Wm. D. Wood Walks from Mainland to Chincoteague

What has been for two years promises and expectations, is now an assured fact. Sunday afternoon, October 1st, at seven minutes to five, your correspondent stepped across the surveyor's line at the end of W. H. Hickman's road and walked the entire distance to Chincoteague Island, a distance of four miles and sixty-four hundredths, stepping on the land of Chincoteague Island at six minutes to six, an elapsed time of sixty one minutes, thus making the first record of a trip from the main land to the Island on foot. I was entertained by Captain Jack Whealton at supper at the Russell House, a very neat and home like hotel with a splendid table service. After supper Captain Whealton took me for an auto ride up and down and across the Island and I was very pleasantly surprised. Several months ago I wrote an article in verse setting forth the condition of the road at that time and the possibilities of the Island. My claims for the Island were based on information secured from others as I had never been on the island. My visit convinced me that I could have made my claims much stronger and still remained within the bounds of truthfulness.

The several churches are larger and finer than I had expected to find them. The two banks are large and up to date in equipment. The new High School building is the equal of any of our larger city schools. The new stone church structure now nearing completion will be a thing of beauty and quality and would be a credit to a town of far greater size. There are two hotels, the Russell House above referred to and the Atlantic Hotel, the later I did not have the pleasure of inspecting but it is well spoken of by many of its patrons. The fish and oyster business is of far greater importance than anyone not acquainted with the Island would think and it still has much larger possibilities of enlargement. There are also hundreds of acres of land that only await reclaiming, to be developed into fine truck farms and market gardens that would supply the entire Island and also furnish a large amount for shipping. I was introduced to several very fine people and had a very pleasant conversation with them. I also saw many evidences of enterprise and hustle that predict a much larger and more prosperous future for Chincoteague Island when they realize the opportunities that the new road will bring to them.

There has been no enterprise in the history of the Eastern Shore that has created as much interest as the building of the system of road and bridges from the main land to the Island. Automobiles loaded with visitors from Cape Charles to Salisbury and some from Baltimore and Philadelphia have been down to take a look at it, but only the uncompleted end can be seen from this side. With the exception of painting the iron work and laying the flooring on the steel structure over the channel of Queen Sound, the six bridges are now finished and ready for use. From Black Narrows to Weir Creek, the shells have been dirted, the road graded and rounded up and is now in as fine shape as any turn pike. The mud machine and several crews of graders will start dirting and grading and putting the finishing touches on this end of the road this week, and it is expected that the road will be in shape to throw open to the public in November. If it were necessary to do so the road could be put into use within a few days but this would be hard on auto tires and the traffic would interfere with finishing the work that remains to be done.