Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1878-07-09
A Notable Anniversary.

Just fifty years ago to-day ground was
broken in this city fer the construction of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and that half
century has seen at once the birth of railway
enterprise and It's highest development the
world over. 1t was a little road with big
charter that was opened to Fllicott City on
the 22d of May, 1880, operated by horse
power over track that consisted merely of
thin strips of iron laid on longitudinal stills.
But it was, nevertheless, railroad, and the
next year a steam engine, advertised for by
the company, and which it specified Unjust
not exceed three and half tons weight, and
must, on level road, be capable of drawing,
day by day. fifteen tons, inclusive of weight
of wagons, fifteen miles per hour, was intro.
duced, romantic attempt to propel the cars
with sails having ANONYMOUSLY failed. The
road was wonder then to everybody, push
ing its way westward through the country,
striding the rivers, spanning the valleys and
climbing the mountains with the same in
domitable spirit. But it was slow work
building railroads half q century ago. AT
the thought of laying rail across the conti>
nent from ocean to ocean, the boldest would
have stood aghast. 1t was not until April l,
1882, that the road reached the Point of
Rocks it was December l, 1884, when it
touched Harper's Ferry; November 5, 1912,
when it tapped Cumberland, and not till
January -, 1858, did it strike the Ohio
at Wheeling. But its future had already
been forecasted by Charles Carroll of Car
rollton, then the only surviving signer of the
Declaration of Independence, when he lifted
the first shovel of earth at the ground>break-
|. ing and said 81 consider this among the
most important acts Of my life, secondary to
that of signing the Declaration of Independ,
| ence, if even second to that"
CBaI'imore Sun, July 4th.
The FIXING MACHINE FlZzLE.-About
fifty thousand people assembled on b ston
| Common Thursday morning to witness the
first exhibition of tho flying machine in the
| open air. The plan was to sail around tic
t2ps of the houses and the principal
streets and demonstrate to wonderful mul>
titude the possibilities of air navigation
| When everything was ready the machine was
let CO. but instead of flying up gradually and
gracefully, as was intended. it shot up like
an arrow to distance of about two thous>
and feet. Every one came to tho conolu,
sion at once that it was unmanageable, and the
poor cronaut was the object of much sympa>
| thy as he f1oatcd upward He soon let off
some gas, but did not descend. He went up
higher and higher, and it was soon evident
| that he was as much at the mercy of the
currents as any balloonist. He sailed over
Brooklne, Boston, Highland, and out
through Norfolk county, and landed at the
| littlo town of Farnham. Here he was an
object Of wonder to the inhabitants, and after
they had gazed on him he cssayed to fly back
to Boston, but on reaching Dover gave it up,
and, packing his machine on the train, he
returned home by rail. Ho explains his
failure by saying that the gearing got out of
order. The steering arp r tus would not
work, and one of the rods was disar ,ged.
He says no had to tie it with a cord and
strap his foot to the pedal
"A recent traveller in Palestine was as
tonishcd By the number and preservation q
roads built in the Roman era. They weIe
laid out on all main routes, and were con-
structed so perfectly that in many sections
they endure to-day as well as if flushed not
| long ago. The country of Palestne was one
| OF the most difficult sort to carry a system of
} roadways over, and yet its obstac es were sur
mounted with the least possible expenditures
of labor. Every route was curbed each
side by lines Of stones project ng from one to
! two feet above the surface of the soil be-
tween these boundaries tho avenue was paved;
streams were crossed by bridges, whose sty'e
remains preserved alone in those of Italy to
Venice valleys were traversed by viaducts;
and cause ways carried the line up or down
mountain sides, either by piers of masonry
or in channels sufficiently wide cut out OF
living rock. Often zig Gags were resorted
to in climbing steep nscents. Whenever the
street passed over solid rock, tho wear Of
chariot wheels in the course of time made
ruts, which remain to-day as plain and deep
as when the last Car passed over.
A jewclcr in the Paris Exhibition
shows a necklace which purports to be mix
ture of true pearls and false, and challenges
uybody to single out the real.
A barking dog never bites, but the
same measure of confidence isn't to DO placed
in buzzng bee, even if he does 20 to war
| back wards.
MA RIED