656 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



No. 91 



The railroad leaves the head of Pratt street, in 

 Baltimore, and passes across the country for 9 

 niilas to the Patapsco. In this distance there is 

 much heavy work — excavations and emhank- 

 ments as much as from 40 lo 70 feet. In this part 

 of the route is the (Jarrolton viaduct, well worthy 

 of notice. It is built of hewn granite, consists of 

 two arches, one of 80 feet span across Gvvynn's 

 Falls, and a smaller one of 20 feet span for a road- 

 way. The whole length is 312 feet — from sur- 

 face of water to top of tiie parapet is 52 feet, and 

 the widtli between the parapets is 26 leet. The 

 eost of this viaduct was ^53,000. 



Afier striking the Patapsco, the railway follows 

 the valley of that river to its head, about 40 m-les 

 from Baltimore. For this distance it follows closely 

 the windinfTs of the river, and for nearlj' the whole 

 way constitutes a shelf along a precipitous hill- 

 Bide. It crosses the Patapsco once, about 15 miles 

 from town, by a stone bridge, 375 feet long, and 

 consisting of 4 arches, two of 54 feet span, and 

 two 21 feet. This bridge is a handsome structure 

 of unhewn granite of the best quality, an abun- 

 dance of which is found in the vicinity. A small 

 quantity of granite was carried from {his place to 

 Washington, for the new Treasury buildings; but 

 much the larger portion of the granite tor that 

 immense pile came from James River. These 40 

 miles are a continued series of curves, and curves 

 loo of small radius ; some of the curves having a 

 radius of only 395 feet. The evil of bold curva- 

 ture in a railroad was not so well understood 

 when this road was built. The company is now 

 actively engaged in altering their location in many 

 places, and grading a new way in order to avoid 

 some of their worst curves. In one place they 

 will have to cross and recross the Patapsco, mak- 

 ing two expensive bridges. 



From the head of the Patapsco to the head of 

 Bush creek, a tributary of the Monocacy, a dis- 

 tance of lour miles is occupied in crossing Parr's 

 Ridge. This is the dividing ridge between the 

 waters of the Patapsco and thuse ofihe Potomac, 

 and is 813 leet above mid-tide, at Baltimore. It 

 is ascended by two inclined planes, the first 2150 

 feet long and "80 feet high, the second 3000 feet 

 long and 100 feet high. On the top there is a level 

 600 leet in length, intended lor the location of the 

 machinery for working the planes. On the oppo- 

 site side, the road in like manner descends from 

 this ridge by two inchned planes, the first being 

 3200 feel long and 160 feet liigh, the second 1900 

 feet long and 81 leet high. These planes are at 

 present worked by horse-power, and are an annual 

 expense of ^25,000 to the company. The day 1 

 crossed this ridge, each coach, (and there were 3 

 coaches of the largest class,) was drawn by 6 

 white horses. These planes might have been 

 avoided by grades of 80 feet to the mile, and I am 

 glad to see that the company is now engaged in 

 making that alteration. The planes are airstraight. 

 From the western foot of Parr's ridge, the raad 

 follows down the valley of Bush Creek, to near 

 its junction with the Monocacy. It then crosses 

 this stream, and after running down its valley a 

 mile or two, strikes across the country to the 

 Point of Rocks, on the Potomac. This portion 

 of the road has less bold curvature than any other, 

 though there is no part of it where the curves are 

 not very objectionable. The Monocacy is crossed 

 by a bridge 350 feet long, of 3 spaniB 110 feet each. 



The piers and abutments are of stone, but the 

 superstructure of wood. After crossing the Mono- 

 cacy, there is a branch to Frederickiovvn, 3 miles 

 long. From the Point of Rocks to Harper's Fer- 

 ry, as I mentioned before, the railroad runs up the 

 valley of the Potomac, along side of the canal. 

 At Harper's Ferry it connects by a bridge with 

 the Wmchester road, penetrating 32 miles up the 

 finest valley of Virginia. This bridge consists of 

 stone piers and wooden superstructure, on the 

 plan of the celebrated Schaffhausen bridge. It 

 consists of 6 spans of 140 feet each. It is now 

 much out of order and considered unsafe for loco- 

 motives. The Winchester road leaves Harper's 

 Ferry on trestle work, which is planked over, and 

 forms by moonlight one of the most beautiful pro- 

 menades I ever saw, running immediately up the 

 middle of the Shenandoah valley, with high 

 mountains towering on either hand. 



The valley of the Patapsco furnishes scenery 

 singularly wild and interesting, and the ravine of 

 Bush Creek not much less so, with which the rich 

 and highly cultivated country, through which the 

 road passes from the Monocacy to the Potomac, 

 furnishes a striking and beautiful contrast. So 

 that there are few roads on which you can travel 

 the same distance with such delightful scenery. 

 From Baltimore to Harper's Ferry, the road is 81 

 miles lonir, and has cost about S28,000 per mile. 

 The grades on this road, with a few exceptions, 

 are less than 30 feet to the niile. 



From Baltimore for 58 miles there are two 

 tracks laid; for the remaining distance, only one 

 has been yet put down. One of the tracks for 30 

 miles consists of iron plates 2J by f inches on 

 stone rails; all the rest consists of wooden sills, 

 bedded every four leet on broken stone. Into these 

 sills is keyed a rail 6 inches square, and on the rail 

 a plate 2^ by f inches. The stone and iron track 

 is used as little as possible ; much of the iron has 

 been taken up, and cross ties of wood put on the 

 stone. In a ihw days they will begin lo put new 

 superstructure throughout, on a plan which will be 

 both strong and lasting. They will make their 

 road-bed in the first place of broken stone; on this 

 will be bedded longitudinal string-pieces, on which 

 will be put cross-ties every 3 feet. These ties 

 will support a T rail, weighing 41 to 45 lbs. per 

 yard. It is a source of no small degree of plea- 

 sure and admiration, to see a company that has 

 expended such large amounts of money uselessly, 

 and worse than uselessly, still pushing boldly on, 

 gathering experience from its errors, arid prosecut- 

 ing its noble undertaking with an enterprise and 

 energy that must ensure success. The company 

 manufactures its own engines and cars, and has 

 very extensive workshops in Baltimore. The 

 company has my best wishes; it has done much 

 for the cause of internal improvement, and has 

 uniformly exhibited a degree of liberality and en- 

 terprise not often met with. 



From the Practical Farmer. 

 CLEANING NEAT CATTLE. 



The following we translated, and we would in- 

 vite the attention of farmers to the subject. Our 

 German correspondent is the right kind of a man. 



