Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1922-09-22
Seneca AS A Summer Resort.

Is Seneca, Maryland, to become health
and pleasure resort Judging from its
many advantages do not see how it can
be otherwise. In the first place it has
many beautiful building sites. command
ing a wide range of vision. including the
Sugar Loaf and the Blue Ridge Mountains
Seneca Creek, which empties into the Po-
tomac River at this point. is navigable
about one mile and a safe harbor for
motor and other boats. The Potomac
River is nearly one mile wide here and
navigable for six or seven miles for motor
boats and is dotted with many beautiful
small and large islands. Bass, crappie,
Mississippi catfish and other members of
the finny tribe abound.
In a radious of half mile square are
80 or 40 springs of pure water, many
flowing from cracks in the rocks, indicat-
ing great purity and among the number
are several mineral springs the stronger
of which was discovered by Mr.. Worthing-
ton Tschiffely, who in repairing the damn
which operates his mill. opened up two
inch flow Of very cold water so thoroughly
impregnated with iron that water left in
vessels (even wooden buckets) turned
them dull yellow color. He has sent
sample to Washington for analysis. There
is another iron spring on the west end of
Mr.. Mossburg's farm. and Mr.. r. Norris,
when digging his well, ran into solid
body of low-grade iron ore which causes
the water to contain more or less iron in
1t and the ore may contain a fair per cent
of gold, as no assay has been made of it.
Mr.. Ollie Downs in digging his well di
covered that the water was highly favored
with sulphur. II is very evident to me,
having had many years of actual expert
ence in the mines of Colorado, that there
is large body of iron ore in this vicinity,
for there are iron groupings and indica-
tons of iron ore for at least half mile
square. After every heavy rain tons of
pure iron could be gathered from the side
drains of the county roads, It is commonly
called black sand. but is really iron. as
magnet thrust into it comes out loaded
with the ore.
One popularity about the land at Seneca
is that. it seems. the creek is the dividing
line of two entirely different tracts of
land. both in rock formations and shrub
berry, for while the west side has few
springs of very Indifferent water and the
residents have to sink wells as deep as 30
feet and the land is Of red sandstone for
nation and no chestnut trees have been
known to grow on that side The land on
the east side is composed Of granite gneiss
and white spar. There are innumerable
springs of the purest water and forests of
chestnut trees extend for miles.
Judging from what ! have seen, and
have no doubt more will be discovered,
Seneca bids fair to be on the map in very
big letters in the near future, and others
are seeing the possibilities of the place as
some parties have bought large tract of
land from Mr.. Mossburg and have sur
veyed and divided it into lots and streets
along the c. & o. Canal.
There are quite number of bungalows
built along the canal. river and creek and
Mr.. John Riley's fourteen row boats and
motor launch are kept busy for use Of
tourists and others during the summer and
fall
TIC. II.