The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-07-07
THE CUMBERLAND ROAD.
TIL, beginning Of tho Federal system OF
Internal improvements


woshlnston correspondence in 81.
.,,,. Tlobe-Demoerst: From 1906 to
,sgS The United States government ex-
n - more than 100000 in building
~rsot public highway in the states OF
S,srylaud virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio
Tnd,,na and Illinois. and then donated
,ne Improvement to the states In which
q was located. In those days that was
a tar more lavish expenditure OF the
r,hI,c funds thnn ten times the amount
ai',,,iJ he nj the present time. No one
',So ms studied the results Will ques-
~, Ana wisdom OF such vast outlay
~ q turned a great tide Of emigration
~ ,,nard and stimulated growth and
SsysIopment In the Mississippi valley
mai mas repaid the government more
Than a Thousand fold.
Tho IMPROVEMENT was commenced IN
n very modest way In 1906 with an ap,
nronriatlon OF only $4,000, by an act OF
Eongress 10 regulate the laying out ana
Mating Of a wagon road from Cumber-
,and In the state OF Maryland, TO the
a,',o N Ohio. II vas TO be laid out bs
Sc discreet and disinterested persons
a by the President and con-
Srloed nv the senate; was to be four
naSs in width, marked on each SIDE
aysrv quarter OF mile in distance and
n, every angle. and to be built OF stone
"ar,b Gravel Or sand, with a ditch or
,,,atsr.course Mt either side, and with no
a,svation OF more than Ave degrees
vim the horizon. To ease the con-
SCIENCE OF the over-scrupulous mem
hers on the question of power. It was
nr,vIded that the consent OF the state
ti,roIrh which It was to pass should
Hrst he Obtained. This was clearly
snbterfuge, for so soon after the adop-
lion OF The constitution It must have
been known to every one that a single
state could not confer any power upon
die general government and that the
separate states had no such power 70
convey.
subsequent appropriations followed
thick and fast. the exact aggregate OF
which It is difficult to ascertain. out
certainly In excess of S6,0O0,00O. Presi-
dent Jefferson approved the scheme
President Madison did not hesitate 10
sanction II. President Monroe opposed
n at first, on the mooted ground OF
want of authority, and struggled
through fifty printed pages In veto
message condemning II; but he after
ward radically changed his mind, IN,
dorsed the improvement as goou
thing, said the country ought TO nave
more OF them, and went so FAR as TO
recommend much more expensive
undertaking, the building OF the Ches-
apeake and Ohio canal. John Quincy
Adams favored the Cumberland matter,
and sturdy old Andrew jackson gave
the appropriation bills his unquaIlhed
approval.
hardly dreamed Of. and the highest
ambition OF American statesman SEEM
ed 10 be to have good wagon road or a
toW-path canal The Cumberland
scheme was apparently very popular,
From 1905 to 1888 more than S6,0OO,OoO
was appropriated for it-enough. II
would seem, TO have built good waG-
on roadway from ocean TO ocean-and
vet the road in question was never
completed to st. Louis. and the gov
eminent, becoming tired OF the ven-
ture, finally gave Il outright TO the
several states through which II passed.
Whatever may be said as to the ex-
travagance OF this early public i'm
provement, Il must be conceded that II
mad many influences for the good OF the
whole country. The great Mississippi
valley was then undeveloped. and COM
paratlvely unknown, Its millions OF
fertile acres were waiting for the plow,
the sickle and the hoe, and Its billions
OF undeveloped wealth needed only the
presence OF man TO startle the world
with their extent. The building OF this
highway set in motion and turned a
vast flood OF immigration Into this won
derful valley, which still continues, and
its overflow reaches even TO the Pacific
coast. Great cities and commercial
centers have sprung up, that rival In
Importance and far exceed In progress
the more ancient cities OF the older
world.
who can say that It was not the le-
ultimate sire of the famous Santa Fe
trail, and the forerunner Of the great
overland mail route? II was the plo-
neer and pathfinder, the entering wedge
TO open the way for exploration and
development. In Ohio, 1t was known as
the National Pike" crossing the state
from Wheeling on the east through
Springfield on the west, a distance Of
about two hundred miles. Congress
appropriated nearly Sl.50O.0O0 for It's
still used. and Is now maintained as n
free country road. In Indiana it was
called the National Road" and was
built directly across the state from
Richmond on the east, to Terra Hnute
on the west. distance Of one hundred
and fifty miles. passing over what was
and still Is the principal business street
OF Indianapolis More than Sl,O0O,OOO
was specially appropriated by Congress
for the work in Indiana, where 1t Is
still maintained rs a free country road.
said 10 be the best In the state. In Illi-
nois 1t was only extended from Terre
Hautc as far west as Ynndalia, about
ninety miles, the state receiving about
$4,000 60 encourage the work II Is
stlll maintained there as a free public
road by the local road districts through
which II passes. In Pennsylvania 1t Is
stlll kept up as a state toll road under
the supervision OF superintendent and
two commissioners appointed by the
governor. and the tolls are used to
keep II In repair.
Many roads are built 90 Eide that the
travel forms trough In the center,
which catches and holds the water. and
this is churncd and mixed with tho
earth by passing teams until the road
becomes n vcritlblc slough OF despond.
Surface coatings OF gravel or broken
etonc are of little use without ample
surface aud under drainage. for they
are econ sunken out of sight. and the
soft and lighter Garth comes to the top.
With good surface and under drainage
md well-roundcd top the road viii