Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1883-04-26
PRoposED ROUTE OF THE NJ. V. X. Il
An Odd and Contradictory
Document

Document.
In last weeks Valley Register was pub
lished in full the report of Engineer Ran
dolph, of the examination and comparison
of routes of the proposed Middletown Val.
lev railroad. BY superficial reading of
the report, one may take 1t to be, an intel
ligently written statement of a thoroughly
capable engineer and business man; while
u more careful reading will disclose some
elaring Inconsistencies of statement and
the proof of either ineticiency or bias.
We know just what it is to have an en-
gincer in the hands Of interested parties,
interested in having the road located on a
certain route and need 90 no fult';er than
home The West m Maryland road would
have been land for that matter should have
bcen) located riA Emmisburg and not Me-
chan,cs,own, had it not been for the nflu :
ence that John Lee Chapman was able to
exert upon the engireer who located the
road through his Chapman 's) property at
| Blue Ridge Summit and unless our vision
! is distorted without cause, We see either
influence or ncapabiIity in the report OF
Engineer Randolph.
1t Is just such "A report rs we should
probably make if we were in the interest
aud empio, of the b. & o. r. r. rattle
than those who employed II to make the
survey or estimate.
The people of Midlletown Valley will
advantages and facilities tor themselves
rather than to build connecting link for
the & q. II. X. with the Tape Worm or
some oller chimera, as that has been
{ ON its first conception and bni! ling.
The people OF Middeown Valley want
IA road that is the most direct and That Ill
! at the least pos ,ibe cost carry freight both
WAYS between them and Baltimore, the
natural depo, Of tins section and by the
route recommended, H. compared with the
impractjcable" Mcchahicslown route,
there is a difference of probably fifteen
miles in favor ut the latter, and vet this en-
gneer SAY in his report that it has only III
It's favor the decrease OF tac distance to
Baltimore seperaL miles.
He MS" pcrvei,s the truth when he SAYS
thai the divide at Spruce c eek being $50
tt nbovc MtCAhnl, sls"n nuu the dis
Ieuce less than six miles, til" grade, 1853 fl,
renders the route impracJicabie. A kno"
tsn' tue secret oi engineering consists of
securing favorable gradients at the ca
pcnse of distance and adding 4 miles by
understanding" to this point would reduce
the grade Tar below the heaviest on the
route recommended and still bring the PEG
pie OF MddetoNn lS miles nearer Ball-
more and leave their road sIA miles shorter
than the one roposed and this in the same
report that says that in this matter econ
omy in first cost is - stronger consdera-
lion Than total elevation overcome We
have Ken his own figures rs follows -
In the paragraph in which the estimate OF
COS, is made We find the length of the road
80 miles In the first paragraph of his ty
pogragh, lie gives the distance from the
FuxviIle divide to he 22 miles direct -
Now from the first divide on Spruce
Run route, to Mechanics, own is 6 miles,
add 4 for horse shocing' and we have less
than 30 miles direct as against SO by the
survey to Summit Station or at least six
miles less road TO build and at least IL
miles nearer Baltimore aud but 80 feet
grade which is very much less than the
maximum allowed by Him in the route rec
ommended.
These Inconsistencies are SO palpable
that he who runs may read, yet IT must
fall to the lot of another than US to ac
count for them. Had we ever doubted
the practicability of building the proposed
road to this point, all doubt would have
been removed by this report for it has
proven il to be the only available one, but
if the people of Mddetown Valley are to
be influenced by recommendation that
advises them to build road to within 6
miles of the W NJ r. r. at Mechanics
town and then instead of making that 6
miles 10 by Understanding to reduce the
grade to 90 to come to this point, build it
Is to the Summit IL miles west of this
point, if they are to be influenced by such
reports, we fear that the prime object,
economy, will never be attained Com
mon sense points to this place as the north.
ern terminus.
Work has commenced on the new Hair
risburg e. Gettysburg Railroad on Wednes-
day of last week at Hunters Run and the
work will be pushed forward as rapidly as
possible. AT the present time they have
, about one hundred hands at work on the
road. but expect to increase the number to
three hundred in several days Gettysburg
celebrated the event by firing off twenty
two guns, church bells were rung, flags
flying and people cheering. The new
road will be of great benefit to that plac,
The pool room at Lucas is above stars
separate and distinct from the hnr and