Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1904-05-19

miles. A saving so great on a road
forming link. In the chain connect.
ing the Northern and Southern
States is OF sufficient Importance &c
attract the attention Of the Govern.
ment, and In case OF its establish.
ment, the Legislature of the State ol
Maryland would, no doubt. give en-
couragement to improve and turn
pike a road which win be productive
OF infinite advantage to three of the
largest counties in the State. The
only and sole obstacle which is i'm.
pcriant in Transporting the mail by
the route suggested, Is the crossing
OF the Potomsc. To those who know
anything Of the construction Of Po-
nmac pilot boats. with which ST.
Mary's abounds, this difficulty an
pears ideal to these boats which
buffet the severest storms on the
ocean. The river Potomac could
never present, an obstacle TO their
passage. The model Of these boats
exceeds any in the world. and q
packet boat on the largest pilot boat
model would, in any weather, cross
the Potomac from st. Mary's to Kin.
sale, presenting as she does two
harbors of easy entrance on both
sides Immediately opposite, viz: st.
Mary's and Cone.
A line of stages from Philadelphia
through the Eastern Shore OF Mary
land to Northampton Court House is
connected by a packet boat with
Norfolk, on the opposite side of the
Chesapeake. The distance from
Cherry stone, the landing near
Northampton Court House to Nor
folk, is go miles across, the very
broadest and most exposed part of
the Chesapeake. IL then an inter.
course is constantly and safely kept
up across an expanse Of water OF 60
miles. and so much exposed as that
part of the bay evidently is to the
draft and swell of the ocean, how
inconsiderable must be the difficulty
in crossing the Potomac from st.
Mary's to Cone, only ten miles wide
or one-sixth Of the above distance.
Much more considerable are the OBJ.
stacle formed by the deep clay and
unevenness OF the road from Wash
ington, through williamsburg to
Norfolk. Nothing can be worse than
that road IN Winter; il is many times
utterly impossible for several days.
The route to suggested through the
lower counties OF Maryland and the
Northern Neck Of Virginia, i'm ad-
dition to shortening the road very
considerably in any way, whether
we fellow the usual post roads or
open new and straighter road, has
the great advantage of passing
through level and sandy country,
whereas now It passes through a
rough, hilly, clayey country. That
this alteration will sooner or later
take effect, cannot be doubted.
But however desirable such change
might be to the public, both for its
convenience and in political point of
view, and however advantageous II
might be, to the country through
which it would pass, yet there is
little hope of its being effected in
a short time or even at all by the
enterprise Of private individuals.
Because, unfortunately, it SO hap
pens that the inhabitants of the
counties, through which this road
must pass, both in Maryland and
Virginia are the least enterprising
OF any in either State, and have no
idea OF the immense advantages re.
sulting from good roads. IL is with
them as with the Spaniards, Portu
gese and Italians, because nature
has done much for them, they choose
10 do nothing for themselves. Al
though they possess a soil and eli
mate. the most fertile and mild in
the world, yet so great is their In
dolence, that they scarcely grow q
sufficiency for their own wants. So
the inhibitants OF this part OF Mary
land and Virginia, because nature
has blessed them with an easy car
riage for their produce, and with a
soil the best fitted for roads in the
world, have scarcely done any thing
whatever for their improvement, and
have left every thing to nature and
to chance. So that there is no one
single straight road in Prince Geor-
ge's, Charles or st. Mary counties,
but all go winding round bills and
breaks, rivulets and marshes, woods
and fences, just as accident directs,
and on level ground. and nearly the
whole surface of that country is level.