The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-10-13
TOT Tho VtNlI v hIE
Historical Researches that Quilp Made
rs ii Bohemian.
DTI1D
CHAPTER Y

company appears 10 nave been the out
growth of the Frenchtown & New Castle
Turnpike Company, which was chartered
in 1869.
The Act of Incorporation required the
turnpike to be laid out one hundred feet
wide, and further required that an artificial
road, at least twenty feet wide, be con-
structed and well bedded with wood stone,
gravel, clay, or other proper and convenient
materials, well cOmpacted together a Suifi-
cient depth to secure a solid foundation for
the same. The Act of Incorporation con-
tanned provision that if work was not
begun in three years from the time it went
into effect, that the Legislature might
resume the rights, liberties privileges and
franchises therein granted. In consequence
OF this. the Legislature by an enactment to
that effect revived the charter of the Com
pany III 1913.
They appear to have been somewhat en-
lishtened on the subject of turnpikes, in
the interval between these dates, for they
take occasion to say in the enactment for
the revival of the charter, that " Clay is
deemed not to be proper and convenient
material for bedding the road" We sup
pose they meant that clay was not to be
used IN constructing turnpike, for it GER
! tainly was the most convenient material
that could be obtained along a greater part
of the line Of this road. The Legislators
that chartered the Baltimore & frederick
Turnpike Company, thirty years before,
had much clearer conception of the con-
struction of good road. They enacted
that that road should be made of gravel
and said nothing about rood or clay
The part of the Act of Incorporation of
the Frenchtown & New Castle Turnpike
Company that regulates the tolls on the
road is so curious that we copy it: The
company is authorized to collect toll from
any person ''ridng, leading or driving any
| horse or mule, or driving any cattle, hogs,
sheep sulky, chair or Chaise ph;pton, cart,
wagon, vain, sleigh, sled, Or other carriage
of burden or pleasure The rate of toll
was as follows: "For every space of five
miles in length OF the said road, the follow
ing sums of money, and SO in proportion
for greater OF less distance, or for any
| greater or less number Of hogs, sheep, or
cattle, to-wit: For every score of hogs, six
cents; for every score of sheep, four cents:
for every score of cattle, twelve and one
half cents; for every horse, or mule, laden
or unladen, with his rider OR leader three
cents; FOR every sulky, chair or chaise, with
one horse and two wheels, SIX cents, and
! with two horses, nine cents; for every chair
or coach, ph;cton, chaiSe, stage, c0achee or
| light wagon, with two horses and four
Wheels twelve and one half cents; for either
OF the carriages last mentioned, with four
horses, twenty cents; Tor every other car
riage of pleasure, under whatever name
! they may go, the like sums, according to
the hu'hoer Oh wheels ana OF horses draw
ing the same; for every cart or wagon, or
otheT carriage OF burden, the wheels OF
/ Which co not III ofeadth exceed four inches,
SIX cents lor each horse drawing the same;
{ for VI tbe yyhaalc of ypbi ph
Sha.i exceed III breadth TOUR inches, and
! shail not exceed seven inches, three cents
! for each horse drawing the same; for every
cart or wagon, the breadth Of tile Wheels Of
/ chich ShaH be more than screen inches, and
| not m1'e Mdh ten aHches, or BENG Of tie
/ bretah OF sersn aHches, and shall roll more
! tt"" zen HchcS, Two cents Tor each horse
/ drawing the same; Tor every cart or wagon,
/ the breadth OF the wheels of which shall
/ be more than ten inches, and not erc6eding
/ ttoetce ahches, or being ten inches shall roll
more M@h fifteen, Que cent and half for
each horse drawing the same; and for any
HuCH carriage the preadth OF the wheels OF
! winch snail be more than tretce anches, one
| cent Tor each horse drawing the same; and
when any such carriage as aforesaid shall
be drawn by oxen or mules in the whole or
i'll part, two oxen shall be estimated as
equal to one horse, and every ass or mule
as equal to one horse, in charging the aforc-
sad toll
Whether wagons were made in those
days with wheels, the rims of which were
of the width of ten and twelve inches, We
do not know, but the Legislators of the
State i'll 1909 seemed to be of the opinion
that they might be made, and graduate
the toll according to the width of the rim
of the wheels that might be used on the
turnpike. We are of the opinion that the
Turnpike Company should have been made
to pay premium TO their owners for using
them, for their use would have been bene-
fetal rather than injurious to the road.
The Fr.nchtown " New Castle railroad
was one of the first railroads built in the
the United States. 1t was about seventeen
mics long, and as its name indicates, was
located between Frenchtown on Elk river
and New Castle on the Delaware. The
original Frenchtown " New Castle railroad
was chartered by the Legislature of Mary
land, at the session of 1927 and IS, under
the name of the Frenchtown & New Castle
Railroad Company, with a capital stock of
S2oo,ooo mere seems to have been some
douots OF the success OF the new enterprise,
Tor the CHARTER OF the railroad company
contained a provision intended to compel
the company TO keep open turnpike
notwithstanding TINS, the railroad was
Quit considerable distance south Oh the
tnrnpike' on more practicable route
Inc toi's Oh tIe railioad were not 10 exceed
t I'M. oenc' Per ION per ihiie Oh lrelght.
ho i"ie lol INC tlahSpoEtloh ol passengers
was not 10 exceed twenty-five cents per
passenger lor the "hoie distance, ana twelve
ana nan cents LOT baggage not exceeding
one r., iunuIeu POUNDS ,,
Inc l"liio"u was not nhlshed tll 1851.
III was OF very pecullar construction, and
We're IL now extant, would be great curl
osity. The rails were placed about the
same distance apart that the rails on mod
ein railroads are placed, but instead OF
oelhs iaiu upon wooden sleepers, as the
rams Oh nGuern ROADS are, they We're placed
upon oloG On, oi stone ten or Twelve ihches
square. lhese stones had holes drilled III
men, III "hlch wooden pug was inserted,
ana upon Ihem were LAID wooden rails
about SIX inches square and ten or twelve
leet long, when were fastened to the stones
by means OF piece OF flat iron shaped like