The Washington herald., 1920-11-07

duit road was met and a right turn
described.
The next turn. properly. should
have been right on to a dirt road
'Hry5, but we ovefrdn the marx and
proceeded 1t miles down the Con-
duit before learning our error. We
had not expected to begin enacting
the lost explorer role so near home,
but so IL happened, and so the value
of pathfinding again was brought
home to us.
Roads .Not So Much.-
The folk are too busy raising
bumper crops to pay much atten-
ton to good automobile highways
in this section, a fact we learned as
soon as We branched from the tar
surface of the Conduit. The filling
station and store of Potomac hove
in sight at Ia, and We began the ne
gotiauon of a way which may be
meat for the rangressor but SEEM
ed uncouth to a harmless Overland
and its ughly-breakfasted oc-
cupants.
At l5.3 the rarty encountered a
hill which would take the starch
out Of an army truck driver in wet
weather or a freeze. When Jack
Stowell remarked that winter was
coming on because the bluebirds
were 6ocking." his companions
breathed devout thanks that the au-
gury Of the feathered bipeds
wouldn't be consummated while we
were in the section. "Snowbound"
would have nothing on such auto
wayfarers as were trapped here in
dirty weather.
Pass Bells Mill.
Balls Mill. a tottering ruin which
ground out grist for many genera
tions of nearby farm-folk and now
lies mouldering into ruin was passed
at Ill. 1t derived its power from
Watch Branch which is spanned by
an iron bridge. Laboring along, we
crossed another bridge, at 1873 and
at 22.2 struck the Washington
Poolesville pike at Jamestown and
would have given three cheers had
there been anybody to hear them.
Across Seneca Creek and through
Jacksonville We took our way over
a road rough enough in truth but
seemingly satin-like after the pre-
ceding episode. Lawrence Allnut,
Jacksonville postmaster, and several
score Of Jacks other friends gave
us greeting and we were on toward
the ferry.
Soon we were running through
rich bottomlands, alluvial-surfaced
from deposits of river-overfiows and
at point near the Potomac deserted
our friend the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal sporting its silver sheets in
the sunshine.
Inspiration TO Wanderers.
That canals an inspiration to
wanderers from Washington in the
direction of Cumberland. Just when
contact with the hometown seems
utterly lost, the c. & o. beckons
through the trees. reminding one
that here is an unbreakable connect
ing-link with the Capital.
Across the canal, passing an an
cient storehouse from whose water
fronting side was swung a block and
tackle to- unload canal boats. we
dropped down to the Maryland bank
of the Potomac. The river at
whites Ferry Is considerably
broader than for some distance be-
low Chain Bridge. as wide, perhaps.
as the Three Sisters Rocks. The
Depth however. does not exceed ten
feet In normal stage and at extreme
low water. such as recently existed
from dearth of rainfall, six feet.
The ferryman. Charles Rawlin-
son, whose life seems dedicated to
marching up and down his scow,
pushing against the bottom with an
|iron-tipped pole from bow to stern
and dragging 1t back from stern to
bow, avails himself In high water
of an overhead cable arrangement
to prevent hfs craft from being
swept downstream. There was no
Tneed Of h during our passage, how
ever.
Car See Balls BlsG.
From midriver the prscipitous