Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-06-24

lnaewas marked by piles Of stone about
SIX feet high Al far - the summit Of
the Alleghcnies, beyond which posts
were planted end surrounded BY stones.
1t Ii said the original stone Get at the
northeast corner OF Maryland was ac-
cidentally broken and the pieces mend
ed by leaden bands.
At the outbreak Of the revolutionary
war the lead was taken from the stone
by Continental patriots and made into
bullets. The upper part Of the stone
fell and was lost, the lower part be-
came covered with earth, as 1t was sit
uated In a ravine. For many years the
superstition existed. rs no marking
stone was visible, that the three
States, Pennsylvania, Maryland and
Delaware, came together mt that point.
In 1S49 the Governors of these States
appointed ]. p. Eyre of Pennsylvania,
HI, g. s. Key Of Maryland, and G. r.
Riddle OF Delaware, to locate the spot
formerly occupied by the missing cor
ner-stone. The assistance Of Col. ]. d.
Graham, Of the United States Topo-
graphical Engineers, was obtained, and
the site of the missing stone found. The
buried portion Of the original stone was
unearthed by men while sinking hole
for the new stone to be erected. The
old one was buried and a substantial
mark Of Brandywine granite reared, 1t
being about one foot square. with p
and NJ ON the sides.
On the brow of the hill sloping down
to the ravine, which contains the stone.
waterbrook and profusion Of wild
flowers, stands an old stone house.
Near by was the famous "Backwoods
Academy" an institution founded by
Alexander Terrell, who taught many
students from the adjoining States.
The tongue OF land extending from
Pennsylvania down between Maryland
and Delaware Is typographical curl
osity. At the upper part it Is about
4,169 feet wide (betwecn Pennsylvania
and Delaware), extends southwark
about three and half miles, tapers
to point of intersection OF the three
States, and contains about 500 acres.
The land Is portion Of London Britain
Township, Chester County, Pa. but
Delaware claims 1t as a part of White
Clay Creek Hundred, New Castle Coun-
ty. She has always exercised juris-
diction over it, treating her boundary
as extending to the northeast corner of
Maryland. The land is taxed in Della
ware, the inhabitants vote as citizens
of that State, and offenses committed
therein are punished by her courts,
while, ON the other hand, Pennsylvania
has never exercised any authority over
it." This singular condition Of affairs
Is probably owing to errors made by the
pioneer surveyors who ran the lines.
The circle of New Castle has been
repeatedly the line of confusion with
citizens residing close to it, the diff
Guilty arising ON account of the assess
ment and payment Of taxes. To avoid
this acts were passed few years ago
by the Legislatures Of this State and
Delaware authorizing a commission
from each Commonwealth to examine,
survey and re-establish the boundary
line," etc. The Commissioners of Penn
sylvania were the Hon. Wayne Mac
Veagh, Robert Il. Monaghan and Will
lam II. Miller. Delaware's commission
was composed of the Hon. Thomas +.
Bayard, the Hon. ]. II. Hoffecker, and
Dr. B. l.. Lewis. The work was COM
pleted by the joint commission in 1898.
The initial monument is Of Brandywine
granite, quarried in Delaware. The ter
minal point, near the Delaware River,
Is Of gneiss. They are marked with
the names Pennsylvania and Delaware,
north and south sides, respectively, and
other inscriptions. Each stone is set
Az feet in the earth, and firmly secured
by cement. The twenty-one mile stones
and twenty-five half-mile stones are
of gneiss, and are properly marked.
The triangular stone at the junction Of
the three States is marked Z, NJ and d,
respectively, and carries the names Of
the Commissioners, who refixed it in
1S49.