WILLIAMS. ! 



WASHINGTON TO CUMBERLAND. 



277 



Weverton, the axis or base of granite-gneiss, whose 

 cleavage dip (undoubtedly a secondary feature) is con- 

 stantly Inward the east. 



Beyond Harpers Ferry the railroad temporarily leaves 

 the river and crosses the broad Shenandoah Valley. 

 This is composed of the same Trenton-Chazy limestone 

 as the Frederick Valley, and is possessed of a like fer- 

 tility. Its continuation southward is the greal "Valley 

 of Virginia," notable for its caves (Luray and Wiers), its 

 "natural bridge," and for the fact thai it is just now the 

 scene of remarkable industrial activity and development, 

 by winch the richness of its natural resources is being 

 rapidly brought to light. 



At Martinsburg-, the largest place passed by the railroad 

 in this valley, there are shales of Hudson River age (III), 

 developed by a fold in the limestone. 



At North Mountain the greal valley is left tor another 

 intersection of a sandstone ridge, while to the north of 

 the next station, 



Cherry Run, there occurs a great fault by which rocks 

 of all the formations, from the Niagara (V) to the Ham- 

 ilton (VII I), inclusive, are brought successively in contact 

 with the Trenton-Chazy. 



Hancock is a town of some importance, situated at the 

 narrowest part of .Maryland, where the State is not overl 

 miles wide. It was formerly a prominent station of the 

 National turnpike; its chief industry now is the manu- 

 facture of cement from the Belderberg limestone (VI). 

 Here occurs one of the more abrupt anticlinal folds men- 

 tioned above, whereby the whole sequence of Upper Silu- 

 rian and Devonian formations is exposed on either side of 

 a wide compound arch (fig. 5). At the railway station 

 fOSSiliferOUS shales are exposed. 



Within the next 3 miles westward, Oriskany sandstone 

 (VI), Helderberg limestone (cement rock), and the red 



Salina sandstone hand at its base, are traversed. At 3 

 miles from the station the cement mills are situated, and 

 near them are some small folds of the Salina rock of re- 

 ma lkable perfect ion. The center of one of these was used 

 one hundred years ago as a blacksmith's forge, and it is 

 not ill-suited for this purpose. 



Between Hancock and Cumberland the road follows the 

 remarkable sinuosities of the river for 66 miles to aecom- 



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plish a distance which, in a direct line 



is onlv 32. 



Within 



