Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-02-25
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY IS. 1876.

pIKE.-The condition of this road is again at
tracing general attention, and We hope that
the public and private efforts now 10 progress
to re pair the wrong, will result in substantial
good.
The history of the occupancy of this turnpike
is substantially as follows Before the war a
single railroad track skirted the road, uron
which local trains were run. This arrangement
was decided benefit to our city aud county,
as it was great convenience to the public, and
encroached but little on the turnpike. During
the war the road became great highway tor
the marching of troops, and the conveying OF
stores of the United States Government. Sew
eral years after the close of the war the Penn.
sylvania Central Railroad Company obtained
control of both the pike and railway, and they
Immediately laid double track, cutting dlreot.
" through the centre of the pike, aod utterly
running it for travelling purposes. They even
ploughed up the road bed Of the turnpike, and
used the gravel to ballast their track. BY thus
destroying the great and only highway between
this city and the National Capital they not
only did great injustice to the people and land
owners of Alexandria county, but they struck
q severe blow at the prosperity OF Alexandra.
All the county trade, amounting in the aegre
gate to many thousands of dollars, was defect
ed to Washington, and the county is practical
" divided from US by an impossible gulf.
TO those who remember the splendid turn
pike to ashiugtoU-one hundred feet wide,
finely paved and graded-and see now the irag'
ment left-in some places but sixteen feet wide,
by actual measurement, and filled with trlgtttu
holes and yawning chasms-the eontrast Is
disheartenlng, and, if they have the prosperity
of our city at heart, they think and feel that a
great outrage has been committed, and that
there has been 90 reparation whatever.
We know it to be fact that all travel abso-
lutely ceases on the Washington and Alexan-
dria turnpike during the winter and spring,
when the road is almost impossible, and all
teams going to and fro have to be transferred
by the ferry boats. That such state OF IN DgS
is lamentable 10 the ex RENE none can doubt,
and it will stagger creduli.y itself when we
say that for the occupancy and destruction OF
our once great and conmodlous turnpike, the
PENNSYLVANIA Central has never even paid
Alexandria, the county, any community, or any
private individual SO much as one dollar
for the property they have deprecated, the
obligations they have violated, the public in-
terests they have destroyed, or the ruin they
have wrought; in fact, as member OF the
City Counci has said, ''they won't even burn
the city's gas at their Fayette street depot.
The effects of Secretary BriStoW's action IN
the whiSkey cases are becoming more ADD more
apparent. The Washington correspondent OF
the New York Herald says: More remop-
strances have been received to-day by Congress
meu from New Hampshire against Interfere nee
With Secretary Bristow; also some Maine Con-
gressmeu have received requests from leading
Republican politicians 10 that State against
the removal OF Mr.. Bristow or Solicitor Wilson
until after the Maine town elections have been
held. These occur late in March and 10 April.
1t begins to look as though there would be no
convenient time for getting rid of Mr. Brlstow
until about the time the Cincionati Convention
meets, for after New Hampshire will come the
Maine town elections, and then presently will
follow Connecticut 1t is really great incon-
yenience to the Whiskey Ring.
- NV,