The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-06-26
EXCURSION OVER THE MARYLAND
CENTRAL,
A Charming Day-A Pleasant Ride
Delta ana the slate Quarries-Dinner
and SDpeeheA the Rocks


Delta ana the slate Quarries-Dinne
and Speeches at the Rocks.
A pleasant excursion took place on WEDNESDAY
over the Mary land Central Railroad from IIalti
more 10 Delta. Extra coaches were added 10 thu
| regular morning mail train, and besides those VIII,
started from the city other invited guests joinet
the party at various stations along the line Th
| air was cool and refreshing and the beautiful
country through which the Maryland Contra
passes could not have been seen to better ad
vantage. Several prominent real estate agents
were ON board, the object of the excursion Ueinl
| to afford them and others an opportunity o
seeing the opening for profitable investment o
capital in lands along the line of this railroad.
| l.. Thomas, Robert Moore, r. S. Norris B Z
Moore. Samuel Il. Hill, pr. II. A. Brooks, of the
Alex. McComas, e. Il. Larrabee and A. Storck.-
| Towsontown was represented by VIM. H. Ruby
OF or the J9ur "a Chas Corkran, J; NJ nender.
| came Z. J. Moore, Vim. Il. Watson ID. r. Holt
| ingsworth and VIM l.. Amoss. Bel Air contri-
John s. Dailam, Geo. l., VanBibber, Col. Ohio s.
| Lee DIR. E. Hall richardson, j. II. U. Watts
Robert Archer, Jas. McAfee. +; Il. Jacobs, J. N.
STREET., of the Democrat, and +. w. Baker OF the
| rigs. There were also on board from Forest
Hill and other points Nathan Grafton, Joseph
Hanway, j. K. Wetheriil Jas. W. GLADDEN., Arch.
Wilson, VIM II. Wilson, John .. Stearns q. q.
Kinsey, Jas X. Whiteford, Foulk Jones, humph-
the Delta Herald and Messrs. j. Wilson Brown,
Auditor OF the road, and Chief Engineer Pleas
ants.
The party disembarked at Delta Station, the
terminus of the Maryland Central, from whence
a special train took them back to South Delta
From this point tour of the principal slate quar-
ries was made, the party reaching the railroad
again at Cambria. The quarries in operation are
those of VIM. f. Williams & Co, Hartford and
Mclaughlin u Co., Enos Frey & Co, the Welsh,
the Anchor and the Susquehanna companies in
Harford county and the 9uarries Of T. L. Jones
tom Company, in York county.
since its owners Parker Co., refused 500 Go for
it. It's 15O feet or more in depth and the OPEN
ing is several acres in extent
Slate land is very valuable and that Immediate
~ On Slate Ridge can not be bought at any price.
There are, however, lands in the neighborhood
to $4,000 an acre. Before marketable slate is
reached strata of earth and refuse slate vary
ing in depth from 20 to 40 feet must first be re:
moved. This constitutes the great expense of
opening a slate quarry, and the quarry may
prove failure, after all: 1t requires, therefore,
the risk of considerable capital. When a
quarry is once developed the profits are certain,
as the supply appears to be inexhaustible No
pick or drill has ever reached the bottom of the
vein. The annual sales of slate average about
$4,000 from each of the principal and fully deve-
loped quarrieS and these sales are made without
Any effort on the part Of the quarry owners.
ries are reached by railroad the sales could be
greatly increased. As plentiful and as cheap as
the midst of the slate region.
There are many mines which have been partly
opened but are now abandoned by their owners
for want OF capital to proceed with the work.
These could no doubt, be leased. Slate Ridge
needs only capital and business enterprise to
make it yield untold wealth.
The machinery required in preparing roofing
slate for market is very simple. The slate is
taken out of the quarries in large, irregular
blocks, or 3 inches in thickness. These are
sawed into smaller pieces, which again are split
into the required thickness by means of broad
chsels and mallets. The operation requires great
c or nd Il nnl hD nnrf cd hty md Nbn
pieces of thin slate then squared and finished
by means of a knife four or five feet long, which
is operated by treade. The knife is made to as
cend by simple and ingenious spring, composed
of hickory saplng fastened above it, 10 the end
of which it is connected by chain.
