Old Chain Bridge and Neartvy Virginia ΤΠΡίίΜΙΐί Ill ··. ^ <■ ^ '< > *< C *' Him η w·^—ι—Αι————mm·*»·—— ntt IIIIIM IIIMII iiiiiim miii —à— Civi/ If or rieit' o/ the defenses of the Chain Bridge. BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR. ways around the District, as well as publie property within the city itself, before and after does not h.3ve to go far outside Hills and the arrival of outside assistance, and, althougn cf the District of Columbia to fee Beautiful Rolling Delightful this statement Is known to be true, yet the some very beautiful seem ry. And remarks on the rubject made by Col. Charles at no time during the year are the P. Stcne, U. S. Α., will add to its support and farms and the undeveloped c:untry Scenery Have Alzvays Aroused Admiration weight. He Sôid: ONEmore attractive or picture: que in "They guarded the public buildings and tfie vicinity of Wcshingtcn than right now. property. They, at the same time, guarded the Knowing this to be th* case, the writer de- Visi bridger and roads g.ving entrance to the city, cided a few days a?o to t3ke a short run into of tors—History of Clay- Randolph holding a line of about 18 miles in length when nearby Virginia ta feast his eyes once again Washington was cut off from communication and on the inviting snd alluring landscape for with the rest of the country. They seized which this dear eld State is so noted, and some guarded tbe supply cf flour which made bread Bloodless Duel Remembered. and for the of whi.h can be «asily reached from here in a for the people of the District earliest arrival of outside oc- very short while. troops. They vi of McLttn wa-i the cupied the B:himore & Ohio Railroad between The lage objective point, last a a modern struc- elevation and more room for the ice will long while, though affording Junction and thus the writer hes an old friend, whom Washington and Annapolis for here ture should be built somewhere along the river and driftwood. opened the way for the arrival of friendly he does net often see, and silected this par- in this vicinity. "In 1872 Congress appropriated $100,000 for troops. They were the advance guard in the ticular day because it was as near Ideal as it rebuilding the Chain Bridge, from which appro- first movement into Virginia when Alexandria could posfibly be. was the work has been done." in 1874, when the present bridge priation was The route cut of was pACK captured." Washington through ^ first The Star a long de- An old atlas of 1878 shows that there were Georgetown and along the Csnal road to the opened, printed which historically, the bridge pre- then living, near the approach to the Chain Chain Bridge, cn old historic spot. Per though scription of it, a portion of which said: PERHAPS,ceded tb» present cne, was the most' noted Bridge, on the District side. Joseph Paine. Levi the present iron structure dater only from 1874, for the new selected by Gen. "The plan bridge of all. since it was here during the Civil War, Barnes and Joseph Biunden. and close to the yet no cne seems to know just how long there as best for this *^te is what Babcock adapted for a brief while during the early days of that Virginia end of the bridge. Ed Woody. has been a bridge at this place. We do know Truss.' It is known as the 'Murphy-Whipple struggk·, it was the only thir.g in this vicinity Across the road from the entrance to the that a wooden roofed-in stiucture was there as is divided into spans, two of 160 feet and eight that separated Union and Confederate soldiers driveway leading up to the Doak residence is early as 1797; that from natural decay It col- six of 172 feet each. The entire length is 1.352 who guarded it from either end. Soon, how- a little stream called Plummett Run, and near- in seven years, and that a new one was feet. The are and independent lapsed spans separate ever. when nearby Virginia fell into the hands by a sign which reads: erected soon after, which in six months was other, on cast-iron bridge seats, of each resting of the Northern troops, both ends were care- "Near here Henry Clay and John Randolph a freshet. anchored to stone copings; one end of swept away by securely fully guarded by Union soldiers. Port Marcy of Roanoke fought a duel April 8. 