The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-07-06
Hempffeld Exfension-Ten Mile
Route.

MEssRs. SWAN & ECKER: Allow me
space in the Revie,0 and Eraminer for a
few thoughts on the proposed extension
ofthe Hempfeld railroad, east of Wash
ington. Taking it for granted that
said road will be extended, and that
there are but two possible routes, viz:
via Bellevernon and Layton's. or Ten
Mile Creek and Uniontown, which is
the more feasible route? What advan-
tage has one route over the other? In
order to determine the feasibility of one
railroad route as compared with anoth-
er, number OF things enter into the
com parison, as distance, obstacles to be
overcome, accessible wealth, develop
ment of resources, local patronage,
cheapness Of building material las ties
&c, along the road) and extent of
country benefited. The Bellevernon
route can claim the shorter distance by
few miles as the only advantage over
the Ten Mile route.
But a. The Ten Mile route is the
easier route. 1t is a water line, with
but few bluffy hills coming so near the
road as to require heavy cutting. The
Hon. Jonathan Knight, who surveyed
it for the B. o. R. X. Co. over thirty years
ago, pronounced it the most feasible
route for a railroad in Western Penn
sylvania. The cutting and filling will
be slight, with but one short tunnel.
(2) A greater extent Of country, and
greater number of towns will make
more wealth accessible TO the Ten
Mile route than to the other. Union
town, Brownsville, Millsborough, Cen
terville, GAINESVILLE, Waynesburgh,
Clarktown and a number OF other
towns will do their utmost in afording
aid to this route. Waynesburgh aud
the adjacent country must have an out
let either by this route or by the Pitts
burgh, Virginia and Charleston rail-
road.
60 The Ten Mile route is the more
feasible because a railroad on that
route will add much more to the gen.
eral wealth of Western Pennsylvania
than railroad on the other route.
Land on Ten mile is as good in quality
as land on the other route, and yet 1t
brings but mere nominal price, from
fifty to seventy dollars per acre; while
land on the other route brings one hun
dred dollars per acre. Why this dif.
ference Because the Ten Mile land
is far from market and the owners oil
the land have to depend upon brute
force for the transportation OF their
products. Every commodity that the
farmer raises is proportionably low. Now
a railroad would enhance the value OF
land from twenty-five to fifty per cent,
while it would add from ten to fifteen
cents to the price of every bushel OIL
grain.
(4.) The Ten Mile route is the more
feasible because the local freight will be
very much greater on that route than
the local freight on the other. Exam
| inc your map and you will find that the
region between Washington and the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad twenty
miles beyond Waynesburgh is vastly
greater than the region embraced in the
other route You have distance Of
forty.three miles from Washington to
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad beyond
Wavnesburgh; and from Uniontown
to Washington you have thirtysix
miles. Now this vast region is un'
pierced bv railroad or any other out,
let excepting the Monongahela river,
and that is fifteen miles from Waynes,
burgh and often useless. Look at the
other route. The country through
which it passes is drained on the east
by the Pittsburgh and Connellsvllle
railroad, on the west by the Charters
railroad, on the north by Pittsburgh
and its convergiug railroads, and in the
center by the Monongahela river. Let
all these come in for their share of the
local freight, and how much is left? |
think | can prove to demonstration
that the excess OF the local freight OF
the Ten Mile route over the other route
would pay for building the road in a
few years.
(5.) TheTen Mile route is the route,
because railroad on that route WILL
benefit much greater extent OF coun-
try than a railroad on the other route.
Railroads are intended TO be a public
benefit. 1t is on that ground that Leg
islatures grant railroad companies char
ters. But look at the vast amount OF
country that will be benefited by rail-
road on the Ten Mile route, as COM
pared with the territory that will be
benefited by railroad on the other
route. Ali6w me to say, in conclusion
of nv article, that the people on the
Ten Mile route are ready to give the
right of way, and 10 subscribe largely to
the stock Of the road. They are desir-
Gus OF competing for the road, and II
thew fail to secure it they will then see k
an outlet through some other channel
as the extension Of the CHARTERS rail
road from Washington to Waynesburg.
The theory that some entertain, VIZ;
that a railroad from Washington to
Layton's will intercept the products OF
this region on their way east, will then
vanish into thin air. That theory is a
myth; and if the officers OF the Baltl-
more and Ohio Railroad Company 10.
cate on the Bellevernon route they will
find it so. This region must and will
have a railroad. No railroad in Penn
sylyania will pay better than one
through here. The twelve miles Of
railroad from Connellsvi!le to Union
town pays a larger per cent; than any
railroad on Pennsylvania; but rail
road from Washington to Wayhesburg
will drain an extent Of country much
larger. d. ~ H.
The Coming Prize Fight.
The combatants in the prize fight to