Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-09-03

II ANAAA
England to make careful and minute obssrv
ations in regard to the condition and pros
poets Of this great, perhaps We ought rsthel
to say, this greatest Of railway lines. Tn.
Review says:
"With reference to the Atlantic & Greai
Western Railway, Mr.. sstterthwaite's eireu.
lar contains the following, which has been
received from gentleman who recently pro-
ceedsd to america to inspect some of the
leading railroads ia the Northern States =
CHICAGO, July IS, 1868.
Since last wrote have been continual
| ly on the move. I have been over the Erie,
the Atlantic & Great Western, and all through
the oil regions, arriving here last night By
the Michigan Southern from Toledo. l have
seen great deal, but nothing has struck me
so much as the Oil Creek The district is
most remarkable, and the amount Of oil
pumped and flowing naturally is perfectly
astounding. The supply shows no signs Of
diminution On the contrary, every day
fresh springs are being discovered. The
wells ara situated en- the border Of the stream,
and one of the Oldest is in the very center Of
the river or creek. The Sherman well flows
at the rate Of 2, 600 to 5000 barrels day, Of
40 gallons per barrel. The oil is worth 81
per barrel, and the average run is considered
worth SIC, 900 per diem. $500, 900 have been
refused for this we'll. The oil is found from
100 20 500 feet below the surface, lying under
the hardest of rocks. It is bored for at the
rate Of some two feet per day, and when
found either requires a small steam engine to
pumpit, or it flows naturally through 1-ineh
pipe inserted in the bore. Up to the present
time no good reason has been given to ac-
count for its existence. UDquestionably it
viii, fer very long time to come, form a very
large item Of traffic both for the Erie, and
Atlantic and Great Western. I could write
pages about it, but must defer describing
more fully until we meet. The Atlantic and
Great Western, unless 7 am much mistaken,
is destined to be the road of the country. It
is constructed in very superior manner,
aud all its appointments are good. The
engines are, without exception, the finest
1 have seen, and all are constructed on
one plan, so that any part of one will st
another; the carriages are very roOmy, and
most comfortably fitted. The actual state of
the line is as follows: From Salamanca to
Msadvilie, l0l miles, it is balIasted and in
perfect order but it is Mr.. Kennard's s inten-
tiOn, as soon as the whole line is open, to |
make improvements all over the road, such |
as substituting stone for wood as bridge sup |
ports, and re- bslIasting when the road has |
become thoroughly settled. From Meadville |
to Akron, 80 miles, the line is being ballast |
ed, there being some thirty days work to |
complete it. The road notwithstanding is |
very smooth. From Akron to Gallon and |
Urbana, the line is in progress, and Mr.. Ken |
nard anticipates it will be completed BY 0c- |
tOber, SO that trains are likely to run in n D /
vsm5er through to Cincinnati and St. Louis. /
By contract with the Cincinnati, Hamilton, |
and Dayton, and Little Miami Railways an |
independent broad gauge line is secured from
Dayton to Cincinnati. As a temporary /
measure rails are to be laid on each side of /
the existing rails on these lines, in order /
that the Atlantic cars can run through. By |
thisp plan the narrow gauge engines can be /
used, until the Atlantic and Great Western |
get theirs completed Ultimately q
separate road is to be constructed |
by the two lines mentioned, so that /
the Atlantic and Great Western will have /
actually a through course Of their own
Mr.. Kennard has made an agreement by /
which the traffic to Cleveland and the Norta- /
West of Chicago is secured. This is by a
lease of the Mahoning road for ninety-nine |
years.
MeadvilIs is to be the chief station on the
line. The Offices Of the company are to be |
there. The station itself is a fine wooden
building with an hotel adjoining, and every |
for the through passage. It is
to be the dining place, a very important one
in / $50 miles journey. The dining room
is one hundred and sixty feet long. Work
shops, engine sheds, car houses clerks aud
laborers' cottages are being erected, and will,
with the station, cover some sixty acres.
Labor has been the great difficulty Mr.. Ken
laTd had to contend with even now men
are leaving, who have only lately come on
the works from Canada. The fact that farm
srs just now offer fifty esnts to one dol
lar per day more than the railway
unssttles men so much that they
cannot be kept steadily at work. As regards
the present traffic, have ascerLained the To-
cal now far exceeds what was anticipated it
will probably amount to some 40 900 dolls. per
week, including the oil traffic. The estimate
for the through freight traffic is 100 cars a
day from Cleveland, at dolls. 40c,; so from
Gallon and CresIine Ia railroad jungti0n), at
80 dolls and 100 from Cincinnati, at 65 dolls
The through passenger about 5000 dolls,
and cattle 2.00O The oil trafie on the At
antic and Great Western is immense, but
nothing to what it should be, there is 60 much |
difficulty in getting cars back from the Erie
road. Last month 81, 900 barrels were car
ried on the Titusville branch to Cory, but
some IA, 900 went to Erie by the Philadelphia
and Erie Road, owing to the Atlantic and
Great Western being short of cars.