The quarry of Enos Frey IL Co. is supplied with
machinery for planning the slate, which is manu-
featured into mantel pieces. chimney caps
grave-stones, sinks, water troughs and tanks
horse managers. blackboards, cutters. &c. Robert
Evans, the carver at this quarry. in 1853, in Le-
high county, Pa. cut the first slate mantel ever
made in this country.
Experienced Welsh slate miners say that the
Hartford and York county slate is superior to any
in tho world.
The party were much indebted to MIR. Hum
phrey Lloyd and Mr.. John L. Hughes, who acted
as pilots among the quarres, kindly pointing out
and explaining everything of interest that was
to be seen.
The next stop was made at the Rocks of Deer
Creek, where an excellent lunch was served and
Mr.. Joseph X. Wetherills hospitality found
abundant exercise. A prominent feature of the
entertainment was a large can of delicious Har
ford county milk, provided by the thoughtful
ness of Mr.. VIM. l.. Amos.
While waiting at the Rocks for the cars speech
making was INDUCED ill., Col. Webster said he
had been requested to express to the railroad
company the gratitude of the eXcursionists for
the pleasant trip they had had. Referring to the
milk, which seemed so popular beverage, he
That didn't come out of our cows but must have
come from Baltimore city. One gentleman had
enjoyed the Hartford county milk so much that
he drank four glasses of it.
The gentleman referred to was Mr., John Il,
Thomas, who made one of his characteristic
speeches and acted as toast-master until the
speech-making was over.
Mr.. Thomas testified to his liking for Hartford
county milk and referred to his campaign
through Hartford rs u candidate for Congress-
eighteen years ago. Although the people of Har-
ford told him at the ballot.box that they prefer
red one OF their own citizens they treated him
kindly. He travelled through the county, he
said, in an ambulance, with quantity of cheese
and crackers, and beverage in jug which he
called milk. He noticed that no got more votes
where he disp" nsed the milk than where he gave
out the cheese AT Forest Hill he knew two or
three gentlemen got toomuch of that milk. They
We're Republicans. He had always soft side for
the people of Hartford, and had tried not to mis-
represent them. Now they have all come over
to my side, said he. Both parties believe in the
cardinal doctrine of getting offices and holding
on to them. The trouble with the Democrats
just now is that they have got the offices and they
haven't got them.
After travelling in all parts of the country he
could say that he had seen no section possessing
more natural advantages than this country open
road is in its infancy, but the people of Hartford
and Baltimore counties will take ono-half the in
terest in 1t that the people of the West do in
their railroads, it will not only pay the stock
holders and bondholders but everybody who
owns farms along the road. Instead of telling
young men to go West he would advise them to
| stay in Maryland, take up land and work it,.
Marylanders don't think enough of the natural
advantages of their State. Mr.. Thomas said that
| he had had no idea of the immense amount of
wealth stored in Slate Ridge, the amount of cap
| ital invested and the number of poor people sup
| ported by the slate industry. Idle capital ought
to be invested In these state lands instead of in
| ground rents and bonds.
| Mr.. Thomas proposed toast to the newspaper
| press of Hartford county To which Mr.. j. NJ.
| Street, responded
| Short speeches were also made by Hon. S. Archer
| VIM. II. Ruby, Nathan Grafton, Joseph Parry and
Mr.. j. Wilson Brown. The latter, on behalf of the
| railroad company. said the managers are endeav-
oring TO the road in the interest of the public
and to accommodate them as much as they can.
The country through which the road runs needs
| developing and if geographers would set to work
Hartford county would soon be put down as q
| land flowing with milk and honey.
Some of the excursonsts climbed up to the sum-
| nit of the Rocks and "slid" down, while others
| rested in the shade until the evening train for
Baltimore came along and carried them to their
stopping places.
FROM PERUVIAN.
| Mr., j. II. Emmord, at Perryman, has been very