Evening journal., 1896-12-05
OLD-TIME RAILROADING.
SOME "REMINISCENCES or THE
LOWER PENINSULA.

OLDER CITIZENS REMEMBER
WHEN TT USED TO TAKE SIX
DAYS FOR A ROUND TRIP FROM
SALISBURY TO BALTIMORE OR
PHILADELPHIA
SALISBURY, Md. Dec President
A. j. Cassett, Vice-President William
Patton, Superintendent Nicholas and
several other officials of the New York,
Philadelphia and Norfolk railroad,
made "a test run over the road from
Cape Charles City to Delmar, a distance
of ninety-fvo miles.a few days ago.
The run was made in eighty-soven
minutes.
Ii is easy within the memory OF
some of the Oldest citizens when il
used to take six days for a round trip
from Salisbury to Philadelphia or Bal
timore In the old stage-coach days. but
now one eats his breakfast at home,
goes to Baltimore or Philadelphia. at
tends to business and eats his supper
at home The first telegraphic train
order ever given out by the superin-
tendent of the old Wicomico and POGO
moke railroad, II. j. Henry, is framed
and hangs I'm the office of the superin-
tendent, at Cape Charles
IL used TO be the custom TO have
only one train in twenty-four hours,
and the trainmen were allowed to look
out for the "other fellow as best they
could.
The Issuing Of telegraphic train or
ders was a new thing to Superintend-
ent Henry. and his first was some
thing like this: Charley Marshal
(who was CONDUCTOR viii run until
he meets McMullen (the other conduc-
tori, and If Charley Is farther away
from the station than McMullen, chen
McMullen will back TO the siding and
let Charley so by II McMullen is far
ther away Charley will back and let
McMullen go by"
Up until the building of the n. Y.
p. and n. main stem from King s
Creek to Cape Charles City, the whole
of the Eastern Shore was practically
isolated from the balance of the
world. One could only go by sail or
steamboat Now the entire county
has been opened up.
The first train ever run into Cape
Charles City over the new road carried
a party of newspaper men, and when
the train stopped at Cape Charles the
scene was one of desolatiOn. There
was nothing but the marsh. opening
out of the blue waters of the Chesa-
peake. not q house in sight, but to-day
one stands on the same ground and Is
surrounded by a beautiful little city
nesting i'm the arms of the bay, with
good streets. fine buildings, water
supply and all modern improvements
IL cost something to do this; 1t not
only cost money. but il cost human
life. The list is not small of the brave
men who succumbed to the fever be-
fore the city was properly drained
When the first train was run through
Virginia 1t was q sight for the natives
hundreds of whom had never seen an
engine. They drove in OK and mule
carts from the interior TO the tracks
10 see the engine go by. Many of then
were so afraid of il that they had then
children tied 10 the vehicles, and they
themselves stood behind trees ant
peeped out at the passing monster.
For the first few years the roadbeC
was. for the most part through Nir
ginia. so uneven and unballast that i
was unsafe to run fast. In many
places for miles the road run through
swamps and the tracks would sink
Now an this has passed away. TIT
lands have been filled in and to-da,
the tracks are shell-ballast from Della
ware TO Cape Charles. as smooth a
glass and in every particular hrst-clas
rOadbeds.
When the late Hon. William Scott
of Erie. who first conceived the ide'
OF building the road. made his frs
survey through Virginia, he predicte'
a great future for the road. His pre-
dictions have come true. Scott bull
the road at an average cost of $500
per mile. and when it was complete
ne bonded and sold II for $4,000 pc
mile; there was nearly a million proh
for Scott. but the bondholders hav
never been sorry they bought tn
bonds