The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-02-08
New Route for a Railroad from Pitts.
hnrt,h rhrnuVh West ViFRfnia.

burgh Through West virginia.
A E6mmEaiedlioa II he IittIburgh Commercial.
A short time stncsi = saw i'm a Pitts
burgh newspaper the published proceed
ingS of the Chamber Of Commerce Of your
civ, in reference TO the continuance Orthe
Pennsylvania Railroad up the Mononga'
hcla valley riI MorgantOwn, FairmOnt
and Grafton; thence through, over and
across the mountains, intcrseCttng the
Virginia and East Tennessee Railroad al,
think, Salem. Now the object Of this
communication Is to show that the above
route, after leaving FnirlnOnt, Is by no
means the proper one for railroad pur-
poses. As every one knows, Immediately
above Fair1uOnt is the confluence of two
very considerable rivers, and Of about the
SAME magnitude. The eastern route up
one Of these streams skirts along the spurs
Of the western ridge Of the Allegheny
mountains-tl other, running In n more
wcstcrnly direction, passes through nearly
the center Of the Great plateau OF the
trans. Allegheny III this State. Up this
West ForE;VaIlcy ria Clarksbrg, Weston
and Charleston Is undoubtedly the great
natural railroad route, connecting the
Pennsylvania and great northeastern
roads with the Kentucky and southwest.
crn roads, forming one grand chain OF
roads from New York and Boston TO New
Orleans and Mobile. Again, this route
would pierce the very garden Of West
Yirginia, rich beyond description, not on
" in lis agricultural resources but in Its
mineral wealth, and besides 1t would open
up M immense local trade with your
great iron city. ~. ".
These two routes are so entirely differ.
ent in point of road construction, local
traffic and final destination, that II seems
hardly possible doubt could arise in the
selection. The one after leaving Fair
mont would pass through a rugged,
sparsely sCstled Countryside Southern
portion atleast almost rs barren and unin-
viting through the sterile ranges Of noun
tains US the desert Of Sahara. The other
route from Fairlnont up the magnificent
West Fork Valley; thence on TO the
waters Of Elk River, crossing the Great
Kanawha at Charleston; thence by q
most excellent and comparatively level
way into Kentucky, there uniting with
tho great Southwestern roads. By q for
mer primitive survey of this latter route,
(thc report Of which, believe, Is now In
your city, this way up the West Fork
Valley WINS represented easy Of construc.
tion, and, l think, without q tunnel.
Again, this route leads all the way through
u rich and denscly populated country, and
! have no doubt but each and every coun-
ty along this Western line would sub.
scribe most literally to the work. They
certainly have the ability, and l doubt
not tho will. A move is now being made
on this line and the subject agitated, and
l hope those interested in your city anu
elsewhere will give the subject that con.
sideration It's magnitude and Importance
demands. .a ...,...g.. ,.,r.'. ln
In this communication have given you
truthful, reliable facts, having personally
Travelled over u considerable portion Of
this Eastern route, and often over the
Western am familiar with the tOpo.
graphy Of the country, and know TO GER
tainty of what l write. a am also some.
what familiar with the lbcalEty Of the city
Of Pittsburgh, and have no hCSitancy in
sayingrthat the completion Of this road
would be Of incalculable benefit to and
open now era for your city. ! trust you
win have the kindness Qn these days OF
railroads. 10 publish the above, aud excuse
the verbosity, as have not the happy FAC
ulty ofsaying nlultntp IL pdrrO. A: !. B,1,
CdtkSbEiy, W. "a, january IL, 1870. !,