The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-12-06
GheGntelti1ape
THE PROJECTED RAILROAD.
The Wheeling Creek and Short
Creek ROutes Compared.

uCll III luC lNIkLLlbENCElt Vi SuluTuhy
think it is still exceedingly doubtful
whether the Wheeling Creek route tc
the Northwest q is "the way we long
have sought'-Rnd whether we have
more cause to mourn because we'd found
ii not than we may have for creating
the impression that In That route we hdut
found it. Let us examine the two routes;
THE WHEELING CREEK ROUTE.
Starting west from Bridgeport, we have,
rs per the report of Mr., BliCkensderier
eighteen bridges and at least four tunnels
before you leave Wheeling Creek, and the
most judiCious location in order to reduce
distance and diminish curvature will re-
quirc five tunnels, as follows: One OF
1000 feet at Grimes, one of 1000 feet at
Adams, one of 1900 feet ut Patton's, and
two of $50 to $50 feet each at Hardesty's.
The bridges, he says, will vary in length
from so TO l40 feet. Take the mean Of
these extremes-say eighteen bridges OF
ITO feet each-And you have on Wheeling
Creek 1890 feet Of bridges and $500 feet
Of tunnels. We now, with the aid Of four
tunnels and eighteen bridges, are eigh.
teen miles from the Suspension Bridge,
and are ready to climb, cut and tunnel
our way westward. Within the next six
and onG.half miles, we have an approach
or cut 300 feet, then tunnel Of 900
feet, then a cut Of 300 leot-in all, of cut
and tunnel, 1900 feet. Next we have a
cut 200 feet and As feet extreme depth,
four bridges from 100 to l40 feet long
each, on saltwater, with other bridges on
Crabapple and BIushy Fork, less ire.
Quently and lighter than Wheeling Creek.
Suppose that "less frequently" means 0, or
onG.haf us many as Wheeling Creek, and
Fighter" means only 90 feet span for
each; we then have 81 bridges Of 3,050
feet span; 5,400 feet Of tunnel, and 4,200
feet OF cut and approaches, to say moth
Ing, rs Mr.. BlckGnsderler has, of the 10
cuts or approaches to the five tunnels on
Wheeling Greek. Thus, with ct miles Of
cuts, bridges and tunnels, We find our.
selves at DennisOn, to be switched on
with Cleveland and Marietta railroad,
owned and managed by Cleveland men
The only things ION paper" Of the
branch OF the road from Cleveland to
Marietta, arc tho above named Obsta.
ClCs But these are not the only obstacles.
Not even a charter has been obtained,
unless, indeed, we call that charter
which was filed with the Secretary of
State February /, 1871, signed by four or
our townsmen, j, N. Vance, Henry X.
List, John Mcclure and 7. Sweeney, for II
road nominally to Toledo, with its eastern
terminus. in Bridgeport, But the paper
does not appear TO have been aCknowl.
edged before any officer by some Of the
parties signing 1t, and tho county OF
Jefferson appears on lis face with lines
drawn through 1t. But this is not
all. The towns Of Cadiz, Harris.
vile and New Athens are each
Jealous of the other In the matter OGroute,
aud nothing definite ION paper" or other.
wise has been done 10 secure subScrip.
tons, right of way, &c, Until you get
beyond the bridges and tunnels Of Wheel.
ing Creek there is not only CalamitOus
apathy among the people on the line who
Oughtto subscribe, but Tor the first ten or
fifteen miles up this creek many Of tho
people do not want road, and almost
every one expects ind will demand full
damages; and by the Constitution OF Ohio,
mo right of way shall be appropriated TO
the use Of any corporation until full com
pGnsation therefor be first made in money,
or first secured by deposit OF money to
the owner, irrespective IF any benefit from
my improvement proposed by such cor
pOraton." This road from Bridgeport TO
FreepOrt runs through part OF four town.
ships In Belmont county and one In llarri.
son, having in them perhaps " two small
towns, which will be directly interested
in the road. II the above be the truth as
to the disinterestcdness Of the people along
that part Of the route, consisting so largely
OF bridges, cuts and tunnels, where will
we get the eight hundred thousand or q
million dollars which must DO had, indie.
pendent OF other aids, TO "build branch
direct to our doors on the Islandp" We
may safely say that not three hundred
thousand can be had along the line, which
leaves from $4,000 to 500 900 as Wheel.
ngs portion, without bridging Back river
suppose all these obstacles can be over.
come to do which there Is not yet any.
thing done even ION paper" and the road
built, then what2
We become n switch by the grace and
at the mercy Of the Cleveland Il Marietta
road. We get another road to Cleveland
l72 miles long, or 30 miles longer than
the present O. & p. road. II Is 80 miles
from here to Dennison and O5 from there
to Grafton, making 147 miles from here
to Grafton, 10l miles from here to San.
dusky, and 235 miles to Toledo. BY tho
G. & p. road we are now 30 miles nearer
to Cleveland, and by the Wheeling u
Lake Erie (HOpedalel route we will be 43
miles nearer Sandusky, and some 40 miles
nearer Toledo than by the Wheeling
Creek Il Cleveland road.
Does II make any difference TO our city
that Oj miles OF road from Grafton 10
Dennison are under contract and to be
finished by October 1879, so long as u gap
Of 80 miles from hero to Dennison re.
mains to be built, and that too under
separate charter, by separate company
OfwhiCh we are expected TO be the linan
Give head center? The whole thing re-.
lnces itself to proposition to us to
furnish means to build a switch
to point on Cleveland road,
built by Cleveland men TO carry
trade to Cleveland. All this, with not u
dollar subscribed, nor foot Of right OF
way obtained. There Is another fact
which your readers perhaps ought to
know. This same Cleveland Company
some time ago proposed to connect with
the Wheeling & Lake Eric Company at
Navarro upon the express condition that
the road should not run further mort Ii.
westward towards Sandusky and Toledo.
Nnw a Cnw wOrla ne In the
WHEELING 4 LAKE ERIE (sANDusKY)
ROAD.
The road Is so named because another
road via Cadiz had already been char.
tered by the name Of the Wheeling "
Toledo Railroad Company, but leaving