The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-04-08
PORT DEPOSIT:
Forty Years Ago and Now.
LETTER No. 8.

consented to write some "reminiscences OF
, Port l thought that l would complete the
| series in three letters, devoting tsco to Port
shore and one to it's immediate surround
: ings. But like most men, after they have
turned the hill of life and begun tc descend
on the other side, sunset memories become
active in reviving sunrise incidents. So,
when | commenced iotting down my recol
lections, the field opened wider and wider,
until instead of the three letters, as pro.
posed, | find myself writing the ninth,
beside two personal sketches. Still the
cleaned.
In more than one of my letters, | asked
that your regular Port correspondent (who
| knew to be fully equal to the task would
correct my errors and supply omissions.
But as this request has RULED his feathers,
and he positively declines to play second, l
suppose l shall have to put in the sickle
and rake again.
The old Susquehanna bridge for many
long years was the only bridge that had
withstood the floods and ice gorges of the
Susquehanna river. Being just above nav
lgation, the vessel trade had free access to
Port, and her granite, lumber, chrome,
grain, &c, were all shipped by water.
The granite was shipped to Baltimore,
Washington, Alexandria, Georgetown, An
napolis, and to all navigable points on the
Eastern and Western Shores of Maryland.
/ To Wilmington, Del, Fort Delaware, and
to some small extent to Philadelphia. To
Old Point Comfort, the Rip Raps, and
Norfolk, Virginia. To Charlestown, S. c.,
and to st. Augustine, East Florida. This
trade gave employment to large number
of vessels. The lumber was shipped by
vessels to all points. The timber was RATED
/ into floats, and thus towed to the cities of
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and
many other places, to be sawed into bill
stuff.
/ Naturally, these interests opposed the
! for years made valiant fight before the
| Legislature, against the application of the
! Phila., Viii. & Bait. railroad. But Port
had to succumb. The bridge was built,
and railroad made to Port The fleets
of vessels gradually disappeared from the
Susquehanna, and now the most of the
shipments from there is done by rail-
Since the erection of the railroad bridge,
| Port has had some terrible Holdings. How
far the piers of the bridge and the piers
for the boom have tended to bring to pass
these gorges of ice and fioodings of water,
| leave to your readers to say. Nor am l
| prepared to express an opinion as to whether
or not the convenience and facilities for
travel and freight at all seasons of the year,
now enjoyed by the lateral railroad, is
compensation for the loss of the trade by
water. Those most Immediately interested
are the best judges.
MI. Editor, | can hardly realize that it
| has been some twenty years since ! was
actively engaged in the business interests
of Port, and have since been mere "looker
on in Vienna" | fear therefore, l may
have promised too much, in undertaking
to write up Modern PORT and feel strongly
|
nent Improvements, make a respectful bow
to your readers, and retire from the col
umns of The Whig; unless hereafter may
| furnish some personal sketches of John
J. Abrahams, Jefferson Ramsey, +. d.
McClenahan, VIM. Parker. Andrew Lyon,
J. H. Rowland, Jas. A. Davis, Joseph B.
Pugh, John Kaveney, Jesse r. Coulson,
Capt. Alonza Snow, Lieuts. Gerry and
Vanneman, of Shows Battery, J. w.
| Abrahams II. C. NeSbitt, Thos. c. Bond,
and others. To be forewarned is to be
forearmed. If any of the gentlemen l
have named object to seeing themselves in
Tile Cecil Wig, if they will be kind enough
to drop note to the Editor, signifying
their wish, | will strike their names from
my list, and deny myself the pleasure of
sketching them.
Just here let me say, that in the personal
| references l have made, i'll my letters and
sketches, or that | may hereafter make,
have no enmitles to crafty, and have not
designedly written anything to offend the
most sensitive. On the other hand, | have
had no sinister motive to prompt me to
| eXtol any man by undue adulation. | have
aimed at plain, unvarnished facts; only this
and nothing more. Personally, | have
nothing to gain or lose by these letters
and sketches | frankly confess it has
and live over in memory the scenes and
associations of some of the happiest days
of my life, and if it has afforded any pleas
ure to your readers, who were actors and
contemporaries in the scenes narrated, and
| impaired knowledge Of local history to
their children and those who have in recent
years become residents of Port, my object
has been attained, and Guyas Cutas will he
both satisfied and gratified.
BY the way, the question is often asked,
Who is Guyas Cutas, and what does the
name import 20 Some years ago. the citi-
zens of Port were excited every now and
| then, by the appearance on the hill sides OF
some unknown person or animal. What it
was, or whence it came, none could divine
Much speculation ensued. At last, one of
| the citizens sac it. 1t was Guyas Cutds.
But what that was, or what it resembled;
whence it came, or whittier it went, he
never could tell. As it was never known
to make its appearance again, some sup
posed it to have been playful citizen, who
took pleasure in creating some innocent
| excitement and having been detected,
threw off his mask and ceased his pranks. |
| Hence, adopted This signature; but have
lately been SO closely tracked, that to pre-
vent being detected, l may have to retire
| from Port and surroundings altogether
Lest this should he the result, and these
letters, like all things else, have an end, |
| will now proceed to make a hasty review
of some of Ports business enterprises and
improvements Of later years.
| AT Rock Run, the principal Improvement
has been the new Presbyterian Church,
noticed at length in my last letter, and
and some changes i'll business firms. The
same may be said of Middletown, the chief
improvement there being the new Roman
Catholic Church, and the handsome dwell
| ling of DR.. Shure; the Tome Memorial
NJ. E. Church, and the conversion of the
old church of 1889 into a Public School
building. From this point down to the
Railroad Depot, has been well built up
Then the Town Engine House, Lock Up
a Public School, fine brick building, in
the third story of which is the Masonic
Lodge. In this building is also the Office
of the McClenahan Bros, who are the
leading firm in the granite business, and
have by means of the railroad opened up
| large market for Port stone in Philadelphia.
! Prior to the building of the lateral road
the quarrymen could not compete with the
Delaware and Eastern men, because OF the