The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-11-14

and three years were spent in settling the
boundary between Pennsylvania and Della
ware. The commissioners ran the east and
west peninsular line, the 12-mile circle in
part, and established the tangent point in
the periphery of the circle. Their progress
was so disappointingly slow to the proprie-
taries that they dissolved existing relations
and engaged Mason and Dixon to finish
the work. They were ''to mark, run out,
settle, fix and determine all such marks of
such circle, marks, lines and boundaries as
were mentioned in the several articles or
commissions, and were not completed"
They were to receive, in addition to sup
port, 10 shillings 6 pence per day each,
coming and returning and a guinea day
while III this country. On November 10,
1853, they arrived and soon afttrward they
had an observatory erected in the southern
part of Philadelphia, which was probably
the first of the kind in this country.
Mason and Dixon found the New Castle
circle, run by previous surveyors, of assist
ance to them, and in the fall of 1854 they
caused stone to be planted, fixing the
northeast corner of Maryland. This point
was latitude 80 degrees AZ minutes, 26.3
seconds, and on this parallel they proceeded
due westward, making vistas eight yards
wide through the forests, in the middle of
which the posts were set up that marked
the line of the parallel run. The work
continued until within Sc miles of the en-
tire distance to be run when an Indian
warpath in the forest was noticed. For
sometime the Indians through whose terri
tory the line was running had been in
state of unrest and the Indian guides Of
Mason and Dixon told them it was the
desire of the Six Nations that the surveys
should cease at the warpath. The survey
ors returned to Philadelphia, and reporting
the facts to the commissioners, were dis
charged in December, 1867.
ERECTING THE BOUNDARY STONES.
In November, 1882 Col. Alexander Me
Clean, of Pennsylvania, and Joseph Neville,
of Virginia, ran the line the remainder of
the line, which was verified by astronomi
cal observations and permanently marked
in 1884. As requested by the commission
ers, Mason and Dixon erected at the end of
each mile a stone with 'P' on one side,
and on the opposite side an 'M." At the
end of each fifth mile was stone bearing
the arms of the Penns on one side and
those of the Baltimores On the side oppo-
site. The stones, volitc limestone, came
from England and their weather-proof
qualities are remarkable. One of the five
mile stones is on the farm of William
Brown, q few miles south of Oxford, and
the coat of arms of the pioneer proprietors
are traceable, although exposed for over IA
century. The stones were set up as far
west as Sideling Hill, about 1872 miles from
the northeast corner of Maryland. As
means Of TRANSFORMATION were meagre
abandoned. The continuation of the line
was marked by piles of stones six feet high,
as far the summit of the Aleghenies,
beyond which posts were planted and sur
rounded by stone 1t is said the original
stone set at the northeast corner of Mary
land was accidentally broken and the
pieces mended by leaden bands. At the
outbreak of the Revolutionary War the
lead was taken from the stone by Cont
mental patriots and made into bullets. The
upper part Of the stone fell and was lost,
and the lower part became covered with
earth, as it was located in a ravine For
several years the suppositon existed, as 10
marking stone was visible, that the three
states, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Della
ware, came together at that point.
In l949 the governors of these states ap-
pointed j. p. Eyre, of Pennsylvania; Ii. G.
S. Key, Of Maryland, and G. Il. Riddle, of
Delaware, to locate the spot formerly occu-
pied by the missing cornerstone. The as
sistance of Col. J. d. Graham, of the
United States Typographical Engineers,
was obtained, and the site of the missing
stone found. The buried portion of the
original stone was found by the men while
sinking hole for the new stone to be
erected. The old stone was buried and q
substantial mark OF Brandywine granite,
about one foot square, erected, bearing
"P." and en- on the sides. On the
brow of the hill sloping down to the ravine
which contains the stone, water brook
and a profusion of wild flowers, stands an
old stone house.
WELL KNOWN TO SPORTING MEN.
1t is known to many OF the sporting
fraternity in Eastern cities, as it served as
headquarters for the principals and follow
ers of two noted prize-fghts, which &C.
CURED in an adjoining field. The first was
between Kelley, of New York, and Collier,
of Baltimore, on Pennsylvania soil. The
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