Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-11-20
THROUGH THE NEW SOUTH
OPENED UP By THE N. r, p. g N.
RAILROAD.

RAILROAD.
A Great Country for yellow Pine
and Sweet Potatoea-scenes and
Incidents by the wRy-Improve.
ments at Cape Charles CITY.
From Every Evening OF Saturday.
Know 70 the land where the cypress and
Are emblems Of deeds that are done in their
cline;
Whore the rage of the vulture, thelove of the
Now melt into passion, now madden to crime ?
To me the first two lines OF this qua
train have always sounded q trife OBJ
soure, and the last two little better than
arrsnt nonsense but they Jingle prettily
and form an appropriate prelude to q
short sketch Of flying trip through
Northampton and Aooomaok.
II was the writer's good fortune tn
accompany George W. InRram's excur-
sion party down into this almost unknown
land, which the newly completed New
York, Philadelphia & Norfolk railroad
has now brought into hailing distance Of
the rest Of the world. The eAr-pieroinR
snort Of the iron steed has for the past
week or two reverberated through pine
forests In this long isolated land where
till the italian navvies came with their
shovels and picks the face of nature had
probably known no change since the day
when the doughty Captain John Smith
ran his soow into 0coshannock creek and
gave the wondering Indians who lined
the banks to understand that he was
ready to trade or fight, whichever they
preferred.
Some great chronological authority,
whose name cannot recall, has declared
that the purest specimens Of the Anglo.
Saxon race In existence are still to te
in these eastern shore counties Of Vir-
ginia. Settled originally by loyal sub
jects Of Queen Bess and King James |. and,
except In q few small coast Villages,
almost entirely sequestered from every
outside influence for two hundred years,
their descendants have intermarried and
transmitted the native atook nearly with.
out Admixture down TO the present day
until, paradoxical as II may pound, IL is
asserted that EnRlishmen Of purer blood
can be found here than in any part Of
Great Britain.
The New York, Philsdelphia & Norfolk
Con pany's line extends from Delmar, the
southern terminus of the Delaware rail-
road, to Cape Charles City, q distance Of
94a miles. Adding the 81 miles from
Wilmington to Dslmsr, II will be seen
that Cape Charles City is 1914 miles to
the southwark Of this oily. From Del
mar TO Peninsula junction, 2lt miles,
the tracks Of the Eastern Shore railroad,
acquired by purchase In January last,
are used from Peninsula junction to
Pooomoke City, 8 miles, the tracks OF the
old Peninsula road.
THE N r., p an. R.
At Pooomoks City, lin Worcester county,
Md, miles north Of the Virginia lire,
the new road begins and, after the slight
curve by which II reaches New Church
runs for 43 miles In a mathematioally
straight line, down the centre of the
narrowing peninsula, then bend. gently
TO the southwestward to reach its ter
minus. The company was origi
mated by A. ]. Cassatt and William
L. Scott, the latter OF whom
Ia Its present president and likewise a
member OF Congress from Brie, Pa Though
not open y fsthered by the Penpsylva ia
Railroad Company, 1t would take several
hours OF hard talking to convince most
people thar the New York, Philadelphia
d Norfolk company ia not virtusliy a
legitimate member Of the growing family
Of what Allied CRhall used to call "that
great Anaconda"
30 far as 3 non-railroad man could
observe, the new road ia exosllently
built, and It runs through region
almost as level a5 race course. Through
out its whole length there has bsen no
cutting or filling worthy Of remark. The
| most convincing evidences Of its solidity
are the we'll appointed depots which are
being constructed by the con.
tractor for the whole road and
its accessories, John Keller of
Lancaster, Pa. There will be GO dis.
msntled freight cars doing duty as
stations on this line, but as fast as saw
and hammer, trowel and paint brush can
turn them out, oommodious buildings, es
like each othes 40 two peas, with ladies'
and kentlenen's waiting rooms, ticket
and telegraph Offices, &C., are going up at
every stopping place. A peculiarity at
points aloi z the route is the oy eter shell
baiiastipg between the ties. Water tanks
are also being erected a! all the stations.
II is claimed that the N. Y, P. &N
railroad, in conjunction with the p, ".
& B. and Delaware railroads, brings
Norfolk within $40 miles of New York,
| against 450 miles By the former rail route
and 1t is promised that through trains
| will be run bstween the two cities named
In 10 hours, A glance at the map will
show that this ia the shortest possible
rail route to the important cities OF the
south Atlantic states.
On Monday chartered sts1msr will
begin running from the terminus to Nor.
folk and continue on the line until the
new boat now being constructed by the
Harlan & Hollingsworth Company is
ready for duty.
| THE COUNTRY.
| The exoursionists were often informed
that the section through which the rail.
road runs Ia not a fair sample of the
whole peninsula, and that better Guilt.
waited and appointed farms are TO be seen
along the old established county roads
which run between the iailroad and the
coasts. The general aspect Of the ooun-
try is very similar to the poorer sections
Of Kent and Sussex counties. II ia not
fertile land. The Eeller upon the rich
prairies Of Illinois and Iowa would, with
out doubt, elevate his nose very sen
sibly upon the most superficial
examination OF the soil II ia almost
worthless for wheat, and it would DO
hard work to make fortune by cropping
1t in corn. Without fertilizing much Of
1t would not yisld more than or 10
bushels Of corn to the acre. And the
sandy, pol ous nature OF the soil stands
in the way OF making fertilization p rma-
nent. Probably successive orops Of
clover systematically plowed under,
might in time give 1t body enough to
retain the virtues Of other manuring.
A great reliance Of the natives has,
however, been upon pine skaters, which
are spread over the ground during the
winter months and plowed under in the
spring. 30 important is this item that
the yellow pine groves, which grow every
where, have come to be called 'resouroes;"
and farm is described as co.. tanning SO
many acres OF tillRbls land and 60 many
acres Of "resources." Thus George
Annis, arather shrewd young negro whose
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