The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-12-20
K.om ~ gaIlime.e snn q rlm.dar.
Opening Of Western Maryland Railroad
to Williamsport.

celebrated yesterday by an excursion from Baltimore
and general jubilee In WilliamspOrt. train OF
six passenger coaches aud one cOnimissary car len
| Fulton Station, which was gaily dressed out with
flags, and other decorations ut nine, A. NJ, having
on board about three hundred and fifty invited
I guests and Itzel's band of music. Gov. Whyte was
among the excuzonlsts, and there were besides rep
rcsentatyes of numerous leading business interests
STATE and city officials and ohen, including Messrs.
Wendell Bollman, james A. Carey Montgomery
tiornan. and several directors OF he C'hesapeate
and Ohio canal Joseph II. Bradley, OF Washington
city, Alexander Kieman, president pro tenn Of the
Western Maryland railroad, and the directors There
| were about twenty members Of the Baltimore city
council. On the route the party was Joined by nu-
merous citizens of Carroll and Washington counties
The Western Maryland railroad was practically
| begun In the middle and finished at both ends Il
was chartered In 1852 but construction was not begun
| until 1857, and year thereafter was finished from
the Relay House. Northern Central railroad, to 0w
ngs Mills, ten miles. Since that time the various
sections have been completed until now twenty-one
years after incorporation Il may be presumed to be
Oflegal age and able to take of Itself the
9.g R yonng men MINI me T1 ,p from pS n
distant, the public have long been familiar Owings
Mills Reisientown, Westminster, New Windsor, and
Union Bridge being the principal points along the
line. At Mechanicstown, ifty-six miles from BaltE-
more the ascent begins.
| The mountain grade Is about one hundred feet TO
the mile and the scenery superb. The elevation for
five or six miles is possibly three thousand feet above
| the level Of the sea. The Harbaugh valley first
comes into sight after the rugged scenery OF the rst
approach. This valley is rich In beauty cultivation,
comfortable houses small farms, and great barns.
AZ HADlldAN1iict HeAulnB huTuhutu Nuityt INT
road makes horseshoe winding around the village.
few miles further on Monterey or Blue Ridge sta.
ton affords glimpse of Monterey SPRING. Pa, well
known for their healing qualities, while splendid
panorama Is spread out TO view.
Monterey Station IS near point where the road
travels over corner Of Penny lvania territory,
hundred yards so for which that State has grant
ed no charter. farm, however, was bought by the
Western Maryland Railroad company during Mayor
Chapmans presidency. This was considered cheap
way than to go To the Harrisburg market for leg
isation, and through this Pennsylvania farm the
|
formance which adherence to Maryland soil would
have compelled
satisfaction to the exeursionists. The grade from
Monterey 10 this point Is down. Ten minutes were
allowed for waynesboro Station from which. the
Cumberland valley could be seen for miles, along
which the Confederate invaders marched towards
Chambenburg and Gettysburg. The Cumberland
valley Pa, Is a continuance of the Shenandoah val
| ley, Va and both have points In common. An au-
tumnal haze obscured outlines and confined the
range Of vision but the spectacle from the top Of the
mountain, where the iron horse rested from his
lengthy pull up grade was still inspiring. Waynes-
boro, Pa. five or six miles across the vast valley,
could be discerned Pikesylc lay at the feet Of the
three hundred and my Baltimoreans who were thus
permitted TO take only ten minutes peep where
hours OF gazing would scarcely satisfy the beholder
Clusters Of farm houses and habitatiOns, broad
acres and highly titled fields, barns filled with gar
nered productions of generous soil told the story
OF life and comfort In the Cumberland valley The
beauty of is scenery, though much akin to that of
| the Shenandoah valley Is individual. Twenty-Five
| or thirty miles towards Harrisburg with dimly OBJ
scured mountain boundaries, comprised the range Of
observation. Ten minutes, however, permitted only
u Photographic glance 10 our excurionists but II
was glance to be remembered for the lifetime of
those who had not II before. and fresh Joy to
those who were familiar with Its impressive beauty.
From waynesboro' station To liagerstown aud even
TO the Potomac, the scenes were in one way or an
other almost equally charming The route led past
the village Of smithburg eight miles from Hagers-
| town; then by Cayetown, with the hole in the
ground from which II derives its name, through
splendid farming country, slightly rolling, thick
with barns and pastoral pictures, crossed by good
| mrunfEp rnads folds dOttpt with unckS nj Sbaan
herds Of cattle and other signs ofagricuur wealth.
At IIagerstown large concourse ofpeople includ-
and the train sped on TO Wiliamsport, where Il
arrived at O'Clock T. NJ. four and half hours
| from Baltimore. The number of the excunionists
was nearly four hundred by the time the train
reached is final destination, and nearly all the
population OF Wllllamsport, fifteen hundred in num-
Der, were gathered on the hillside overlooking the
track, the canal and the winding river To greet the
arrivals
displayed everywhere with welcoming sentiments
Two OF these displayed at the Cumberland coal depot
where about fifleen thousand tons of black diamonds
from the Maryland fields were stores read as follows
''The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Western
Maryland Railroad-Water the element, steam the
offspring, coal the agent" Baltimore and VIII
liamsport-United by iron bands, may the future
trade and friendship require these bands TO grow
stronger"
A reception committee was in waiting 10 receive
the visitors, composed of Messrs VIM. II. Beard
burgess Of the town. and Ebert Mccoy assistant
burgess with Messrs LewlsR Wolf NJ McClanathan
J. II. Farrow, Theo, Embrey, and Chas Ardnger.
AS soon as the party had alighted from the train
the chief burgess greeted the governor and party
and Attorney General syoster, on behalf Of the peo
pie OF Washington county, made a brief speech OF
welcome the hillside. He spoke of the nuptials
rSn @ and Wet s u p ma
very happy In the metaphor. Cheers greeted the
remarks.
