The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-11-27
GlA4ntelEi4ente1s
A Few Facts for Wheeling Business
Men Concerning the Toledo Rail-
road,

road,
For many months there has been {
steadily growing conviction in the mIndl
of Wheeling business men that the pro
jected railroad northwestwardly from this
city towards Toledo Is destined to become
J reality. The need of the city ioE fresh
outlets and feeders is too palpable to ad
nit Of longer doubt, Her lines OF commu'
ncation are being tapped here and there
by the enterprises OF other cities and her
trade drained away to:other markets. II
has ceased to be question whether we
are content to stand still and enjoy the
trade we have; for If we stand still while
others advance they take it from u.s. 1t
has become necessarily bold and aggres-
sive enterprise to strike out for new lines
Of communication, which shall open to us
fresh sources Of traffic.
All recognize the fact that the best field
for Wheeling railroad enterprise lies to
the northwest There VIC find very
large section Of Ohio unoCcupied by rail.
ways pointing to tho Southeast. 1t Is q
virgin soil for our ploughsharo.
1t happens that the portion of Belmont
county just across the river is the heart oil
the Ohio coal region, offering better coal
and greater facilities for mining than any
portion of that Coal.hcld. 1t happens
that the northwestern part OF the State
sOrely needs this coal, and Is anxious to
help build railroads to reach IT, Toledo
and Sandusky have millions of lumber.
We have millions of cool; and each wants
the other Then Toledo and all tho,
Northwest beyond, Michigan, Wiscon.
sin, Minnesota, want the fabrics and
wares which our coal enables us tn make
so cheaply; mud once VIC are connected
with them and the Great Lake system by
direct rail, limiIlGss market is open to
wheeling manufactures.
But the country between here and the
Lake is itselfR kingdom Of wealth. Our
friend, Capt. Il. IL. COCHRAN, Jealous in
every good work, has spent no little time
and labor in gathering together some sta
tistics Of the counties lying along the
line Of the projected road, and VIC give
them to our readers this morning, Al
though they do not occupy much space
On paper, they Hre very impressive to
those who will think them over; and rs II
rrQuiredAgood deal Of computation to put
them in this condensed shape, soft will take
some thought to appreciate their magni'
tndc. Here are ten counties through which
the road will pass viz: Belmont, JCller'
son, Harrison, Carroll, TusCarawas, Stark,
Wayne, Ashland, Huron and Erie, and
three more whose territory 1t will very
nearly touch md which 1t will drain,
viz Medina, LOrain and Holmes, that are
thirty millions Of dollars richer than all
West Virginia; for while our Auditors
report shows the real and personal prop.
erty Of our whole State To bO one hundred
and twenty.nine millions, these thirteen
counties, have taxable valuation Of real
and personal property Of hundred and
sixty millions. The real value is not less
than two hundred millions
Then look at the annual production of
these counties the millions of bushels Of
wheat, oats, corn, potatoes, rye, barley
the millions Of pounds Of butter and
cheese; the millions Of bushels Of apples,
peaches and pears the millions OF pounds
Of wool, and the hundreds Of thousands of
live stock, grown every year 1t was
hardly necessary for Capt. COCHRAN to
figure out what work such production
would give to railroad to prove that the
road must be profitable. 1t Is impossible
that road running through such tier OF
counties should not be profitable by reason
Of the local trade alone. But what field
itwould open up for the merchants and
manufacturers OF our city. Here is q pOpu.
htiOn of iour hundred thousand people
in these thirteen counties, 050OO more
than there are In oil the counties through
which runs the Baltimore & Ohio road,
including the Parkersburg branch and
not including the city Of Baltimore. Bal.
timore reached that $4,000 people by
building 4S3 miles Of road through n very
difficult country We can reach these
100000, with all their wealth and produc.
tion, by a road 148 miles long through n
country mono Of II very difficult and most
Of II Offering few natural obstacles. The
baltimore Il Ohio had TO do It's work out
of It's own unaided resources. Here the
people along the route are abundantly
able and willing to help, and capitalists
are likewise ready to contribute large
share Of the funds.
Yet Wheeling has been for two years
debating whether sho will take n dollar
stock in this road or whether she will
keep the dollar and do without the road.
How much longer is this blind and Gatu.
Ons Indifference to last9 As Capt. CocH.
MNtells us, this road will he built II
will come IL Wheeling II Wheeling wants
it, lrnot, 1t will go to some other point
on the Ohio, and leave Wheeling to add
one more poignant regret to those she
now feels over former blunders