The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-03-17


so bad that they made only three
miles a day. Lieut.. Spendelow
returned on the fourth day, i'm
pressed with the need of a less
difficult road over the mountain.
After several days search, he con-
WINGED Gen. Braddock that a more
desirable road could be built along
the east bank of Wills Creek,
through the Narrows-meeting
the old road about six miles from
the fort. With one hundred and
twenty men, he constructed this
new section around the mountain,
at the rate of a mile a day. On
June 7, Braddock marched from
Cumberland, to meet his death on
July 9, near the Monongahela
River-his troops being routed by
the Indians who lay concealed in
ravines alongside his road on the
top of narrow ridge.
For the thirty years following
BraddoCk' S defeat little is known
of the road. But in 1884 Wash
ington, DESTROYS OF connecting the
West with the East by river navi-
CATION and roads, went over it a
third time. The result was the
formation Of the Potomac Com
pany, of which Washington was
long President. This company
spent a half million dollars in a
vain attempt to make the Potomac
navigable from Alexandra to Cum
berland. In the spring fiatboats,
loaded with freight and coal, could
be foated down with the floods; a
few of them were poled back. But
this was so slow and hard that
most of them were broken up at
Alexandria for lumber. A mile or
so below Cumberland are the re-
mains of rough wall ofrock, now
covered with bushes, built by the
Company in its effort to deepen
the channel.
In 1906 Congress decided to use
part OF the proceeds OF the sale of
public lands along the~Ohio for
building a National Highway to
the West-the only highway gifts
kind ever wholly constructed by
the Government of the United
States. President Jefferson ap-
pointed the commissioners, and in
1871 the first contract was award
ed for the ten miles west of Cum
berland. The route followed was
that OF Washington 5 Road, over
Wills Mountain by Sandy Gap.
The ascent of the mountain was
made more gradual by means of
many curves and culverts, but the
new Pike was never out of sight
of NemaColin's original trail The
entire road to Wheeling was COM
pleted in 1918, at cost of SIS, 900
per mile; but from Cumberland to
Uuiontown, Pa, so much of Wash
ington's or Braddock' ) Road was
used that the cost per mile,
for that section, was only SOFAS.
Its total cost, from 1906 to 1874,
was So, 8oo,oo
By 1882 it had fallen into bad
condition, despite its continuous
use. Then. under the direction of
United States Engineers, it was
rebuilt. But this time the Old
Pike over the mountain was aban-
doned, and Spendelow's plan for a
road through the Narrows was
adopted. At the entrance to the
Narrows, it crossed the creek on a
massive stone-arched bridg E );
thence along the west bank, pro-
teCted from the floods of the creek
by stone wall. Iron mile posts
were erected, marking both the
distance to Wheeling and to Cum
berland. Every fifteen miles, round
or hexagonal toll-houses of brick
or stone were built, with massive
iron gates. These gates were sell
dom used, for the road was so good
and the toll so small that drivers
were content to pay. The average
gate took in $500 a year. The
most profitable year was 1890.
when the tolls amounted to So@..
496. "As early as the year 1922,