Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1953-03-26

This is the goth of a series Of |
articles dealing with spots of local
color and beauty, generally I'M
known and unappreciated -.
GREAT FALLS
Try to imagine 500 millions of
years ago. If you can't-you
haven't the imagination of geo.
iogist. For geology clearly claims
that this astronomical figure is
the time that the earth was born
and or that token, the gorge
we know today as Great Falls,
came into being. Here may be
seen flowing tidewater-ward (and
if you disbelieve me, go there and
see for yourself) two separate
streams, side by side, yet at two
separate and distinct levels, kept
apart by towering rock cliffs and
other precipitous slopes. The
variance in height of the CLOVER"
river and the highest water is 166
feet. This is to my way of think
ing, an astonishing phenomenon.
Here are two large streams, and if
you actually didn't know how very
close they were to each other, you
would think they were two separ-
ate waterways.
The high land directly north of
the four mile lineal length of the
Falls waters, which is rolling,
fertile, farm land, aeons ago was
completely inundated for as far
as seven miles inland. Biologists
have discovered water-eroded
rocks over vast area, miles from
a stream of any kind; unopened
clam and oyster shells found in
this area are immutable evidence
of the existence at one time of
large body of salt water.
1t is amazing as you go along
the newly constructed board walk
and foot path leading to the Falls,
to observe the torrential cataracts
all at one high level, while, river
ward, you can hear the dull boom
of the main Falls down deep in
cataclysmic, seemingly bottomless
pit; this unique, terraqueous area
is truly fascinating one. If you
would like to see frothy white
fOaming, roAing, mile-a-minute
water, you must see Great Falls.
I can't begin to describe its superb
grandeur, its loneliness, its lofty
independence of spirit.
The almost grotesquely twisted
mass of metalliferous, as we'll as
gold-bearing rocks over which this
miniature Niagara tumbles, was
once a part of gigantic mountain
range which today has been cut
down to average plateau size by
the winds and rains and storms
of the ages.
Spectacular Great Falls almost
perpendicular drop at spots, con-
formed to the land which lay di-
rectly north, the land through
which the Chesapeake & Ohio
Canal was to be cut. The peeu-
liar nature of the terrain, con.
founded the engineers, because of
the difficulty of attaining a level
for the boats which were to oper-
ate on the canal. The engineers
went into a huddle with one
George Washington, the head sur
veyor, and it was decided, after
careful elaboration, to build not |
one lock, but series of locks, each |
at different, varying level. Sub
sequently, five locks were con-
structed, and the difficult problem
was solved. At no further point |
along the canal was such a serious
engineering problem encounted.
1ncidently, it is not generally
known, but at one time, it was
thought quite feasible to make
the Potomac River navigabIe as
far west as Cumberland. Wash
ington, with a party of surveyors,
embarked in a large canoe" at |
the mouth of the Shenandoah |
River at Harpers Ferry, West Vir-
ginia, to check depth Of water, the
amount and size of falls, and the
possibility of finding a clean, rock
channel leading down-river to
Great Falls. The trip was I'M
eventful, engineering and survey
ing notes were taken all the way
to Great Falls, from which point,
of course, the river was unnavig-
\ able. Washington thought well of
the plan for long time and actual
digging of canal on the Virginia
side opposite Great Falls, got |
under way. Progress was being
made for a time, but serious OBJ
jections to the project were made
by other engineers that the river
would be impossible of navigation
in the fall when the water was
low; they had no sure-fire way
to dynamite underwater rocks
which would have fouled up boat.
and there was the varying slow and
swift current to contend with.
The project was abandoned about
the year 1885, and never revived.
Incidently, George Washington
owned and operated grey iron
foundry on the Virginia side Of
the Falls. Parts of the old cupola,
and several of the moulding room
N