jefferson worth a
voyage across the Atlantic to see. We
were shown the old engine house where
John Brown was captured and listened to
the anecdotes of that great military enter
prise in which "thirteen men and COW"
so frightened the noble State of Old Vir-
ginia, and afforded the fire-eaters plea
for plunging the nation into a war; which
ended in revolution that destroyed the
institution it was designed to establish on
an immutable basis.
The excursionists procuring guide went
over and examined the principal points of
interest about Harpcr's Ferry, one of them
being the most extensive Touring mills
erected in Shenandoah, that can he found
in the country. 1t has ten run of burrs,
driven by turbine wheels, with all the most
approved modern machinery, and when run
to its full capacity is capable of manufac-
turing 500 barrels of flour per day. Childs.
McCrcight & Co., is the name of the firm
which own this immense establishment.
The party took the evening train for
Winchester, arriving at that town which
gained such historical reputation i'll the
late war, at half past nine. Winchester
is an ancient town, the buildings being
generally of substantial character COM
posed OF brick OF stone. 1t at present con-
tains about seven or eight thousand inhab-
itants, and is increasing in population and
enterprise. There arc two cemeteries here,
one where the Union soldiers repose, and
the other, called Stonewall Cemetery, where
the Rebel dead lie buried.
lnefe are several me SCHOOLS established
at Winchester, among them we would par
ticularly designate, the "Dunbar Female
Institute under the management of Rev.
James B. Avirett, an Episcopalian minis
fer, who is christian and gentleman, as
well as an enthusiast in education. Mr..
Avirett showed the Editorial party every
attention and kindness in his power
We took drive some miles out into the
country from Winchester through mag
nificent limestone country, fertile as the
prairies Of the West, but the desolation of
tie sword Is not wholly banished from this
goodly land, The orchards are loaded
down With apples, and tbs ssubbles show
where immense crops of wheat have been
recently gathered but the corn is suffering
for rain. Dry weather makes the latter &.
rather uncertain crop i'll the valley, but
wheat seldom fails, and twenty-five to
thirty bushels to the acre is the customary
yield. Scarcely fence is to be seen in this
magnificent valley of thirty miles i'll width
and more than hundred in length, with
the Blue Ridge on one side and the North
Mountains OF outlying chain of the ALE
ghanies on the other. With the fences,
the remnant of forests which wcre found
in the valley by the armies, were swept
away, and the spectacle of rich cultivated
fields Of grain without fences to protect the
crops from stock, presented itself on every
hand. Herdsmen are seen here and there
lounging under shade trees, which are oc-
casionally met with, watching the stock to
prevent it from trespassing OH the corn
fields. The roads through the valley are
the best we have ever met with, many of
them being turnpike, but the ordinary
county roads are almost as smooth as the
pixies. Many remains of Notifications are
seen in the vicinity of Winchester, and we
were shown the ground over which Miroy
escaped from the rebel army at so fearful
a loss however in captured men, the result
of bluuderipO reneralShin and FRIGHT