National Republican., 1883-11-02
THE CITY OF CUMBERLAND.
The Spot Where BraddoCk "Swelled Around
When on His Way to Defeat
Where tho Coal Comes From and Where
the Canal sturts-An Old, Old Lady.
Sscciai letter.

mortalized in painting, verse, ana prose.
Crowds of snobbish American tourists would
annually visit and go into oostasies over its
romantic and picturesque features, who
being hero at home ride through and
by it with hardly passing thought. Yet
tho cars whirl through bits of panoramic
beauty--mountans clothed from base
TO top in October's vivid colors,
combinations Of quiet valley, towering height,
level, cultivated field, and procpitous, rocky
walls, delightful to the artistic eye. The Po.
tonac here Is not the great big majestic food
familiar to tho home constituency of THE
REPUBLICAN,, but winds along by tho rail.
way, q very nladcap Of little river here
flowing In broad, quiet reaches by opulent
corn fields, and there ripping, tumbling, and
flashing over little, shelving waterfalls and
presence Of the big-mouthed, gamy black
bass.
BY most of tho good people of Washington
Cumberland Is thought of--when they do
chance to think of it at alias the place
whence they get their winter supply Of coal,
and as the starting point of the canal that
ends in Georgetown The canal does start
here right In the middle of the city. but tho
coal is mined in tho mountains six or eight
miles away. But there is something moro
than a canal and coal mines here. Seated in
pretty valley, surrounded on all sides by
towering mountains-spurs of the Allegheny
range-Cumbcrland Is u city of near 10000
souls, with ilourishing industrial interests, q
good trade, and plenty of historical associa-
tions
Ono hundred and twenty eight years ago,
when this region was tho far west to our an
cestors living nearer tidewator, an army In
red coats, with all the pomp and circum-
stance of glorious war, came over the south
eastern hills and canpcd here. They were
BOLD Brtons," accompanied by a dotach-
mcnt of looked down-upon colonial rangers.
Their commander was pompous, red faced,
proiaue, six bottle British general, who de-
spised tho Colonsts and rcbukcd the
commander of the Virginia rangers for
his presumption in tondering advice
concerning tho conduct of the cam
paign then in hand. The army staid
here some time, while its commander carried
on hot quarrel with the authorities of Vir-
ginia, Maryland, aud Pennsylvania over the
furnishing Of supplies for his command. This
adjusted after u fashion, his army one day set
out in gallant array, one of the best appointed
forces that had up to that day marched over
North American soil, and marched west to
crush the French and Indians at Fort Du
Quesnc. Needless to say the naughty general
was Braddock, the commander of the
Virginia rangers "Dlai." George Washington
and the story of how the former, with most Of
his command, wero slaughtered by the In
dams like sheep in the shambos soon after
leaving Cumberland is school history. 1t
was here, too, that tho terrified fugitves
from the bloody sceno of Braddock's defeat
sought refuge, guarded aud protected by
Washington and his rangers Right up at
the end of the principal street Is Fort hill,
where, under WGshington's direction, Fort
Cumberland was constructed, and long rc-
manned one of the main delensos of the col
onies against their redskinncd foes. Where
the old fort stood is now tho site of
real gem of little church, copied
from some old gothic chapel in England,
built solidly oflight brown stone, and covered
with ivy. From its commanding position, it
is one of tho first things to attract tho
strangers eye, and is u charming specimen
of church architecture. In exCavating part
of the church yard for some purpose a few
days ago u cavalry stirrup few bullets, and
q bayonet, all of the style in use in the Eng
lish army before the revolution, were brought
to light, mute memorials of tho days when
King George was the father OF this country,
and sent his red coats to protect and fight for
his future rebels.
There is good deal to remind one of the
manufacturing towns of western Pennsyl-
vania in the general appearance and charac-
teristics of Cumberland. The Baltimore and
Ohio rolling mills are tremendous affairs,
alone sufficient to afford support to large
artisan population and smoke enough to
CRIME place of twice the size Steel mills
and several glass works are very important
contributors to the thrift and prosperity of
the place, while u large mandatory of wood
pipes is, | am told, the only one of the
sort in the country outside of New
England. With incxhaustibe coal, plenty
of water power, native ores near by, and
unlimited facilities for transportation in all
directions Cumberland must eventually be
widely known as one of the great manufactur-
ing centers of the east Especially when
some capitalist turns up with means and fore
sight enough to properly develop the bound
less deposits of iron ores in the neighboring
counties of Virginia and West Virginia.
Politically this is n republican county,
though it is close thing between the parties
in the city. The bulk of the miners are
Scotch and Welsh, and it is mainly to
their sturdy fidelity that the republicans owe
their ascendency in the county. Holton
made such an impression while here that he
is very likely to receive vote for governor
in excess Of the real strength of his party.
1t is not often that one can have an OPP
portunity of seeing and conversing with a
person over whose head have passed tho joys
and sorrows of a hundred years of life. Yet
to-day conversed for some timo with Mrs.
Nancy Miller, who was born on tho seven
teenth day of June, 1850. l am skeptical as
to alleged centcnarians as O rule, but this
NVuclhulc lduy uBS bc6luS we'll uuJHcIll-
Gated. She talked brightly and cheerfully of
things that occurred when she was young,
and laughed feebly as she told how q com
panon of her childish days had once, when
George Washington rode up in front of old
man Hulls gate, on the Hagerstown road"
and asked for drink of water,
ran and brought it to him in a
gourd dpper, and was reproved by her
parents for using SO plebeian a utensil, where
ut the great man laughed, said he drank out
of gourd dipper at home, and rode away,
! leaving the maiden TO declare to her parents
that she was glad of it, and q gourd dipper
was good enough for anybody, even Gen.
Washington. i" But, lap said the old lady,
"she always was u peart, sassy thing Her
father owned most of the country round about
and half of whore Cumberland now is. She
growed up, married, and lived to be an old
woman, and has been dead many years, and
yet here am living who was born first"
| was surprised when she said in reply to
my inquiry that she had bcen of delicate
health all her liio; often sick and several
times given up to die, yet pulling through
somehow. But" said she, patheticaliy,
sir, it is no privilege to live 80 long Liv'
ing is no pleasure to me. am tired and
ready TO CO."
Aged and worn though sho looks, yet there
is much vitality left Her hearing Is perfect
and her eyesight fair but her memory flick.
ers, some days being bright and clear, but on
Others feeble and uncertain. She saw Wash.
| ington when she was about o years old, and
spoke of him as large man, wearing blu,
coat that had yellow cuffs and facings and cut
away skirts" The old lady is quite soca
and likes visitors, but objects TO being made