1826. Ran- There seems to have been a biidge here even each is fixed, and the other rests upon span being erected on the Virginia side, a little way dolph had called C:ay a 'blackleg' in a speech. to 1797. In 1791 we And the friction rollers for the expansion and prier Legislature provided up cm the Leesburg and Georgetown Turnpike, Both were unhurt, but Randolph's coat was the contraction of the iron. The trusses are 28 feet of Maryland incTporating Georgetown and Fort Ethan Allen a little way oil to tbe pierced by a bullet." 22 feet from center Bridge Co. for the purpose of erecting a toll in depth and placed apart south. Both forts being most naturally erected At the time this duel took place. Mr. Clay center. Each truss of 172 feet span is divided bridge at the Little Palls of the Potomac River to at strategic points, and for this same reason, was Secretary of State in the cabinet of John into 12 r.nd each truss of 160 feet into and four years later the same body gave this panels, it is quite probable that lookouts were placed Quincy Adams, in which also were serving 11 of feet each. The upper cords, company authority to construct a road frcm panels MVj on the high hill upon which stands the resi- such stalwarts as William Wirt and Richard main and intermediate posts, are formed of the bridge to Georgetown, which was to become dence of Secretary Doek. who has at the en- Rush, John C. Calhoun being the Vice Presi- Phoenix column iron, and the lower cords, main "a public highway forever and kept in repair trance of bis carriage-way a sign which reads: dent. It was right in the middle of the days intermediate ties of the the forged links, by :«id company." and "Doak when the code duello was the most popular without welds. The posts are fitted to cast- Because of the narrowness of the river at this Notre way of settling one's differences—quite fre- iron cape and seats, the bottoms of the former point, under n: rmal conditions, this has always Nid." quently bloodlesslj : occasionally, fatally. and the tops of the latter being truly turned been a favored pUce for a bridge, but, as demon- This, the writer at first thought, meant "no for that purpose. Turned wrought iron pins, for strated many times in the early days, not the vlsitorr," but later was told it was Spanish 3 Inches in diameter, lock in one connec- most The volume of water here is "our nest." which brings to mind the story of undoubtedly m man of rare logical. of columns and the tion the caps the diagonal at a quite deceptive because of the unusual depth of the Irishman who, after intently gazing RANDOLPH,talents, claimed he was a descendant of ties, also the bottom cords, the seats of the the the river, which is over 80 feet Immediately side-show picture of a mermaid, bearing Pocahontas, End was glad of it; and he evi- columns, the diagonal ties, and the floor beam "That's below the Little Falls and the current always name "Psyche," was heard to exclaim: dently was. for he seems to have Inherited the suspenders. The floor beams are 15-inch a devil of a way to spell fish!" warlike of some of the swift and treacherous. and the floor and spirit Virginia Indians. Phoenix rolled beams, joists within the the water often covers Not far from the bridge, District, Of him. his friend. Thomas H. writes: During heavy floods, are best North Carolina Benton, flooring of the pine, Kemble and Ver- one end of the were Batteries Martin Scott, "He was noted for his keen retorts, reckless the flats from the bridge to 3 inches thick and not over 6 inches wide, mont, with Port Gains a little to the rear, wit and skill in debate. His other, and during the Winter fleshets, when with edges sawed straight, laid close, and tall, slender, while on the Maryland side, not far from the cadaverous form; his shrill, piping voice; and the situation is aggrevated with enormous quan- securely spiked. There are no sidewalks, but an river, were Batteries Bailey and Alexander, and his- long, skinny at the tities of ics, the condition is all the more crit- iron railing 4 feet high is placed on either fingers pointing object Ports Mansfield, Davis, Cross, Kirby and Sum- of his invective—made him a ical. Many of us do not have to look back very side of the carriageway. The width of the conspicuous ner. speaker. For 30 years he was the far to recall occasions when at points of van- roadway is 20 feet, and the bridge is propor- 'political Gen. John G Barnard, in his report on the meteor of CongTesr.' " tage we watched the Ice In the river break up, tioned so as to safely carry, in addition to the defenses of Washington during the Civil War, At the time of the duel.