The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-08-26

the honored guests, which included
the President of the United States
and his cabinet, the representatives
of foreign governments, and other
high officials. The procession, at
tended by companies of militia, the
Marine band, and other bands of mu-
sic, marched to the Potomac and en-
barked on a steamboat. Disembark-
ing, the company marched to canal
boats lying in the old canal Of the
Patowm: tx Co.
The inspired reporter of the Ma
tional Intelligencer wrote: "All ma
ture seemed to smile upon the scene.
The senses of the company were re-
called by scene at once novel and
really enchanting. The music of
Moore's sweet song, "The Meeting of
the Waters" poured its melody on the
ear, so as to suspend the labor of the
boatmen and charm to silence every
voice."
Elaborate arrangements were made
| for the ceremony of breaking the
ground. The spot chosen was near a
powder magazine at the head of Little
Falls. Two companies of rifemen sa-
luted the arrival of President Adams.
| Mr.. Mercer, president of the COM
pany, handed Mr.. Adams the spade
The President pushed it into the
ground, but the spade struck root.
Mr.. Adams tried again with no better
success; so he threw down the spade,
stripped off his coat and went
seriously to work. The multitude
cheered and gave loud and unanimous
| applause. The canal was completed
in Cumberland % years afterward, in
| October, 1850.
| b. & 0. Outgrowth of Canal.
| Baltimoreans had no interest in
the Chesapeake & Ohio canal. They
had expended large sums of money on
public roads to obtain the trade which
the canal would deprive them of. The
| business men of Baltimore gathered
at the homes of George Brown and
Philip E. Thomas to discuss transport
tation. They organized the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad Co. Plans were
made that when ground should be
| broken for the Chesapeake & Ohio
canal near Washington the corner
stone of Americas first railroad
should be laid in Baltimore
July 4, 1928, simultaneously with
President Adams turning the first
| spadeful of earth for the Chesapeake
& Ohio canal, Charles Carroll, of
| Carrollton, the only surviving signer
of the Declaration of independence,
lifted the first spadeful of earth for
the laying of the corner stone of the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad. When the
venerable patriot pushed the spade
into the ground, he remarked; 81
consider this among the most impor-
tant acts of my life, second only to
my signing the Declaration of indie
pendence, if even it be second to
that"
Wooden Rails First Used
The name of Baltimore & Ohio was
chosen because the intention of its
founders was to push construction
from Baltimore to the Ohio river,
thus uniting Chesapeake bay with the
great tributary of the Mississippi.
Wooden rails were first adopted, and
horses were first used for hauling
coaches over the rails. At one time
the company experimental with a car
which was carried before the wind by
means of mast and sail. Peter Coop
err, of New York, finally solved the
problem by his little engine, Tom
Thumb. By December 1, 1881, steam
drawn trains were in operation to
J Frederick, Md. The idea of convey
ing passengers was an afterthought.
1t was the freight traffic which the
Chesapeake & Ohio canal would draw,
from Baltimore that caused Balti-
moreans to build the Baltimore &
Ohio railroad, and so the history of
the Chesapeake & Ohio canal and its
rival for Western trade, the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad, is told at the
same time.
! The canal was wrecked by the
freshet of 1889. The company could
do nothing to put it in repair, and
matters were taken to court The
court decided to issue a decree for
the sale of the canal. Politicians in
terested in the West Virginia Central
railway made an effort, through an
act passed by the Maryland legisla-
ture, to sell this valuable property,
worth millions, to that company for
about 100000. The decree issued
by the court in 1890, providing for
the sale of the canal, provided also
that the sale should be stopped on
condition that the trustees make the
needed repairs by May 1, 1891, and
operate it as public waterway. 1t
was repaired and traffic resumed I'M
til the spring of 1924, when it was
badly damaged by the two floods that
l.