Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1871-04-01
Tor lie IINFtON.
4 VisiOn--.A DrcaIn--Wifllf DC
Realized
Fer the CHUri0N.

And curles long life into one hour
The 23l day Of March, 1871, will
long be held in pleasing remembrance
bv many of the residents of Elnmlts-
burg District, as the day on which was
decided the future advancement OF the
common interests of the community
the determination that "Ihn Ennlts-
burg Railroad' shall be built.
But not so much this determination
in itself considered, will be recalled to
memory, as the manner in which the
business of the occasion was accom-
rlishel, the absolute good feeling the
cordial cooperation, the carneStneS%
ofpurpose, and the urbanitv of dcport
ment throughout, were such that gray
haired old men manifested the vivaclty
of youth, learned Professors, grave
Clcrgvmcn, Physicians, Merchants.
mechanics, all united in hearty good
will, and as with the voice Of on" man
gave expression to the JOYOUS con-
CALCULATIONS of the hour.
Having retired that night to court
the embraces of "Tir'd nature sweet
restorcr, balmy Sleep revolving IN
mind the scenes and occurrences Of the
dav, twas bit in accordance with
the laws Of mental activity-"uncon
scious ccrebration' if You please, that
the visions Of the night watches grew
thick and fast around me, and long
before the gray morning hours APP
rcarrd, | had dreamed happily OF
"coming events" AS nearly as can
be gathered the dream must hav" Ia
ken me some fifty years or more into
the future.
I bcheld, and 10, where now the
green fields 50 beautifully mark the
approaches, Emmitsburg, from the
west and south to the foot Of the noun
tain in one direction, and clear out to
the College in the other, We're vast
piles of buildings Of brick and granite,
Sandstone, and marble and iron, with
turrcts and domes, and monuments
whose tops glittcrel in the sunlight,
whilst on the north overlooking IN"
valley from the region just south OF
Poplar Ridge proper, appeared vail"
after villa, with terrac"d grounds III
front, bcdrcked with the tollag" Of
noble trees, fruitful vines and luXuri-
ant flowers. the combined fragrance Of
which was continual y waited over the
valley,
TO lnv inquiry, "What is the nam"
Of this pIaco?' there came a rrpI y
"rhis is t,mmittSburg.' "What is the
number Of the inhabitants ~ "fiity
thousand two hundred and seventy
one (5O.27N souls, was the RESPONSE,
1t then appeared that in the "n"
course Of time the Railroad from tine
Rocky Ridge Station had. been built,
and the Western Maryland Railroad
having seen their error in attempting
to get through the rocks Of the moun-
tain, and the Inconvenience OF work
ing the heavy grades, thereon, as well
as the serpcntine course OF Their orig
nallv projected road, west Of Mechan-
ic.t0wn, became the owners Of the
Elnuittsburg road, and had extended
the same up through III" Friend :
creek valley in due connection with
their main road on to lagerstown.-
Some eight or ten long trains of ears
passed over the road daily, the most
Of them laden with coal direct from
the Cumberland mines, for the road
had long ago been extended from
ETagcrstown in an Independent hnc to
that region, and had grown rich and
powerful through its overwhelming
business and the wise poll " which
governed its affairs Anthracite coal
too poured in through the Cumberland
valley Of Pennsylvania, iron ore from
Mercersburg, and that entire Egyp-
tian store house Of rich cereal pro-
ducts found it, outlet through here to
Baltimore and across the seas.
Mcchanicstown was Nourlshing, at-
ter huge efforts to overcome the rug |
geduess into which nature had settled
in that locality, vast amounts OF iron
had been lclved from the earth, sev-
eral manufacturing establishments had
arisen, the principal work there was
in iron and the tanning Of leather, its
porulatiou | found had attained to he |,
number Of 1888 souls.
Nothing could Vel exceed the
beauty of Emlnitsburg. There it lay,
as the town does now, the central Oh
ject of view from numerous elevations
around it--high hills and towering
mountains, whence the range Of vision
extends NORTH east and south, twenty,
forty, sixty miles or more in distance.
IT'S MAYOR and Councilmcn, with wise
.orcthought, proGtmg by the histori
cal rrcolIcctions of the grand Jones
Falls fight in Baltimore City in their
present times, had long ago, as the
dream developed, taken the precau-
ton as the city extended toward
Toms creek, to provide against its
overflow; accordingly all along the
banks walls Of solid masonry had been
huit, and for about sixty yards on
either side the buildings We're erected
IN pile foundations, numerous bridges
of beautiful construction SPAWNED the
.tream. over several of which the
street cars passed in their regular