Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-01-08
OVER THE NEW RAILROAD
FaOst TaEFL r IIs"V v T1NzAMAN's
CHsER.
some Poiats P,cHed UP Along the
Iinc--th PIiut where rhres
kta.eH as,el--Ehc Bridges ana the
"Bi0OLS SECTION I"

Linc--ths Puiut where rhFes
htRteH Mtei-- EbS BE IdEeS and the
%BiOUdS SECTION F"
The first train ovr the Delaware por-
zion % ths Baltimore u PhilRdeiphis rail.
rosd, tha starting ont Of which was briefly
reported IL last week's GAzsrTg
| cUm pfised locomotive and one passenger
esr uadsr the charge OF Conductor Harry
Davis, with j. Wesley Cooper engineer,
and Willism Greiuer, fireman. The train
pulled out from the middle depot, Della
ware avenue &nd DUPONT street, at IL 80
q. m.
Just before starting Levi c. Bird, Bsq.,
under whose direction the trip was
| tsksn, stated thst hs was reluctantly
obliged to limit those taking part therein
10 railway men and newspaper men. A
Dumber OF gentlemen outside OF these
olssses had boarded the car under q mis-
apprehension. Mr. Bird explained that
1t was with reluctance that he felt con-
strained to make thiE limitation, but that
this being aiTaply trip Of inspection he
mai retrnined frOn inviting tho members
Of City Gounoil from accompanying the
party. The company was indebted 10
the oouucilmen fer valuable fsvors, and
1t would not be right in it to extend a
privilege 10 others which had not bsen
extended to eOuncllmen. When the
whole line shall have been completed, he
said, the citizens Of Wilmington will be
given the courtesy OF trial trip over It.
After this explanation the train started
of With the following passengers Levi
G. Bird, Esq., counsel tor the B. & o.
railroad Chief Engineer II. c. Douglas,
Mr.. Ridgely Gordon OF Baltimore, Super
intendent D. Connell, Division Engineer
B. r. Richardson, Contractor Stewart, r.
D, Sweeten, manager b & o. telegraph,
Captain w. H. Smith, right Of way
agent, Secretary John c. Farra, Assistant
Superintendent of Construction Colon
McLane, W. B. Carswell, clerk to division
engineer, L. D. Whitaker, clerk to chief
engineer, Elwood Garrett, d. A. Gilles,
bridge builder, John b. Mcdonald, steam
shovel man, William NJ. Candy, William
Candy, K I. Candy, A. W. Shslloross Of
the Philadelphia Press, ]. W. Lane
Of the Philadelphia Ledger, and
representatives Of the Wilmington
press. Two or three Of those named above
Joined the party en- route. An interesting
faot worthy Of mention is that one Of the
party, William Candy, had taken part in
the opening trip on the Philadelphis,
Wilmington Il Baltimore railroad, in 1886.
AT that time the rails had just been laid
between Wilmington and the eastern
bank Of the Susquehanna, and then and
fer some time alter the passage between
this city and Philadelphia WAS made by
boat. At times when navigation WAS
closed the stage Was the only alternative
for this part Of the route, which by that
conveyance occupied the greater part OF q
day, the passengers stopping at Chester
to dine.
The train was run down to the Mary
land line, where the exoursionists disem-
barked and marched off about 1b0 yards
into the woods to take a look at what
Captain Smith called ssthe famous pris-
matte stone" This stone WAS planted in
1849 at the extreme point Of that absurd
little fstiron shaped slice Of debatable
land that runs down between the arc
which bounds Delaware and the Mary
land line. II stands therefore at the
junction Of three states, Pennsylvania,
Maryland and Delaware, and each Of its
three sideB bears the initial Of one Of
these states. The stone ia about feet In
hight. At its foot, embedded horixon-
tally in the ground, is the more ancient
boundary stone planted by Mason Il
Dixon in 1868. The new railroad CROSSES
this tist'iron fragment OF Pennsylvsnis
short distance above its point.
The readers Of the GAZETTE will recall
some anomalies connected with this little
wedge of ''no mans land" a resident
thereon wss once elected to the
General Assembly Of this State and
took his seat aud served his term therein
Notwithstanding that he was referred to
throughout the session as "the member
from Pennsylvauia." On the other hand,
when ex Sheriff Herbert so pluckily de-
TERED brace Of pusilists, who had
pitched their ring near Newark, from
fighting on Delaware soil, they pulled up
stakes, marched over to this fiat iron and
there fought ont their will without moles-
tation It is ludiorously like the negro's
pigs and puppies either one thing or
the other according to circumstances.
The party having re entered the car,
the locomotive then proceeded to back
the train up the road. At White Clay
creek stop was made to inspect the
excellent mssonsry Of the bridge which
spaps the stream. On each side Of the
creek large arch of such workmanship
as to elicit general admiration serves two
useful purposes; rosdwsys when the
water is at iis regular hight and supple
msntsry water wsys for the creek in
season OF severe freshsts. No stop was
made a; Newark, bat the train moved
slowly erongh to give the passengers
good views Of the admiring citizens who
had tuTusd out en- mgsse to honor the
occasion, oi the rear OF Delaware College,
DsEn's mill and other objects Of interest.
AT Red Clay creek another bridge was
inspected. Ths iron work Of th bridge
is rapidly gOiug up.
The new road strikes the old Delaware
Western traces one mile this side Of
Kismensi and leaves thsm again Just
below Richardson's mill The out In sec.
tion %, 'ths bloody section" of rioting
celebrity, was finished only Tuesday
night wesk.
Passing back through Wilmington and
over the high Brandywine bridge the
train proceeded slowly TO the Psnnsyl-
vanis line, beyond which the track has
been laid for 5 few hundred feet. There
has been much heavy QUITTING and filing
to do along the line, which in some
places has been exoavkted through heavy
and hard rock, Fiom the neighborhood
of the bridge over ths Shellpot the road
commando fine view OF thiokly settled
section of New Jersey, extending far in
land.
On the return the csr was run to the
Delaware Western station, Water and
Market streets, where the party disem-
bsrked, well pleased with the trip.
Colonel Douglas talked confidently OF
the completion of the whole road, from
Baltimore to Philsdslphis, by July next.
Only the best qu.lity OF steel rails is
being used, and the whole line is to be
double track, we'll ballssted aud frat
class in oil its appointments,