Evening journal., 1892-12-17
BLKTON rs ALL RIGHT.
10 WIN Continue TO be a Flag station
ON the Main Line.


For several days the newspapers of
nearby cities have been astounding the
nation by publishing statements to the
effect that the Pennsylvania railroad
would run an air. line from Newark to
North East, and have Ellxton on spur
Of the Maryland division, to occupy the
relative position that Smyrna now has on
the Delaware division. In this connec
ton the Elkton Cecil Wing prints the
following;
When Isaac r.. Trimble was Fngineer-in-
Chief Of the T.. w. q B. Railroad, he indulred
his taste for fantastic railway architecture
by constructing locomotive house at VIII
minglOn, which came 20 b9 known as Trim
ble's Folly lt was % many sided structure
surmounted by an immense funnel shaped
IRON roof, intended TO carry of the smoke
from the locomotives beneath 1t. Ii proved a
costly failure and was taken down.
One day an Argus-eyed reporter of q Boston
paper, espied lrimble's Folly from a car vim
dow, ana being told 10y wag that the build-
ing was the W ilmington gas works. proceeded
logiYe his readers very DUaulilul picture of
it, duly labeled as such.
since that Joke pcrpetrated upon an inno-
cent ana too committing public by that uliquit-
GUS and lrrepres-ible Individual, the ci - re-
porter OF the leading city daily, nothing pre-
tending To equal 10 has volne to pass In the
newspaper line along the line OF the P., W. q
b, railroad, no least. until Saturday last,
when the Baltimore American gave this COM
munity the startling piece OF news, that the
Pennsylvania railroad was shortening its
route from New York 10 Washington, and to
save three and q half mile OF track, 1t was
about TO lay another line between No rth East
aud Newark, and which out OH would be
used for passenger trains exclusively, and the
old line now passing ElktOn would be de-
voted TO freight uses, and the ancient county
seat OF Cecil, now one Of tho most important
places ON the main line, would then be shut
on me rqnt of through travel. and would be
practically located on switch.
Since the completion OF the work at Prnci-
pio that of strengthening the line between
the Big FIX creek just east of LlktOn and
iron mn the sharnest grade ON the road, has
claimed the company 5 attention. This work
Is IA hand, and is doubtless that which has
misled the reporter of the American. This
new line, or cut Off, is only one and three
quarter miles in length and involves the
abandonment of $500 feet of the old track,
the new portion being 5000 feet. or only $40
feet shorter than the old portion. The
object OF The company In this work Is not so
much To save distance as 10 get rid of four
curves. one OF which is what Is known by
engineers as a reverse curve. The new line
runs at rs most distant points about 1900 feet
south OF the present line, at mile post No. 43
from Philadelphia, on George W. Wilson's
land. The property rights have all been se-
cured ny the company, the new line running
as stated one and three-Quarter miles through
the lands of Amos y. McNeal, George w. VIII
son, George Mckelvey, Jamos Merry and
Jacob a. Howard The grade OF Iron Hin
above that of the bridge at the Big Elk creek
duced.
Next % This work, two other points are now
claiming The company's attention I'm this
county, tho running OF new line from the
iig Enl bridge TO point below tine block
signal station at Elkton, hy which the abrupt
curve just east of the station viii he avoided
ln this contemplated work, the tracks will
cross on trestlps above the Grade of North
street, klktQu, near tho southern end of the
Fair Grounds. The oates now maintained i,t
North Bow and Bridge streets will Doe aband-
oned, and the station win De removed TO ,he
extreme east enu Of the c1mpany's property
ON North street. Two surveys of this change
have been made, but neither has been fully
satisfactory TO Mr. Brown, the engineer in
chief, and very probably a new route made
up nom the two surveys will De finally
adopted. Nothing however has yet been den-
nitely decided unon.
IL may be stated, I'm concluding this article,
that the probability of ElktOu being left up0na
froight branch Oi The wain line OF tine =. W.
a. S., Railroad as stated 10y the American Is
very distant one. No. only does the charter
of the company require 10 TO touch Elkton.
but 10 can Poe safely stated, that the present
policy OF the Pennsylvania, is 20 perfect md
develop its present line, not hy the cOnstruc-
uon ot a new air line, but hy continuing 20
do that 10 is now doing, straig ghtcning curves,
raising the roud bed, replacing light iron
bridges with solid Masonry as it has recently
done at Darby Creek, ana making the entire
road bed between FhilAdcldhin and Baltimore
what 10 now Is, one of the unest pieces OF
railway Tor high speed pass ongor trains I'm
the United States.