23 L 32 3 
Kittle Back Barve, beginning by those whicb lead from the valley of 
Savage river, to that of Deep creek. But, in the first place, it is ne- 
cessary to state, that a base-mark has been fixed on the bridi^e of 
Deer creek, three feet above its bottom: to this have been referred all 
the levels taken on this section of the canal. 
Monroe run, a tributary of Savage river, and Meadow mountain 
run, a tributary of Deep creek, offer the only ravines through which 
Deep creek, and Savage river, can be connected. For this purpose, 
it will be necessary to run a tunnel through the little Back Bone.— 
Supposing its bed on a level with the base-mark, and a deep cut of 
thirty-five feet at each extremity of it, this tunnel would extend fiv» 
miles, 83S| yards, in length. The greatest elevation of the ridge, 
above the bed of the tunnel, would be 213 feet. Fiom its eastern 
extremity to the mouth of Monroe run, in Savage river, the descent 
is 983 feet, on a length of five miles 8l6| yards. From the mouth 
of Monroe run, to that of Crabtree creek, in Savage river, the descent 
is 109 feet, on a length of two miles, 2l6| yards From the mouth 
of Crabtree creek, to that of Savage river, itself, in the Potomac, 
the descent is 340 feet, on a length of five and a half miles The level 
of the mouth of Savage river lies, of course, 1 ,432 feet below the base- 
mark, and at a distance of twenty- one miles 327 yards from it, as- 
cending the ravines of Savage river, and Monroe run, and descend- 
ing those of Meadow mountain run, and Deep creek. 
Meadow Mountain Run flows through glades, but Monroe Run 
falls down a ravine, whose upper portion is very steep and narrow; 
it widens, however, as it descends, ai.d presents a succession of hlufTs 
and flats, which extends to twenty-five yards in breadth, the bluflfs 
hang perpendicularly over the stream. At the mouth of Monroe Run, 
Savage river is only thirty -three yards wide, and a dam might easily 
be thrown across to form a reservoir. 
This passage is the only one which leads from the valley of Savage 
river to that of Deep Creek. 
We shall now examine tliose which connect the valley of Crabtree 
Creek and Deep Creek. 
The fii'st lies between the middle fork of Crabtree creek and the Mea- 
dow mountain Run, and would require a tunnel running under the Little 
Backbone and Hooppole Ridge. Supposing its bed on a level witli the 
base mark, and an open cut to the depth of thirty-five feet through the 
height, the tunnel would extend three miles 1,333A yards in length. 
From its eastern extremity to Crabtree Creek, in following the wind- 
ings of the middle fork, the descent is 1,012 feet, on a distance of six 
miles 1,3331 yards, and from tlie mouth of the middle fork to the 
mouth of Savage River in the Potomac, the descent is 420 feet, on a 
distance of six miles 685 yards. The height of the ridge above the 
bed of the tunnel would be 210 feet; and tlie ravine of middle fork 
differs little from that of Monroe Run; its general breadtli is about 
twenty-seven yards, and its banks arc rugged. The wliole distance 
from the base mark to the mouth of Savage River would be, by this 
passage, nineteen miles 915 yards. 
