Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-12-23
Latest Move on tie Railfoad
Chess Board What Next2

NANpDS Oval IT. W n1L 4N5AbI
4 4sst From the Cincinnati GazeHo,l "a
I That the officers and manager
: Of The Pennsylvania Railway Com
,1pauy are far-seeipg and sngacioui
! ! men can admit Of no questions
For q year or two past that grea
corporation has been making Fapit
I strides in the march OF conquest
whioh have both astonished .ant
bewildered her adversaries. Dur
ing that brief period she has ex
tended her long feeders right into
the heart Of the almost illimitablt
T West. Starting from PittsbuFg.
; her tributary lines diyerge, and
have already reached Chicago or
Lake Michigan and stLouis on the
Mississippi. .r. e a@al To .
Bat herlatest strike for surprem-
acy has been made nearer home,
and IS Of greater interest to US here
4 in Cincinnati. For some months
pastit has been whispered in rail.
way circles that the Pennsylvania
! Central had her eye on the C., W.
d. u Railroad. Her designs were
conBealed, as far rs possible, from
the public view; her only anticipa-
ted competitor in the purchase be-
! ing lulled into false security by
promises of a continued running
connection, and perhaps, ultimate
Ily,a permanent lease on the same
terms as that Of the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne d Chicago. Fosz7ssA i5.lIe.3 f.
All was now plain sailing. AS a
preliminary step, the Pennsylvania
Central purchased majorityin in
terest of the first mortgage bonds
Of The GAINESVILLE road, amounting
in all to 100000, with accrued in
terest, say 100000 more. She
then foreclosed under the mort
gage, and pressed the road TO sale.
! IOn Wednesday, Dec, /, il was
struck off at 1.-THE minimum price
prescribed by the Court and was
purchased by the only bidder,
Thomas L, Jewett, ESD, in behalf
ofthe Pennsylvania Central Railway
Company, for the sum of $1,000
900; or o trifle less than $1,000 per
mile! The construction and equip
ment account. at the close of the
year 1868, amounted to So, 1863, ,361 /;
so that the price paid was about
one-third its original cost Mr..
Jewett truthfully remarked in his
speech the, day after the sale, that
''the Company had purchased the
road cheapls and could operate it
lproftably.nra z 5.ialpl ~.
Let us now ncefor moment at
the situation andiwe shall see the
great value oftthis acquisition of
the Pennsylvania Central. = 143'
IF the reaaer will spread before
him a copy of Appleton's Railway
Map, he willasee that the O., VIZ
r, r. extends from Morrow on the
Little Miami R. r. to GAINESVILLE on
the Muskingum river, q distance Of
1872 miles. 1t passes through the
rich corn belt Of Ohio, and dhas on.
its line the tlourishipg towns of
Wilmington, Washington, Circle
Vile and Laneaster,a besides other
smaller villages and its important
termini, GAINESVILLE and Morrow
Having no eastern outlet or con-
nection, it has been operatedias a
local road, and for this reason has
never been able to- earn expenses
and interest on its bonds; hence
the recent foreclosure and sale. But
under the new management it must
soon become an important link i'll
the great through line between
Philadelphia, Cincinnati and the
Southwest. Referring again to the
map, the reader will see that to
connect this with the Pan Handle
road, at Dresden, will REQUIRE the
construction of only about twelve
miles of new road, from GAINESVILLE
to a point near Dresden. This
done, and the Pepnsyl Uania Central
will have an independent through
line from Philadelphia to Morrow,
which is only thirty. six miles from
this citys But viii she, can she,
stop atMorrow? We shall soon
see. hnrj1f53H H2Irs faH
A significant fact in this oonnec-
ton is seen in the brisk demandf for,
and rapid advance in, the stock of
the Little Miami during the last
few weeks. There would seem to
be nothing in the present or pros
pective business of that road to
Justify present quotations. But
may it not be accounted for on
another theory? r }I gr.l
The stock of the Little Miami
Company amounts to $500, 900;
of course S1,751,000 would give
control. Now, how can the Penn
svlvania Central get into the city
and thus complete herinde pendent
line, so cheaply as by buying aeon
trolling interest in the Little Miami ?
Even though the road, north and
east of Morrow, should be restrict
ed to a local tratie, as it now is be-
tween Xenia and SPRINGFIELD, she
could well afford to pay the price
named for the use of the thirty-siX
miles from Morrow down.
But there is another railroad pro
ieet looming into view, which may
complicate matters still further,ahd
tend to disturb long existing rela-
tons furtEer north; we allude to
the proposed read from Columbus,
through Washington, Fayette coun-
tv, to a point on the Ohio river op-
-. - NF..-a,,;1Io TTo1E,obv I'll