The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-25
FROM TIDEwATER TO OHIO.
First Iron Rails That Formed Con-
tinuous Line.

The first iron rails that formed a
continuous line from tidewater to the
Ohio river were laid forty-seven years
ago and the work was completed on
Christmas eve, 1852. 1t is quite well
known that the projectors Of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad conceived the
broad idea that to bring Baltimore, on
the Atlantic coast into close relations
with the great and the there being rap
idly settled Ohio valley, would aug
ment the gold in the strong boxes of
the Monumental City. After many OBJ
stacles had been thrown in the way,
and, in turn, surmounted, the line was
completed and a train load Of proud
Baltimoreans journeyed to Wheeling.
w. Va, and watched the turbid Ohio
flow by on to the sea.
The completion of the laying OF the
iron rails, steel being too expensive at
that time, is marked by a natural
monument. eighteen miles from Wheel
ing and near Roseby's station. This
monument is a great stone on the hill
side and is located in Marshall county,
w. Va. 1t is sixty feet long, thirty
five feet wide and thirty feet high
Commercially minded men have esti-
mated that it is worth 5000 for build
ing purposes, but it could not be pur-
chased, because of it's historical asso-
citation with the completion of the main
line of the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road.
Cut deeply into the side of the rock,
that faces the railroad track, is the
following inscription: "Roseby's Rock
track connected Christmas eve, 1852.
Hobbs & Faris"
The men who immortalized them
selves in Baltimore and Ohio history
were the stonecutters who cut the in
scription, but the rock gets it's name
from Roseby Karr, an English en-
gineer, who was in charge of the track
laying from Wheeling, eastward. Those
We're the days when liquor flowed more
than freely on state occasions, and
there was no oversight or neglect of
custom when the rails were connected.
Whiskey was purchased by the barrel,
and, when the last spike was driven,
all hands proceeded to get gloriously
drunk and celebrate the event in a
manner acceptable to tradition. There
was no time 10 waste on faucets or
bartenders. A sledge- hammer was bet
Ter lndn an auSur or a nung-Starter,
and the heads of the barrels were
promptly knocked in. One of the en-
thusiastic trackmen fell into a neigh
boring run and was drowned. The
stream is now known as Grave Creek
Karr, the engineer, had several in
teresting experiences with his men,
one of them, Abner Charnock, objected
strenuously to working on Sunday, and
one Saturday night, in order to carry
his point, chained the locomotive to
the rails. Karr and Chcrnock had hot
words and a rough-and- fight
followed. The Christian downed the
Sabbath breaker, and, while holding
him, remarked calmly that Man was
not made for the day. but the day for
the man."
Years later Karr was struck on the
head with a hatchet, by one of his men,
on the Parkersburg branch and was
killed. 1t was reported that the blow
was accidental. Charnock died in 1896,
near Cameron. w Va,
Recently Roseby's Rock has been
cleaned and repainted and is quite pa
triotc in appearance. the artists using
the national cOlors in profuson,