The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1877-06-15
THE sEGZ&.
BEL AIR, FRIDAY, JUNE 18th, 1877.
For The AEgis Dc InteRigencer.
The PrODOSed Road TO Stafford.

Notice was given time ago, in accordance witt
law that application would be made to the Commits
sners to appoint examiners to determine whether the
public convenience required roao to be opened from
point near Stafford to the vicinity of Hopewel Al
ter considerable opposition, the Commissioners APP
pointed examiners and selected three eminenty com
potent gentlemen from a part OF the county remote
from the region in which the road was to be located,
ensuri therebya report from them wholly unbiased
by neighborho0d interest The examiners alter a
careful survey of the ground, and after hearing the
statements of all the interested parties unanimously
reported that the public convenience would be promos
ed by making the road Before final action in regard to
IT, the Commissioners fixed upon day for hearing OBJ
iecions, and the case was fully presented on both
sides. Notwithstanding the most determined oppose
ton shown by three persons OF ability and in.
nuenCe to the road not single objection that was
titled to consideration was urged. 1t was shown by
tho friends of the road that the landholders whose
property would be taken would be amply compensated
by the damages allowed by the examiners; that no
water would be cut off from fields that the road
would enable all those through whose lands it would
run to reach mai ket for their produce down hill the
whole distance, instead OF up heavy grades by their
present road and that large portion of the county
would have easier and shorter route good mar.
ket Tor their produce, and to depot OF coal lumber
aud fertilizers
TO Bel Air district this road would be especially
beneficial Several thousand tons of coal are annually
hauled into this district from Havre de Grace; all Of
it passing through Churclvlc. The road to IIavre dc
Grace from Churchyillc as now used, is 10 miles in
length making the trip from Bel Air for load of coal
e ing and returning, about 81 miles by the proposed
road the distance from Churchville to coal at the
in rip for load of coal or other merchandise from
Bel Air, of six miles, counting going and returning.
But even greater advantage would be attained in
the increased load which team could haul from the
canal by the proposed road.
The grade of the new road would he nearly regular
from the b. ginning to the end of it, there being aso.
luiely hill it, the grade being foot rise in 50
feet Of distance The grade of the road from ayre de
Grace TO the region of Hopewell is in the first two
miles from IlaVre de Grace 400 feet e. miles and 81
yads) being one foot rise in about feet of distance.
The new route being about one.fourth rs steep in the
average and saving q miles in the day. trip
Coal aud lumber we'll as all other heavy merchant
disc passing down the canal can be sold miles above
lIayre de Grace Tor lower price than they can be nj
Iayre de Grace because the freight aud tolls are of
course, less for part of the canal than for the whole
of it, though the difference is so small that il il men.
toned only To show that there is reason why the
price should he greater ii this road made, so as
enable sellers at the lower end of il to deal largely
in these articles and thereby avail of the advantage
purchasing in larger quantities Coal s offered at
Stafford, al III" best qualify ut llayre Ito Grace prices
and it will heLceiorth bs sold Mt prices low AS at
amy place in he county, though with very little profit
TO tho seller because here being no practicable road,
no large quantity can be sold.
1t is claimed by those who oppose the road that the
present road to the Same point is good enough 10
unbiased persons il isonly necessary to say that the
grade of the present road is in the first mile from the
beginning Of the new route in some places, foot
rise in feet of distance and the iise nearly 800 feet
to the mile.
1t seems to be a reasonable calculation that il re.
quircs force to move loaded wagon in exact propor
ton to the ascent in given distance Thus il will re-
u
cent of ono foot in seven of distance to haul ton
up ascent Of foot in 80 feet of distance; and as
chain is no stronger than the weakest link it, so
team can haul no more load on any road than il can
haul up the stcepest hill that road If this is nil
true, then team haul four times as much over the
grades o the proposed road as it haul from avre
de Grace; five times as much from Lapidum: four
times much as from Rock Run; four and three.quar
ter times much from Stafford, by the old road
The petition for this road has been signed by very
large number of the chief property holders of the
county, and there has been reasonable objection
urged against it, unless the cost of it is reasonable
objection it may he asked why the county authorities
hesitate about opening it, Tho total cost would he
about Sl,GO0 which would increase the levy less than
cents on the 500, and the gain to the county would
repay this sum in but little year after the
the road was opened for from 5000 to 1000 tens of
coal alone is hauled rom the river below Deer Creek
every year. and the saving would be less than one
dollar per ton on all this.
Coal would be delivered in Bel Air, if it was now
open, at about five dollars per ION, and lumber and
other things would be cheapened in proportion A
careful survey of all the roads leading to the river
rom Churchvle has been made by authority of tho
County Surveyor and the data from which these state
meuts ms to grades and distances are made NAV be re-
lied upon as accurate.
1t is singular, at this stage of the worlds progress
men are found who bride up and show all the signs of
mortal terror when the most beneficial improvements
proposed, but must not forget that the world
has always had its proportion of this class of persons
we must not forget that Calico was prosecuted be.
he pronounced the earth to be a sphere that
Columbus and Sir Walter Raleigh were loaded with
chains because their farseeing intelligence threatened
10 GrOot ancient ideas anu systems that Robert Full
ton, in his day, regarded as visionary lunatic;
that Morse, who harnessed the lightning TO the car OF
OF human progress and made daily aborer in every
field of human occupation, was in the tosome and
iended years of his early abors looked upon by this
same class OF men as hit subject for the mad house.
1t may he that they are of some service however in
the general economy, but it is unfortunate that the
interests OF so large number OF people should be
INSTRUCTED because very few persons, of whom
would themselves be greatly benefited by it, to
travel in the old ruts in which their fore fathers ran
1t would lie cheaper TO the community to provide
separate range for these gentlemen
:" Some boundess contiguily of shade"
in which the colonial days of our existence coud be
reproduced as nearly as possible; land OF peace and
silence In which the steam whistle other modern
innovation should never disturb the drowsy tinklipp
of the cow'be or the midnight wall of the whippoor.
will.
We trust that the material interests of the county
will not be yielded TO their guidance and that our.
county authorities will proceed to give us the adyan.
age nj cheap coal and lumber and tho best prices for
our produce, which this road would undoubtedly af
ford us.