Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-08-18
WESTWARD HO!
SCENES AND INCIDENTS
En- Route to Chicago Over The
Picturesque Baltimore And
Ohio Railroad.
special Correspondent OF the Capital,

Special Correspondent OF the Capital,
Although much has been said and
written of the far-famed picturesque Bal
timore and Ohio Railroad, yet there is
always something fresh and new TO tell
about il when the tourist embarks on the
Royal Blue for trip over the most
historic and picturesque railway in Amer
ica. There is through-car service daily on
the New York and Chicago Limited, :"
trains No. 5 and 8, and solid vestibuled
train with Pullman drawing room, sleep
ing cars to Chicago and Pullman obser-
walton car from Baltimore to Pittsburg.
The car service is perfect, the officials
polite and obliging. and the appointments
of the drawing sleeping car unique. Rid
ing over a! smooth and even road-bed.
oiled with crude petroleum to allay the
dust--that 6eGe NOR to the travelling pub
lic-and surrounded with the case and
comfort Of home. travel on the B. & O.
is robbed of its unpleasant features, and
one skins through space and annihilates
time, all forgettul of the miles that sepa-
rate him from those loved ones at home.
The observation cars are comparative
ly new feature of the service. and seat
ed in one of these at the rear of the train.
one has every opportunity and advantage
TO "view the landscape DER, and enjoy
the points OF interests and historic import
for which the b. & o. is famous. AS
many of the readers of this column know
part of the b. & 0. road between Balti-
more and Washington was the first rail-
road built in America. From Washing
ton to Pittsburg is along the line of the
old National Road, which was laid out
by George Washington in 1853. George,
of hatchet fame, was at that time civil
engineer. Between Cumberland and
Pittsburg was the scene of the fourth and
last French and Indian war, and all
along the line of the b. & o. from Wash
ington to Pittsburg, are historic points of
interest connected with the War of the
Rebellion. Besides containing so many
points of historic interest along the route.
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad winds
through a country of most picturesque
scenery, whose beauty and magniicence
are unparalleled, and the interest of which
is continuous from start to finish.
Leaving Annapolis Junction. which is
324 miles from Pittsburg. the first point
of interest is College Park. where the
Maryland State Agricultural College is
located. Then comes Hyattville, or
Bladensburg. as it was called. Here
there is ford, across which the British
charged in 1914. The line OF the b. &
0. passes over the ground where the
fighting was most severe. Not far away
is the notorious dueling ground of Revo-
lutionary times. The next stop is at the
City of Washington, where. to the left Of
the train the domes of the Capitol and
Library Building can be plainly seen.
and on the right, Washington monument
looms up shining white glistening mass
OF marble. Leaving Washington. the
first stop is at Rockville, the county seat
of Montgomery county, and one of the
oldest towns in Maryland. About twenty
miles from this point, the road crosses
the famous Monocacy river, branch of
the Potomac. The scenery here is very
beautiful. The next point of interest is
Washington Junction, fourteen miles north
of which is Frederick, of Barbara Frit-
chic" fame, and where the battle of Mo-
nocacy was fought between General Lew
Wallace and Jubal Early. About a mile
from Washington Junction the beautiful
Potomac river begins to keep company
with the railway, and continues in this
compa anionship for about so miles.
At its juncture is Point of Rocks, one
of the most picturesque sections of Mary
land. Here, to the left, the Chesapeake
and Ohio Canal begins its parallel course
with the railway and the elevation to the
mountain regions begins. Here one
catches glimpse of the beautiful ALE.
ghenies which, little later, stand out in
bold relief in all their picturesque beauty
and grandeur. 1t was at at this point
that both OF the armies during the Rebel
lion crossed and re-crossed the Potomac,
and here many skirmishes occurred. The
next point OF interest is at Brunswick,
where General Meade's army re-crossed
the Potomac on their return from the
battle of Gettysburg to Washington
After ride of three miles Weverton is
reached. Here it is that General Burnside
with his command, crossed the railroad
en- route to Washington from the battle
OF Antietam. Words cannot describe the
picturesque beauty of Americas most
historic spot, Harper's Ferry, w. Va,
which is ninety-6ve miles from Baltimore
and 247 miles from Piusburg. The B.
& 0. has recently Strengthened its route
considerably, besides lessening the dis
tance by cutting tunnels through the
mountains. Approaching Harper's Ferry
from the east the train passes through
one OF these recently cut tunnels through
the base of Maryland Heights. Here
the new steele bridge over the Potomac
IS crossed, and q stop is made at the sta
tion, where there is monument to John
Brown. To the left is the Shenandoah
river, another branch of the Potomac.
Across the Shenandoah river can be seen
the big mountain known as "Louden
Heights, on the Virginia side, and back
of the town to the west is Bolivar Heights.
Back of little Catholic church on the
hill IS Jefferson Rock" where one OF
the grandest scenes of the mountain,
river and valley can be obtained. This
is so named because Thomas Jefferson
said the view from here was worthy a
trip across the Atlantic.
(COnfinred IN ottr rexf ics,te