Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-12-13

road; We are the only ruling city in tn
world, perfectly winter bound to car
riages, equestrians, herds of anima
and vegetable and hay supplies. l
this government by any convulsioI
should disappear antiquarians would
wonder if its inhabitants did not ente
and leave it by tunnels or balloons
for they would see no vestiges o
wagon roads"
THE SITUATION IN MARYLAND.
rs the MARYLAND district adjacent
to Washington too poor TO make
turnpikes?''
Both poor and lethargic. 1t ha:
no towns which are large enough to
concentrate public spirit and pro
mote intercourse between each other
When you get to Urbana, which is in
the direction of Frederick city and
perhaps 35 miles from Washington,
you reach the first pike road. The
most southern pike in Maryland par
allel to the Potomac is from Frederick
to Jefferson. During the war the
army tore all the poor roads of Mont
gomery county to pieces and the two
bridges this side of Harper's Ferry,
at Point of Rocks and Berlin, were
burnt in 1864; the former one has
been rebuilt, and during the present
year. / consider that the govern
ment for the relief of its own districts
and in consideration of the Union
character and loyal behavior Of West
ern Maryland, which greatly suffered
in the war, as we'll as upon military
account, might as well span this near
outlying zone with a road as TO build
a government roadway TO Mt. Yer
non through the State of Virginia,
which l also am in favor of, and
which has been authorized already
by Congress to be surveyed. A road
by the government from
GEORGETOWN TO THE MoNoCACY
at the Sugar Loaf Mountain, only 30
miles distant, would not cost above
$4,000 or $4,000 mile, am told-a
mere bagatelle Of expense-and would
do the District OF Columbia more
service than the proposed bridge to
Virginia, which would probably cost
a million. Fifty years ago the Vir-
ginia portion of the District of Colum-
bia demanded to be retroceded and
left the federal territory a mutilated
square; the Maryland portion of the
District has never given any trouble
to the government"
What is the Sugar Loaf Noun
tain?"
II examined it from the western
base only last week, having driven to
it from Champions gap in the South
moutain, about 90 miles to the west
The. Sugar Loaf Mountain can be
seen from Georgetown and the Wash
ington monument. 1t is great mill
tary mountain, with four SUBMITS,
the highest about 300 hundred feet |
e.hoga,tba.,fjda, aJld1lO0 feet above |
or less west of it a bold ridge like a
redan or crescent, and in the nature |
of counterscarp wall springs up and
defends the passage Of the Monocacy. |
The Sugar Loaf is the nearest noun
tain to tide-water south OF New York |
bay and as picturesque as the Cats
kills. A strong stream called Bennets |
creek winds around its northern base |
and flows into the Monocacy, with |
frequent cascades. A pike road from
Georgetown to this mountain would
make it the coasting, sleighing and
carriage resort, open all winter, where
now only these hard concrete streets |
permit winter driving"
How far is it from the Sugar Loaf
Mountain to Antietam cemeteryr'
About 20 miles, crossing the Mo-
nocacy at the new iron bridge at
Greenfield mills and through Adams
town and Jefferson and across the
Catocin and Pleasant valleys-the
same course as was taken by the sixth |
corps in 1862 to fight the action at
Crampton's gap"
THE COURSE THE ROAD SHOULD TAKE.
What is your general notion OF
the course of road TO both Gettys-
burs and AntietamF
1T might cross the Sugar Loaf
Mountain and divide on the western
side thereof, sending one arm up the
east side of the Monocacy, which
would be military road just within
fosse of that river, and at the Urbana
pike bridge, some seven miles farther
up, this short arm would connect
with the whole Frederick city system
of alresdy piked roads, which extend
to the Pennsylvania line and nearly
to Gettysburg. Or the national road
might fork about Clarksburg and in
close the Sugar Loaf Mountain in its
arms, one arm going TO Antietam and
the other to Urbana. The effect OF
building these 75 miles of pike road
at q. 900 a mile would be TO bind this
capital to the turnpike system OF the
entire land, for there are solid roads
from New England to Pittsburg.
Wheeling and Staunton, Va, within
the mountain rim which is so near US
and parallel to the sea coast. The
only poor roadless district lies be-
tween Georgetown and the Catoctin
mountain 40 miles of. This is the
region which will separate Washing
ton from its destiny until the govern
ment will span it, and then great,
new, active world beyond the first