The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-08-20
{. & v. EXTENSION.
The First Rails Have Been
Laid.
ROUND HOUSE FOR NORTH RIVER
GAP THE WORK PRO
CROSSING

Leaving IIarrisonburg at high noon a
representative of che Evening News faced
toward the town Of Bridgewater, from
which place he had information that the
Chesapeake Western Company were lay
ing the first rails on the extension. Ar
irving at that place n fair mount was se-
cured, and thus equipped the writer was
ready To -ee what was to be seen.
Riding mp 10 the extension the first
man he met was that genial gentleman,
Capt ; II. Webb who used To pull the
cord on the C. n ". trains Under his
immediate supervision "A force OF hands
were engaged in laying down the tie
that binds" valley to valley and section
70 section. The quality and size OF the
rails they are putting down are the
same as the ones on the roads already
completed. Capt Webb stated that they
were going to lay track out TO the river,
where the work would be- stopped until
the bridge steel arrived, which they hoped
would be- in very few days
At the river the work is progressing
nicely. The trestling work which forms
the approach To the bridge proper IL be-
ing put mp and everything indicates that
il is being built to carry the heaviest oi
trains The work On the abutments was
stopped temporarily in order to allow
the men to assist in putting down some
OF the track.
ON up the road further everything was
found to be in full swing There is con
siderable amount of work to do around
the bluff Of Round Hill.
At Mt. Solon the road describes big
: turned backward in order to get out
Of the headwaters Of Messy Greek into the
North River Gap. 1t is in the middle bend
OF the that the heavy rock excavation
il to be done The road reaches the
North River Valley just above the Nat
ural Chimneys or Cyclopean Towers,
which will be in full sight from the ear
window. Just after the grade debouches
into the North River Valley it passes by
the base of the bluff on which there is n
formation similar to the Natural Chin
neys, though not az well defined, and not
a. high "a the chmneys are.
In blasting for the road bed they found
an opening to large cave under the
stone formation The writer rode up to
it and upon examination OF a portion OF
the surface where other portions had
been blasted away he found that the for
nation bears a strik ing resemblance to
all cave formations.
Three big boilers on fiat ears with
generating capacity of 25O horsepower
and fly wheel with a 35-inch face, are
all awaiting transportation from Bridge
water to North River Gap.
It was also learned from an authorita-
tive source that the railroad people have
asked their stonemasOn to put in a bid
for the building of an eight-stall round
house in North River Gap.
1t is also understood that thecOntracts
have been let for the building of three
depots one at Messy Creek, one at Mt
Solon. and one at North River Gap.
All in all everything is indicative that
an era of progress is about to be entered
upon in the section traversed by the
Chesapeake Western extension.-Harri-
sonburg Evening News.
1t is hoped and expected that the road
referred to will be built through the
mountains to this section, and we trust
it may come to fredericksburg.