The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-03-18
GheQntelIiQ

THE RAILROAD TO TIE NoRTHwEsT.-
We would direct the attention of city
readers to the letter Of a correspondent
elsewhere, who reOpens the discussion Of
the proposed railroad from this city north.
westwardly. he thinks Wheeling will
best-promote her interests by favoring a
line starting from point on the Central
Ohio, two miles from the river. He ar
gues that q road terminating on the Is.
land would not be success for Wheeling,
because freights would still have to be
draycd thence to the business part Of the
city; nor for the road, because it would be
only local road and would not pay; and
he is Of opinion that il built down to
Bridgeport, the management Of the road,
which Wheeling could not control, would
soon seek Eastern connections UtG the
BellairC bridge. Heargues that the $780,
600 which Wheeling proposes to give to
the Wheeling Creek route would not
secure the success Of o road on that route,
and if it would and the road were built,
it would go to Bellaire anyhow to effect
a crossing and secure through connec.
tions. He thinks Wheeling will be the
terminus Of any road crossing at Bellaire;
that there is no real rivalry of interests
between the two places; that the same
100000 would secure q road terminating
here on the route advocated by the Bell
afro people, and that therefore the efforts
Of this city ought to be directed to that
route
Theqe are the leading ideas Of our cor.
respondent, and he certainly urges them
with a good deal Of force. The promi.
nent idea expressed in the railroad meet
ing at the Court House, u couple OF
months ago, was that Wheeling and Bell
aire arc rivals for the terminus Of
this proposed railroad; that il the
road went to Bellaire, that city
would be tho terminus and would
deprive Wheeling Of its benefits. The
soundness of this proposition has been
generally accepted, though doubted by
some. 1t is tho turning point of tho con-
trovcrsy. If tho superior size and at.
tr0ctiycness Of Wheeling will bring busi.
ness past Bellairc and set 1t down here,
then Wheeling need have no lear in hay.
ing this road come through Bellairc. II
Bellalre could stop tho traffic Of the road
there, then Of course Wheeling could not
be expected to help bring it through that
place.
If our correspondents view is correct,
then the BGllaire route offers us the ad.
vantages Of bridge already built, where.
by trcights may be brought directly into
the business centre Of tho city, and two or
three miles Of road already made. The
want OF a bridge has been felt all along
to be the real lion in the way Of the pro-
ectcd road. If the people of this
city can be satisfied that they can use
he Bellaire bridge and still have the real
business terminus Of the road, It would
DC along step toward tho building Of
I. But the belief is so prevalent in |
he city that the road coming through
3ellaire would drop its business there, to
he great advantage of that place and i
'qual detriment of Wheeling, that we
'enture no more at present than to com. I
mend the opposite idea to the careful
consideration Of our citizens. We trust !
his feature of tho question will receive ]
heir careful scrutiny.