Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-03-28
W~|LLPUTCAGE AROUND IT
To Prevent Dissertation Of State
Line Marker at Pen Mar.
RESURVEY OF MASON & DIXON
Work of Resetting the Stores is Now Nearly
Completed-C Costs About $50 a Mile
for the Work.
for the Work.

for the Work.
T.. r. Martin. a civil engineer of
/ Delaware, with John Griffin and Har-
vey Ambrose. AS assistants. is com
the stones of Masons and Dixon's
Line. authorized by the States of Del
aware And MARYLAND, for which each
has Appropriated IS, 900. Mr. Martin
now has his headquarters ia Wavnes-
boro.
Mr.. Martin has been at the work
for a year and a half, aud has only
seven miles to complete. He will
place a wire cage around and over the
stone located one-ejrht of a mile from
Pen Mar Station. where summer visi-
tors have developed a propensity for
chipping off pieces from the stone.
There is also a c1ge over the crown
stone near BiRhfeld. He resets all the
old stones and makes fast the new
ones in concrete. For each stone he
uses n barrel of GENE 1t and a CARLOAD
of broken stone, The average expense
of the work is $50 a mile. He has on
ly four stones to set. They are in the
vicinity of Jacobs church. No. 80,
on the Miller farm, tenanted by Hen
~ Burger, was missing when Mr..
i Martin first passed owe the line. He
found it after a diligent search near
Clearspring and will set it up again.
Stone No. 100 was found in the road
between Marsh Run and hagerstown.
Only the stump of it vas there and
some people of the locality had placed
a limestone over this to indicate its
position.
Two stones were discovered in Bal
timcre. One was taken there to be
erected in Druid Hill Park but Mayor
Latrobe refused TO allow it to be put
up. The Pennsylvania historical So
city now has this stone. having fur
line. Another old stone was found
near Clearspring. Two were taken
from the Parkhead Church nine miles
east of Hancock. where thew were do
ing service as door sills some were
discovered on the property of Justice
of the Peace Thomas Belt Johnson,
neal Clearspring. and one was dis.
covered on a street corner in Clear
spring.
All the stones have been accounted
for excent one. No. 1871, near Han
cock. Mr.. Martin dug uD the ground
in "A radius of 20 feet from where it
should have been and found about Il
hundred sDrawls from the stone. He
thinks it was broke by accident. Mr..
Martin clamps together the pieces of
old broken stone which he finds and
puts them in position again, if posi-
BILE. Where they cannot be used he
sets up a marble stone. West of Han.
cock all the markers are new marble
stones. The mile stones are plain
with the letter 50 p. " on one side
and IN" on the other. Every five
miles a crown stone is placed. This
has the coat of arms of william Pen
non one side and that of Lord Balti-
more ON the other.
Mr.. Martin is one of the opinion
that Mason and Dixon made their
headquarters at the Green Spring fur
mace on the Jessup farm now owned
by DR.. Berry. 1t was near MoCoy's
Ferry. where the dozen stones found
in the vicinity were shipped having
been brought up the Potomac on the
boats which carried grain etc, down
to Washington.
Mason and Dixon comuleted a GER
tain portion of the work each wear and
spent part Of the twelve month in En-
gland.
They did not mark the entire line
with the stones thew brought from En-
gland. Indeed. they only set up 1872
Of these stones, the last of them ten
miles west Of Hancock. Beyond that
they erected stone piles. or big mounds
OF earth. five feet high and IS to 90
feet in diameter at the base. In the
middle Of these earth mounds thew
planted a square piece Of timber and
these in a number Of cases u forth
branches and grew into eoodly trees.
1t has been noticed by travellers on
the mountain in the vicinity Of High
field that a wide path has Nbeen cut
through the forest trees. This was
made by members Of the surveying
corps for the purpose Of locating t e
State line. Tt is about fifty feet from
the true line and is cut that distance
away so that there Will be no tearing
down of fences or telling trees that are
used to mark divisions Of property
along the Safe line,
The engineer relates some good sto-
.H I