The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-03-31
Upper Bloomsbury.

| L is interesting in connection with the con-
domination by the Philadelphia, Baltimo ore
| and Washington Railroad Company of the
| right-of-way through the Lewis property, in
Havre de GRACE, to be held the 4th of
| April next; that the Mansion is among those
| in the United States which has historical as
sociations.
| In the War of 1912, when Havre de Grace
| was bombarded and burned (1SI3) by the
| British, several families took refuge in the
| Mansion of which the following letter of an
| eye witness speaks with much spirit, and
! especially, how it was saved from the flames
tradition stating that Mrs. Goldsborough
kneeiing begged of Admiral Cockburn to
| spare it.
| From The Weekly Register.
BALTIMORE. Saturday, May 90. 1913.
Printed and published by H. Niles, South
street, next door to the Merchants Coffee
House, at $500 per annum.
Since l wrote you last Havre de Grace has
been visited by terrible bombardment.
1T commenced on Monday, the Sd, at day
On the report of guns elm mediately jumped
out of our beds, and from the top of the house
could plainly see the balls and hear the cries
OF the inhabita ants. We ran down the road
and soon began to meet the distressed people,
women and children, half naked; children in
During for their parents. parents for their
children. and wives for their husbands.
1T appeared to us as if the whole of the
town was on fire. think this act. committed
without any previous warning has degraded
the British flag.
The enemy robbed every house of every
thing valuable that could be carried away,
leaving not change of raiment to one of ten
persons, and what they could not take con-
veniently, they destroyed by cuttingin pieces
or breaking to atoms.
The Admiral himself w; present at this
work of destruction, and gave orders for it
to his officers. Mrs. Rodgers (wife OF the
Commodore. Mrs. Pinkney and Mrs. Colds
borough took shelter at Mr.. Pringle's. When
a detachment was sent up tn burn that ele-
giant building, Mrs. Goldsborough told the
officer that she had an aged mother in it, and
begged it might be spared. The officer
Piled that lie acted under the Admiral, and it
would be necessary to obtain his consent.
Mrs. C. returned with the officer and de-
tachment and obtained the permission that
the house be spared but when she reached 1t
she found it on fire. and met two men, one
with a sheet, the other with pillow case
crammed full, coming out which she could
not then notice, but up stairs, and found
a irge wardrobe standing in the passage all
William Pinkney, who was with her, and
two OF the marines, by great cXertion saved
the house; but some of the wretches after
that took the cover from the sofa in the front
room, and put Goals in it, and it W as in flame
before it discovered.
"A beautiful Madonna, the Commodore
had been offered one thousand dollars for
they were about destroying, but the Admiral
ordered them to desist at which they were
so angry that they wrapped it up in the
burning sofa cover and left it mark of
| their Valor.
An officer put his sword through a large
| elegant looking glass, attacked the windows
and cut out several shades. They cut hogs
| through the back and some partly through
and then let them run. Such wanton bar
barity among civilized people, have never
| heard OF.
The whole squadron left our waters yes
| terday, to our unspeakable Joy"
| Mrs. P1nkney was the grandma ther of Gov
ernor William Pinkhey White, the veteran
present leader OF the Baltimore Bar.
| The Rodgers family still holds it's estate
! near Havre de Grace and is still prominent in
| the Navy of the United States, we'll represent
| ed X Admiral ErPdPpiCE and ~ her
| members of the family.
| The Mansion is also mentioned and cut OF
| ii presented in this connection in Losing s
Pictorial Field Book of the War of sic and
in Harper's Monthly Magazine of December,
| 1868.
1t was here that the Honorable Elisha
| Lewis, father of A. Nelson Lewis. Esq, fed q
| troup of soldiers until all his provisions were
| exhausted, carly upon the sunny morning OF
| April 9th, SCI. the day of the memorable
| riot in Baltimore, when the troops passing
| through the City on the way to Washington
| were attacked in the streets, and in conse-
| quence of which, some of Colonel Smalls men
| returned that night with broken limbs.
| This valuable property, known for more
than 100 years as Bloomsbury - has been in
the Lewis family for nj ore than half a century.
1t now yields to the necessity of m dern limo,
| walton, since its character will be greatly
| changed by the construction and location o
| the Phi.adelphia Baltimore and Washington
| Railroad. This runs between the Baltimore
| and Ohio Railroad north of it and the present
| route of the Philadelphia, Baltimore and
| w Washington Railroad on the south, going for
| thrce-qtarters of a mile in length by tw O hun
| dred feet in width through the heart of the
property, entirely in city limits, approaching
| the Mansion within 400 feet, at which point
| will be cut of about 3 feet increased to &c
feet. There will be a fill of about 2 feet
making high embankmcnt for near hall O
the way in the direction of the bridge
cutting OFF Ill access to theland and Mansion
north of the new route save by crossing
bridge of 200 feet wide going over the rail
road, the bridge itself being gained by Ions
| approaches
The necessity in the case is the extremel,
insecure state OF the bridge over the Susque
| hanna. So great at times has been TIL,
| apprehension for it that trains have beer
held upon it to keep it from washing away
Formerly trains crossed IL IN about minute
at present, If they arc permitted to cross
| within four minutes the conductors are lait
| by. The piers OF the bridge under construc
tiun present serious engineering difficulties
which 1t is believed the able Chief Engineer O
the Pennsylvania Railroad, William H
| Brown, Esq has overcome,
| One two of the piers are In a depth of Z;
feet of water and rs feet to rock bottom.
| AS the greatest depth at which divers car
: work is 80 feet because Of the great pressur
OF air supplied them, man being able L
Withstand greater pressure, which q create
depth would require; consequently these cas-
aons rest upon huge masses OF rock aggregat
r ed on the bed of the river. 1t is understoo
that offers to buy BLOOMSBURY" coming
from Philadelphia, BALTIC. and other source
have been for sometime refused, and that i
is intended, as far possible, to hold 1t IN
tact in view of the contemplated electri
, power to he developed about eight mile
!, above Havre dc Grace, on the Susquehanua
l by New York capt. alists and In view of tn
/ deepening of the Chesapeake and Deiaw ar
Canal, to effect which Senate Bill is nov
-, pending in Congress both of which measure
e must be uf great benefit to the City. Will
/. further. IL has been stated for sometime tina
! when the Pennsylvania double tracks tn
/ Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad that
, | will make Havre de Grace port of shipmen
t | for coal and other traffic now going by til
I Northern Central Railroad, since the grade
. are much less on the former than on the lat
| ter. 1t is reported that $4,000 is asked fo
= the right-ofway through Bloomsbury"
= The place is notable for the primeval oak
Il at the Mansion, estimated by experts to
II least 300 years old, and the cedarS are of III
/, | usual size and height AID likely the largest
: the State. and it haa always been considere
: one of the fuest residences OF the county.
i The whole of Upper Bloomsbury'i is no
? ! within the limits of the City of Havre {
l. | Grace, being laid off in squares, lots an
:, | streets on the plot of said city, and sine
;, | then has greatly increased in value and col
/, | tinues to SO increase.