Headed by the hand of music the visitors went up
the hillside into the town, which lies some distance
back from the canal and river banks. Wilamsport
is port for canal boats. About twenty barges are
M In vii mari NhRrn Iharn Ia vat
depot building of the railroad, though lumber Is ON
the ground for structure. The town Is of reyolu-
tionary date, its founder having been General Ohio
II. Williams whose name II beans. The shop keep
of the town In honor Of the opening closed their
placesofbusness during the afternoon. The country
side poured In throngs of people and II was In all
respects a frSt-class holiday.
Many of the residents kept open house, notably
Judge Motter, who had some twentyyear old rye
which he had kept to be broken only when the
Western Maryland railroad should be opened 10
williamsPort Ne Kept his pledge, and his visitors
Humrichouse, now of baltimore, at whose beautiful
estate General Lee made his headquarters during the
occupation of Williamsport by the Confederates
during the late war, had handsome entertainment
| at which Governor Whyte and Others were present,
and ltzel,s hand discussed sweety. The hospitality
displayed In this mansion was superb. number
BILE.
The public banquet at which everybody was pro.
yided with an elegant and substantial dinner, with
delicacies in season. was given under the immediate
superintendent ofihe ladies of wlliamsport. The
Owing to the great crowd be provided for 1t was
necessary to dine them In three divisions simulta.
neOusly In the three apartments of the school
The affair was admirably managed, the fare excel
lent appetites sharpened by mountain air and
mountain dew, and everything passed OF as merrily
as marriage feast The dining-rooms were tasteful
ly decorated.
A portrait of Cen Williams was among the decora.
tons, and the entrance TO the building was gaily
trimmed with flags, while evergreens, fresh from the
mountain sides graced the walls and hung festooned
fnR call limo Oh
burgess, toasted "The Governor OF Maryland"
Gov.Whyte spoke briefly in acknowledging the COM
pliment He said he felt natural pride In revisiting
Williamsport where he had spent some OF his YOUTH
after an absence of thirty years. When the train
bore him back on this occasion and he noted the
route the point where the burly Blue Ridge opened
its Jaws and gave glimpse of the wonderful Cum
berland valley, and revealed the evidences OF pro-
gress cultivation and wealth every side he real
lied how much Western Maryland was prospecting
He alluded TO the honored history OF wflliansport
and spoke OF the glorious hero, Ohio Ii. Williams,
its founder, the friend of Washington, whose dust
lies buried In yonder graveyard
lie thought It fitting that both these heroes Wash
ington and Williams, should be entombed on tho
beautiful banks of the Potomac. [Applausel
In conclusion he said that the growing of the cock
does not more surely indicate the dawn than the
shrll whistle of the locomotive heralds the coming
day OF prosperity, where there is enterprise among
the people. Applause. He wished the people OF
Wiliiamsport TO be prepared for the coming dawn
80 that when Jack Frost takes the place OF A. r. Cor
man on the canal, enterprise would enable the
railroad 10 dc its office, and he hoped in the end
tiol Nphtd iihN u lSuNAiAl
[Great applausel
Mr. A. r. German responded to the toast 10 the
Chesapeake and ohio canal. He said the milroad
was the right arm of the canal. and that the canal
prepared to bring millions Of tons of coal year
to williamsport for rail shipment to baltimore and
tide water He cautioned his hearers however, es-
pecially those Of Williamsport not be over san
gne for quick realization of their hopes rs the his
tory OF all great works showed that il took great
while TO build up great trade.
Mr.. syester said Williamsport had not realized ex
pectations from the canal or from It's turnpike and
said that neither canals, rails turnpkes would
accomplish much not backed by push, energy and
enterprise
senator Longwell of Carroll, responded to a toast
TO the Western Maryland railroad and spoke in favor
OF Alex Rieman as It's president and hoped he could
be induced TO accept. Mr.. Longwcll showed how
Carroll county, tired ofmud roads, inaugurnied the
Western Maryland railroad and carried It's debt be-
fore the extensions until helped out by the gencros-
~ of Baltimore. He said the road still needed some
assistance from somewhere, but Il was not as badly
on as the Chesapeake and Ohio canal had been.
when countryman replied, as the Joke went, to an
offer 70 purchase wood with canal script that he
would trade only cord for cord. lIaughterl He
said that the Western Maryland road had done much
for Carroll county, for which II had been designed
II had increased the taxable basis double had don-
blcd villages and developed iron ore productions
&c. What Il would do In the future for Washington
and Frederick counties he did not know
Ne Hiatt "a. al