Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1879-12-20

lowing interesting reference 10 our raii-
road -
OPENING Up THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY.
The first division of the SHENANDOAH
Valley Railroad, from Shcpherdstown 10
Riverton, distance of forty-iive miles,
will be opened for business on Monday
next. The road when completed Will en-
tend from Hagerstown, Md, TO Nayncs-
boro. Va, Il distance Of l42 miles. From
uaucrstowu the road passes through
Sharpsburg anG the battlefield OF Antle-
tam. crosses the Potomac RIVER at ohep-
herdstown, and then runs through the en-
,irn l.nCth OF the beautiful and fertile
Shenandoah Valley, forming connect
ing link between the Chesapeake ana
Ohio Railroad. and the three great trunk
lines 10 New Iork-the Baltimore ana
ohio, the Philadelphia and Reading, ana
tie Pennsylvania Railroad
The opening OF the Shenandoah valley
Railroad will make available the vast
mineral resources of the Shenandoah al
lev and will bring into market the rich
.icnosits of iron ore AT Il time when the IN
creased demand for iron and the scarcity
ot ores in PENNSYLVANIA render them par
,irulnrly desirable. The new road IS be-
iu., we'll constructed, steel rails being iald
unon oak ties. and thoroughly ballaSted
with Stone. The recently discovered Cav
ems of Luray. which have been brought
into so much n0toriety during the past
wear. are directly upon the line OF the
road. The work upon tho uncompleted
norton of the road Is being enerSeticaily
prosecuted under the direction OF W. W.
t'oe, chief engineer, Joseph II. SANDS,
formerly of the Pennsylvania faiiroau! Is
superintendent of the completed Portioh
OF the road. with headquarters ut Charles
Town, West Virginia,
In accordance, therefore, with the
foregoing announcement. the new lIHe
between Shepherdslown and Front Roy
al, or Riverton, was regularly opened
for travel and trade on Monday last, the
18th instant, and we had the pleasure
o. going over the road on the first trip
of the passenger train between the two
places.
Rarely have we had more delightful
excursion, and never have we passed
through a more beautiful country. Fa-
miliar as we thought we we're with the
physical features Of this 'lower valley,
we had no idea of lis surprising lowell,
less until we took this impromptu trip
over the Fist Division Of the Shenan-
.loah Valley Railroad. Nowhere, IN
deed, in the two Nirgiuias has nature
been more lavish OF her choicest gifts,
or wrought upon a scale OF greater
beauty blended with magnihcence. Bu:,
attractive as all travellers must tind this
favored region, there Is more Ill It than
meets the eve. For time and its mem
cries have invested so many Of its local
lilies with those associations that take
held upon the heart that almost every
step along the route is sure TO suggest
some stirring story Of the past which
imParts additional interest 10 the sylvan
beauties OF the scene.
- Blu. We nave not now either time or
space to dwell on the hiStonc aSsoeIa-
mons connected with this fairest and
most fertile portion Of the iar-tamed
Valley of the Shenandoah, our purpose
being simply in this issue to emphasize
the fact of the opening OF our road
and TO jot down few hurried notes IN
regard to our trip over It to the
IL, II ,hn Shenandoah
We LETT Shepherds.owD at 1885,
schedule time, or the train drawn by the
splendid pew engine, "Wtn. Milnes,Jr..
differed by Mr.. McAllistcr, Master Me
chanic; Capt. Castner, conductor; Mr.
Brown, Engineer; VIM. Grant, Fireman;
VIM. Daugherty and Wells Spots,
Brakemer; in company with Major w.
w. Coe, Chief Engineer, Of the Con-
s,rnct,on Company, Hon. y. K. Boteler
and David Dillmyer, Directors OF the
road, Messrs. Is. 7. Harrison, John C.
Unseld, D. S. Rentch, and others. Pass
ing bedford" "Morgans Spring,
Fountain Rock" with their historic
memories of the Revolutionary and re-
cent war, we soon reached the junction
with tho Is. & o. road, near DUtields,
" here we were joined Ly Mcssrs. Kim
ball and Mcdowell, OF Philadelphia (rhe
former being President OF the Construc-
ton Company, and the latter Treasurer
Of the S. V. Il. R. Col. |. L. Boyce
Vice President of the Railroad Compa-
nv, Mr.. Mills, one OF the contractors
for grading on the upper portion OF the
road, and his clerk, Mr.. Crayton, who
had come up on the Baltimore train. At
Charles,own cur company was further
augmented by our friend Gallaher OF
the Free Press, the Nestor OF Journal
ism in this region and q genial old gen
,leman per Sc; Mr. Sands, General Su-
perintendent, and others.
Other accessions were made to our
company at Fairfield, Berryville, Old
Chapel. Boyceville, White Post, Ashby
and Cedarvlle Crossing, so that by the
time we got opposite to RNerton we
had quite number Of passengers on
board Arriving at the river we left
the cars to see what progress they were
making with the railroad bridge over