Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-09-03

= I7III t.Il -'IIIIII1a ~ I7lVI.I
The West Pennsylvania Railsoad-
The Narrow Guage from Phila-
delphia TO Cleveland.
ORPEUS c. KERR

I 1Ae w SSJ E6uuSylVdQla hdllSOuu-
The Narrow GUage from Phila-
delphia TO Cleveland.
\ main feature in the original plan ol
the Northwestern and Cleveland and Ma,
honing Railroad Companies, was the adop-
ton OF the narrow guage, whereby tran
shipment might be avoided between
/ Cleveland and tide-water at Philadelphia,
New York and Baltimore being also ac-
! cessible over narrow guage roads, diyerg-
ling from the Pennsylvania Railroad at
/ Harrisburg.
| At Cleveland, u connection with the To
ledo road carried the narrow guage along
| the shore of Lake Erie and into the
northwest. But endorsements overlook
the Northwestern Railroad Company be-
fore any portion of their road was opened,
tho not till after very much work had
been done on its eastern division between
Eastport and Blairsville, So miles. From
Cleveland towards Newcastle, the eastern
terminus of the Cleveland and Mahoning
Railroad. G7 miles of load were built and
put in successful operation.
And now. the North Western Railroad
Company having collapsed, and the West
Pennsylvania L. L. Co. become its sue
cessor, the inquiry is pertinent-Will the
original plan for the extension of the
narrow guage to Cleveland, be carried
out t?-Or will the West PENNSYLVANIA
Railroad be finished only to Freeport or
Butler, and will the Cleveland and Ma
honing Railroad adhere to the narrow
guage programme Or will q third rail
Ge laid down on its track and its influ-
ences and efforts become identified with
the interests of the Atlantic and Great
Western Railroad Company, whose wide
guace road will. it is said, intersect their
line at Braceville, 4G miles from Cleve-
land?
Clearly the interests associated with
the operation of narrow guage roads,
whose owners should desire the carrying
out of the original narrow guage plan,
are preponderant over those whose pros
meets lie within the bounds of wide guage
influences; get it must be confessed that
the activity and strategy of wide guage
parties are points in their favor, as in CON
trast with the weaker merits of their
side ut the same time, we are unwill-
ing to believe that the influence of Cleye-
land will be turned aside from an orig
inal scheme which may still be compass
eel, and which, when consummated, will
place Cleveland in as friendly communi- I.
cation with Philadelphia, Baltimore and
via Youngstown, Newcastle
and Butler, a. she now enjoys via the
Lake Shore, Dunkirk and Buffalo. with /
New York and Boston.
Chicago has an outlet east over
a road th%t cO-opeTates with road
leading To Philadelphia, as well as over
roads leading TO New York and Boston. I
And so should Cleveland hay9 an outlet /
east over line Independent of the in
luence which controls either one of the I
routes to New York for in that way. and
not otherwise, will Cleveland, like Chica-
90, enjoy communication with the differ
mt sea-ports over Independent routes.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company
having recently become the purchaser of
majority Of the capital shares of the
West Pennsylvania Railroad COMPANY
Iere are no bonds-the work of recon-
truction viii soon be resumed: and at an
,arly day the Western Pennsylvania Rail-
'oad will be completed and opened TO
Ereeport, where it will connect with the
Valley Railroad, thirty miles
rom Pittsburg and fourteen miles from {
Kittaning. Then the Western Pennsyl- !
-ania Railroad will have an existence, I
md q narrow gauge route will be in use:
rom Philadelphia 10 Freeport.......-.S937 miles.
Narrow gauge now in use, Cleveland 10
-oungStown mlle-. Z
Taking between PHILADELPHIA and Cleve- {
5d lPd .tSSce IL from Frseport to Yoanss miles,
5TI instance .. ....72 miles
,arrow gauge distance from Philadel-