Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1879-07-12
Cumberland Letter, No. 2.
Biographical and Historical - Mr..
Healey andt the Short Lime Railroad.
CUMBERLAND, july g. 1879,

Biographical and Historical - Mr.
Healey ind the Short Lime Railroad
CUMBERLAND, July 9, 1879.
The death of Maurice A. Healey
on Tuesday morning was not une1-
pected, as his friends had given up all
hope Of his recovery on Monday last,
when his 'symptoms got worse. Mr..
Healey had been sick for two weeks
and attended by DR.. J. M. Porter, Of
your city; his brother, DR.. Thomas
Healey, of Washington, D. c.; DR..
W. W. Wiley and DR.. P. A. Healey,
of this city, all Of whom were dsvot-
ed in their attentions. He was pres
ent at the meeting of the stockhold.
ers of the Pennsylvania railroad com :
pany Wednesday of last week, and
tia excitement he went through evil
IDENTIFY caused his death, as he was
taken much worse the next day and
gemained unconscious with the OK.
ception Of one day (Friday,) when
he was visited by priest Of the Ro-
man Catholic church, until he died.
Maurice A. Healey was born in
Cumberland in 1842, and received an
academic education in his native
city. afterwards attending college at
hmmittsburg. At the beginning Of
the late civil war he entered tho Con-
federate army as private, and soon
rose to the position of engineer. AT.
ter the war he returned to Cumber-
land, read law and was admitted to
the bar, at the October term, 1867.
Soon after his admission he was ap-
pointed Auditor of the Circuit Court
which posi5ion he held up to 1878,
when his duties az President of the
Short Line railroad compelled him to
rssign this position. He devoted his
whole time to his duties as President,
and it is owing to his indefatigable
energy, perseverance and industry
that the new road became a success.
It cost him his life, but it made him
prominent, and when it became a sue
cess the very men who opposed the
road At first, turned him out of his
position, even before the new depot
had been built, and the formal OPEN
ing Of the new road had taken place.
His ne will ever be associated with
the Pennsylvania railroad in Mary
land, which would have been fail
ure had he not persevered as he did
in the good cause.
Ths struggles of this new road,
which places our "Queen City" of
Western Maryland in connection with
the great Pennsylvania railroad, are
esp 'ally interesting at this time.
The charter was obtained in 1876, and
authorized Maurice A. Healey, DR..
J. =. Zacharias, Ferdinand Williams,
and others, to build railroad from
the Pennsylvania State Line at Ellers-
lie to the city of Cumberland, dis
tance of six miles. The first attempt
to procure funds met with great op-
position, and was finally failure, as
the city refused to appropriate the
amount asked for-one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars. A second eff
fort to raise the money was made;
this time the amount asked for was
thousand dollars. which sue
ceeded after one of the most persist
ent and energetic efforts ever made
Il the history OF Cumberland. In
November, 1877, the city passed an
ordnance authorizing the issue of
siAty-ive thousand dollars in bonds
of the city to the Pennsylvania rail-
read in Maryland. In February,
1878, the Legislature of Maryland
endorsed this action. In May, 1878,
ground was broken, grading went on
from the Pennsylvania State Line
until they came to the head of the
"Narrows." There another difficulty
vas encountered in the charter of the
Cumberland and Pennsylvania rail-
road, and the peculiar natural forma-
tions, which made it absolutely i'm
possible for an additional railrord to
mass thror ii this gorge without in
fringing upon the road already built.
A jury ofcondemnation was summon
ed AID made the decision, awarding
damages to the Cumberland and
Pennsylvania railroad company of
Eve thousand dollars. This was re-
sisted in court by the latter. who
finally succeeded in setting it aside,
which necessitated the Pennsylvania
rai1rn al IN MorylonJ obanripo ~ a;r