The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-03-29

ing is made OH bridge having a
total span of about 1880 feet, COM
posed of a viaduct supported on
trestle towers and a number of
truss and deck girder spans rest
ing on concrete piers and abut-
mcnts. The canal at this point
is left about mile TO the north
west, where it passes through a
tunnel about $500 feet long.
About half a mile beyond the
bridge the line passes through
Keasley tunnel, the third tunnel,
on the line. 1t is 1902 feet long
and was driven through solid rock.
The time consumed in driving it
was sixteen months. Considera-
bic difficulty was experienced in
getting through this tunnel, as a
very hard rock formation was met
with a short distance in from its
east portal. The east approach to
this tunnel is through an extreme
ly long and deep solid rock cut,
which commences about 1900 iect
from its portals. 1t is from 20 to
I25 feet deep, and upwards of
$50, 900 cubic yards of material
were taken from it. Just beyond
the west approach of the tunnel
which is about 800 feet long and
which neCessitated the excavation
of about $1,000 cubic yards of ma
terial, the fifth Potomac river
/ crossing is made on a deck girder
bridge, having a total length of
about $50 feet.
Half a mile beyond this bridge
the line again crosses the Potomac
on the sixth river bridge, which is
practically a similar structure to
the fifth just described. Just be
You'd the sixth river crossing is an
other fill, 600 feet long by so to IS
feet high. At the end Of this fill
the line is carried over the first in
dependent canal crossing to Paw
Paw, at which point the third di-
vision begins.
Half a mile beyond this canal
crossing the tracks are carried over
Purslans Run on a twenty foot
deck ,girder bridge. From this
point on to Old Town, about ten
miles, the line closely parallels the
canal, and for the greater part of
the distance is carried on bench
built in the hillside.
From here on, with the excep-
ton of few fairly deep cuts and
fills, the line reaches Town Creek,
over which it is carried on deck
girder bridge composed Of three
eighty-foot deck plate girder spans
resting on concrete piers and abut-
ments About two and one-half
miles west of Town Creek the line
passes through a solid rock cut,
known as Recess cut, having a
maximum depth of fifty feet and
about $500 feet long. Just west
of this cut is fill over one-half
mile long, across which the line is
carried within short distance of
Old Town. A few heavy cuts and
fills are then met with in the next
two to three miles, at the end of
which the line passes through an
extremely heavy solid rock cut,
known as KnuCkols cut. This
was the heaviest and most difficult
cut on the line. It's maximum
depth is SO feet and it is 1000 feet
long. A fill 1900 feet long, with
maximum height of 70 feet, Just
east of this cut, was made with the
material taken from it.
Knobly tunnel is the fifth and
last tunnel on the line. This tun-
mel is 1928 feet long, and it tool,
six months to drive. The mater
ial met with was mostly hard rock
with the exception Of a few hun
dred feet in its west end, which
was of loose clay and sand. Con
siderable trouble was experienced
in holding this material up, and
timbering had to be used during
the construction of this portion oil
the tunnel.
The heading had also to be held
to form bV heavy timber braCino