Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-09-07
THE DRUM POINT RAILROAD.
MT. lannon's Trip OF Inspection of a
Road

Road.
At the meeting of the Board of Public
Works last week al which arguments
were made by counsel 10 the claim of the
Baltimore ard Drum Point Railroad
Company 10 the sum of $137 900 due bv
the State To Calvert county for railroad
construction, the Board agreed 10 take no
action In the matter until they sent an
agent or commissioner over the whole
line Of the road from Drum Point harbor,
on the Patuxent. through Calvert and
Anne Arundel counties. Sir. Michael
Bannon. OF Anne Arundel, was selected
as the commissioner. and he started In at
Drum Point en- Tuesday and finished bis
trip yesterday. lie was accompanied by
President Albert and Chief Engineer
Nicholas Goldsboreugh. of the railroad
company. They took from Baltimore by
the steamer Theodore Weems a pair OF
strong horses and strong carriage, aud
they landed al Governors Run. From
there the route was along the line of the
railroad, as surveyed and graded, down
TO Drum Point, at the Barreda estate -
Here the company has obtained 80 acres
of land. excellentIy situated on deep wa
ter, and an abundance of water front be-
sides, on both the Patuxent and the
Chesapeake bay shores.
Commissioner Bannon, who Is heavy
weight, rode horseback for miles over the
embankments and through the cuttings
of the graded railroad bed. The surface
of the country Is broken into abrupt hills
that rise from the levels without the un.
dulations that belong to a country where
the ground Is rolling. This makes good
deal OF rather heavy cutting and filing
necessary. There are no rocks, and the
soil is not tough except In a few places
but the grading work is nevertheless not
easy. The easiest thing was to get the
rights of way from property owners
These rights, 1t Is said. have not cost the
company more than $4,000 for the whele
county.
Messrs Rodgers and Clement, the con.
tractors for the Calvert grading, have fin
ished about IA miles of the work, much
of IL heavy, and Mr.. Bannon said 1t Is
well done. Mr., Barril has furnished A.
600 crossties, none of which are laid vet.
About 81 miles of grading In Calvert re.
mains to be done. The officers or the
company say that if the money were paid
by the State the contractors would at
once put large forces of men on the work.
At present there are manifest evidences of
a halt, and the people of Calvert are
aware of the reason, and are anxious 10
know the result, provided it insures them
the railroad.
The line, as 1t is now surveyed L. Anne
Arundel, goes through the eighth and the
first districts, and into the second district
by way of Friendship, Davidsonville and
Butler :, Tavern. or obligation. II Is
fertile and thickly populated section
In the second district five miles of light
grading has beed done. The line crosses
the Annapolis, Washington and Balti
more road at Millersville near Annapolis
Junction, and then comes on to Baltimore.
1t does not go near Annapolis. The road
from Drum Point to Baltimore is 80 miles
long.
Gov. Jackson said: calvert county
should and will have railroad. and no
man in the State is more earnest than I
am in wanting them to get it. But what
does Anne Arundel want with third
railroad TO Baltimore? 1t would take all
three to make strong road. Calvert
needs to have road that will connect
Drum Point with one of the present roads
between Annapolis and Baltimore. With
the county and State appropriations in
sight such road could be economically
built, aud would return something on its
cost. The proposition 10 give the Balti-
mere and Drum Point Road a bonded
debt of 81, 500, 900. is not palatable to me
as State officer
Commissioner Bannon will make his
report in writing.