Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-12-04

Ed. Independent:

your correspondent should take
voyage up salt river, but, determin
ing to foil them, we started Nov 8th
for Wheeling, as delegate to the
meeting of Excelsior Lodge, No. 81,
A. I. & A. M. We started from
your city Monday night, at 1920. in
company with Chas P. Mathaei, Esq.
of your city, and j. B. Clary, of
North Mountain, fellow delegates,
whom we found agreeable, congenial
companions, who, by the way, are
no small accession to mans pleas
ure, in travelling over railroad.
The night being fair and the moon
shining as bright as day, all objects
by the wayside being perfectly dis
cernable, an opportunity occurred to
view the country around. Nothing
of interest was noticeable until we
reached the top of the Alleghanies,
which were capped with slight fall
of snow, as we passed this summit
and descended into the Cheat River
country. The route is very wild and
awfully steep When the traveller
is passing that way, orly q step in
tervenes, between life and eternity,
because, were the car that carries
you to be displaced by pebble. it
would bound hundreds of feet down
the precipice, and stop in the waters
of the Cheat river with all its human
cargo; but, be it said to the credit
of the managers of this road, the
greatest care and caution is used to
make transit safe. A short time af-
ter the break Of day, we arrived at
the Grafton House, Grafton where
we met other acquaintance, and af-
ter few words of comfort and con-
dolence on their part, in reference to
the disastrous results to the Demo-
cratic party in Berkeley county, we
partook of a cup of hot coffee, to-
gether with an excellent breakfast.
We arrived at Wheeling sometime
about noon. In passing up from
Grafton to Wheeling we were struck
with the wonderful contrast, between
the time we first passed over this
road, and the present time. Then
the country in many places was the
abode of owls and wild beasts, with
here and there a human habitation :;
now the country is we'll populated,
with pleasant homes, hamlets, vii
lagos and towns. In passing from
Moundsville, my mind was carried
back to the early settlements, when
the red man of the forest held sway,
to the time when the early settlers
confronted his war cry, tomahawk
and scalping knife, when he made his
frequent incursions into it, murder
ing defenceless women and children,
burning and destroying houses, crops
and stock, belonging to the white
man. AS we passed Grave Creek,
/ was reminded of the massacre as
history relates, of Capt Foreman,
and his brave band of followers, who
had volunteered to protect the set
Elements from being surprised and
destroyed; but, alas for these brave
men they were themselves to be sur.
prised and destroyed. The hazard
Gus enterprise of so many Of the ear
ly settlers of this part of the State,
makes it impossible for us to give
but passing notice to some of them
in this communication. Suffice to
say that the Zanes, the Wetzels,
the Poes and the Dodridges, figured
'conspicuously as warriors and early
settlers and defenders of the Wheel
ing country, and we suppose that
any expectations that they may have
had of the remarkable development
of its great riches at the present day,
have been more than realized, but
when we reflect for moment, we
find that its auxillaries are every
thing to make it great and pros
porous city. It's great suburban
mineral wealth is such as to add
great wealth to the city, all of which
is fully utilized by the enterprises of
its inhabitants, besides the beautiful
waters of the Ohio river flow slowly
by, which heretofore was such q
great helper in the way of trade and
commerce, but now has to consid-
cradle extent been superseded by rail
roads on either side of the river.
The latest underground treasure
found in striking distance of the city
of Wheeling, is the natural gas, or
the gas found in unlimited quantities
under the earth and conveyed from
ten to twenty-five miles in pipes to
any and every mans stove that
chooses to avail himself of it, and
which as far as we saw, has super
ceded the use of coal, it being in
every day use in heating furnaces,
stoves, etc. As it is found to cost