Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1890-12-11
RAILROAD BUILDING.
On Paper and Otherwise.

|
There are three distinct railroad projects
now beng earnestly considered by the people
of this county two ofwhich have the appear
ance of being in accord, with the third utter
" ignored by both, and yet The third covers
the section Of country lying between these
/ two.
We refer to the Emmtsburg movement
for road to Gettysburg and the Middlelown
Valley movement, M the two On the face of
affairs rs being in accord, and the M. Y. u
f. II. X. extension of The NJ. W as the third
movcmen, ignored by the other two.
Now, it is our purpose, in this article, to
amphfy statement made in these columns
several weeks ago, and prove, beyond cavil,
that the proposed route from Mlddlctown to
Gettysburg, ola Rocky Ridge and Emmlts'
burg, as compared with that one gsa Catoctin
Furnaces, Mcchanicstown and Emmitsburg
is wholly lmpracticaDle, viewed either from
the standpoint Of cost of construction or
from that of paying traffic when completed.
First: the Rocky Ridge route will DC the
VllStI VI WIG WV "S"ib' q obi w '''o '>NA
made by the former route and this need only
be compared with any possible route Ola
| Rocky Ridge to show that in the matter OF
bridges and approaches to the three streams,
Fishing Creek, Hunting Greek and Owens
Creek alone, the lower route is impractical
bic. These streams on any line reaching
Rocky Ridge are bounded on one or both
sides by immense ridges of red 70 k, the
valleys great deprcssions and the intcrlyng
spaces irregular SUBMITS every one of under
| lying red rock to any depth necessary to 90
to secure the grade; to bridge and approach
the three streams alone, by the lower route,
would, in the judgment OF one convcrsant
with both routes and informed in matters OF
this kind, mere than build the road bed
from Catoctin Furnaces to yellow Springs
A glance at the map of any gcodctic survey
will convince any one of the evcnncsS of the
lines Of equal altitude at the immediate base
of the Catoclin Spur and every one acqualnt.
ed with the section knows how wonderfully
broken and displaced is the entire red rock
strata. In the matter of road bed construc.
ton and bridges, the lower route by compar
ison therefore is impracticable this puts
two items against it, distance and cost Of
construction.
Again: III the matter of traffic, everything
is in favor Of the upper route, for necessarily,
so far as local traffic is concerned, the prop)s-
ed road should consider freight rather than
passenger traffic How do the the two routes
stand? What is to be expected from the
lower route, which throughout would secure
but the farm products of not ovcr.prodnc.
tive belt? Practically but little. What
recommends the upper route? An unbroken
bed of minerals from yellow Springs almost
to Emmi,sburg, net one ton of which ore can
find market, except railroad passes imme-
diately by it. From Yellow Springs to within
three miles of Emmitshurg on the upper
route lie a succession of rich deposits OF
magnetic, spccular and hemat,c ores, ochrcs
and tlints, which Will be marketable and
outweigh, twenty to one, the shipments OF
the lower route In addition to this the coke
and iron Traffic Of Cntoctin Furnaces, which
may naturally be expected to come under 4
more energetic management ere long, OF
itself Is fair sct-oH against the traffic over
the lower route. And the bulk of the loct!
traffic that the lower route would secure,
woull come to the upper route anyhow.
The development OF the mineral resources OF
the county can only be secured by the upper
route and we have shown that this alone
must be looked To for paying tIatllc. This
makes the third item IN favor Of the upper
route.
Now, we viii consider the sole induccmcnt
that the lower route offers and that Is the
seven miles Of railroad from Rocky Ridge to
Emmtshurs 1t Is TO sage some of the money
that has been invested in that road, that the
people of Midllctown Valley and Monocacy
Valley are asked to come to it over unpro-
ductlve hills and across the dcep-sunkcn beds
of Fishing, Hunting and Owens Creek. The
". VI. X r. eagerly seeks to operate every
branch road that it can get its hands on it
there is promise OF profit IN it, yet we call
attention to the suggestive fact that it does
not operate the f. II II and Why Because
it can not he made to pay and that same
scyen miles OF road will not pay the propos'
ed road, while its parallel from Mechanics
town to Emmitsburg will not only pass by
immense and valuable magnetic ore beds, but
will be within Il stones throw Of Mt. st. 1,
Mary's College and will cross Toms Creek
simply at u high water elevation and by easy
approaches.
TO sum up, We desire to sec the two routes
surveyed and estimate laid before the people
Of Midllctown Valley and the other sections
interested and when that IS done we shall be
content to have both our Judgment and hon
csty OF purpose impcacllcd if it does not |
appear that the lower route is wholly imprac
ticablc.
Railroads are readily built on paper and
the Middletown Valley people may he relied
upon to consider both routes, before they |
finally adopt either. We do not understand !
that the publication in divers daily and !
weekly newspapers, Of their intention to
build railroad to Rocky Ridge fixes the |.
mat er; in fact it does not fix ii, but we
believe that, If after due examination of the !
two routes, that Gia Rocky Ridge should |
prove to be the more practicable, then pdn