Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-09
uWeu saidT aWbst of that9,,

"Wen," said 1, sfWhat of that?"
"What of that?" he cried. "Why, it i
| an transformations, but no less touching
| memorial to Washington. These simpl,
| mountaineers seek to keep his memory
| green by erecting little Washington monu
ments sll along the road; and numbered,
| tool"
"Why, you cussed fool, 4" said the conduc
tor, who was standing by; "that mean!
'One hundred and tlcenty miles to Wheel
ingr"
Gliding down the smooth. declivity o
| Cheat River Hill, our train seems clngin.
h the face of the mountain if we look 70
the left, or swinging in the air if We 5urC
our gaze toward the valley. Yet, like the
Winchester road immortalized bg I. Bu
chsusn Read in "Sherj5an's RIDE" it IS
"a good, broad highway leading down."
double track. aud wich as solid road bsd
"a was ever constructed.
During the descent we cross Tray Rur
at hight of $50 feet above its original I'D
oy a splendid vsduct 600 feet long, fnuaded
| On a massive base of masonry, Re2chihe
the river bank, we cross II, and then follows
an ascent of twelve miles to Cranberry
| summit, through a mass Of excavations,
Two tunnels, aud fifty feet Of viaduct.
Stopping at a water station on the ascent,
there was little knot Of railroad lspo.er
standing by Companion, VINO had recov-
cred little from his last shock, pokad his
head out of the window and Inquired of a
HiberDian, pointing meanwhile 10 great
jagged mass of rock that lowered like a
gigantic exclamation point over our heads:
81 say, my friend, is that the Point Of
Rocks ?"
"Pint of Rocks, ye fool; it's quartzl"
Settled again.
Cranberry Summit is 1850 feet above
tide water, and il is there we enter upon
the mountain levels, or Glades as they are
called. These Glddes, extending nineteen
miles are not connected ia a level field like
our y asteru prairies, but lie in broken out
lines, with small wooded ranges between
them The view from this elevation i3 Of
the gr ndest description. Nastling in about
the center of the Giades is the little village
Of Oakland, q favorite summer resort on
account of the cool and braciIg air during
the sutry months, as well as the rare fish
ing and hunting these elevations atiO i.
Just before reaching Altamont, we pass
the dividing ridge or backbone of the Ale
ghanias, which sends the water on one side
into the Gulf of Mexico, and on the other
side into the Chesapeake. There the
YOughiogheny takes its rise, and no coal
consumer along the Ohio river need be told
what d rise in ''Y Oughiogheny" means.
Altsmont is what its name implies, the
top of the mountain, twenty six hundred
and twenty feet above tiie-water, and the
greatest elevation on the route. When
this fact was announced, companion recited
a very thrilling parody on Excelsior" oil
which the following are specimen verses:
Twas growing dark so terrible fast,
When through the town up the mountain there
passed
A broth of a boy, to his neck in the snow,
As he walked his shillalah he swung to and fro,
Saying, sits to the very tip top Of the mountain
Be Jabbersi"
whist Bit" said an old man, whose head was
as white
As the SHOWS that had fallen that terrible night;
You'll fall in the wather, my bit of lad,
The night is 20 dark and the walking SO bad"
Faith, he'd not listen to word that was said,
But he'd go TO the top it he went on his head
Be Jabbers!
From Altamont we begin decent Of
seventeen miles to Piedmont, the foot of
the mountain, and the entire route is a
succession of ever-varying scenery and pic
turesque surprises. Being an Excursion, -
| WAS permitted to ride on the locomotive,
aud it was the rsrest treat ever enjoyed. The
view was indeed grand. The gloomy m9ss-
es of Savage Mountain towering on the
right, fold upon fold, and the Eastern
slopes Of Meadow Mountain, with it's spIrs
booted, too, for what | know-on the
left; while between them Savage River
winds away for miles and miles in silYery
trail, until lost in the distance.
From Piedmont to Cumberland, twenty
eight miles, the scenery, as we skinned
over the gradually descending level along
the north bank of the Potomac, was piccur-
esque and charming.
Sixteen miles east of Cumberland, the
South branch of the Potomac is crossed by
a bridge four hundred feet long,
Companion says railroad bridges must be
very unhappy.
"Why sep"
"Because they are so often crossed in
love-"
He was thinking Of tn unuumDered bri-
Gal parties thai have "excurscu" over the
road.
S.. Johns Run, one hundred and twenty
eight miles from Bal imore, is the station
for the famous Berkeley Springs Of Virgin,
two NIL 5 dist mt. Fh9 Springs are a very
pppGlsr an3 fash Onabl4 resort for watering
place seekers, as they We're III Washington's
day.
The entire line of the Baltimore aud
Ohio Railroad brisdes with exciting Incl
dents of 5hs late war, which [ c4a olly
briefly glance at a mujti.ude of bridges
we're dssJrOy ed, some of them good many
times. The bridge at New Creek, twenty.
three miles west of Cumberland, was
burned in June, 1861, aud the rebels
marched to Piedmont anu captured the
town. All the engines al tha railroad shops
there we're fired up hAsily AID sent 10
Grafton for protection. The engines wern't
half as much "iired up though, as the Off
GERS of the road were when they heard
of it.
The railroad bridge at Patterson's Greek,
three miles east of Cumberland, was de,
stroyed eight or ten times by the Confed-
crates.
Martinsburgh, one hundred miles from
Baltimore, was coupled by bon arIoies al
terna,eiy fifteen times A house in MFR
tinsUursa during the war 3" as NO. as quiet
and peaceful as martin box, exIctly.
Kerneysville, eight miles east Of Martins
burg, is but seven and half miles from