The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-12-08

miles beyond Elyria Is he mo1tl
OF Black river, which Is universally adj
mitted to be the best harbor on LAX,
Erie. The Cleveland IL Tuscarawas ROAD
crosses the Fort Wayne & Chicago roaC
Ut Madison, a tourishing town Of somt
5000 or 10000 inhabitants. 1t strike,
the Panhandle road ut or near Dennison
which gives us complete line with TIT
Ohio Central TO Columbus, Cincinnati ant
ST. Louis, The difference in distance
(Which isonly some ten or twelve miles,
is more than overcome by the delay on
the Baltimore s. Ohio railroad at Ben
wood.
When the Marietta road, which il
now running to Caldwell, in, Noble coun
ty, Ohio, ~ completed TO the Panhandle
road, It will give US a road 70 Parkers-
burg fully fifty miles shorter than the
Baltimore Il Ohio road by way Of Graf
ton. The way business from Wheeling
to Dennison cannot BIO surpassed by any
road in the country. The minerals (c0al
and from are unsurpassed both in quaint.
ty and quality. BY the HarrisViile and
CRdiz route we have Harrisyille, twelve
miles from Wheeling, q stirring, busy
town OF some five hundred inhabitants
Three miles beyond Harrisville we have
Georgetown, on Short Greek, with fine
water power and 800 or 400 inhabitants.
Six miles beyond Georgetown we have
Cadi2, the county seat Of Harrison C0un-
ty, with some 1000 or 1900 inhabitants,
and more wealth than almost any town
In Ohio with the same population. On
the Athens route we have New Athens,
with o fourishlng College and busy
population Of some 500 inhabitants, This
place Is about twenty miles from Wheel
ing. On the Flushing route we have tho
village of Flushing, the center OF a
wealthy Quaker population, doing an &c.
tive and ilOurishing business.
Wheeling once had the trade Of all these
towns and villages, and the country by
which they are surrounded
She has lost 1t by reason Of lines Of rail-
way which make other places more aces
sible, We can recover 1t by the construC-
ton Of the road from hero TO DGnnison,
and in no other t0dy.
The objection to railroad to ClevG.
land that II would take our trade from us
Is, TO say tho least Of ii, novel and eXtraOr-
binary. And what makes it moro 30 Is,
that at tho same time we arc urged u
make railroad To Sandusky and
Toledo, because they are growing
faster and have moro trade than
Cleveland. II this be true, we have
just rs good route To Sandusky and To.
ledO as can possibly be constructed. But
1t Is not true. Cleveland Is theigreat COM
mercial emporium OF the southern shore
Of Lake Erie, and will remain 30 for gen.
erations TO come.
Capt. Cochran's mode of arguing from
the ratio OF increase Of population Ia do
ceptive and unsound. A village which
at the beginning ola decade has 100 In.
habitants, and at tho end Of II has 200,
has increased one hundred per cent But
the absolute increase Is q small matter.
SO 1t ia with Toledo and SanduskY. To.
ledo had between 1900 and $4,000 in
habitants In 1860. In 1870, she had DO.
tween 81 900 and $4,000. The absolute
increase was about $4,000. Cleveland
had about AZ 900 inhabitants In 1850. In
1870 II had about $4,000. The percentage
Is not so large as Toledo. But the abso-
lutte increase Is about $1,000, against
$4,000 for Toledo. The Captain seems 10
be handy with figures. l therefore sub.
mt to him this problem II Toledo gain
$4,000 inhabitants In ten years and JCleve.
land gain $1,000, how long will 1t be
before Toledo has as many inhabitants
as Cleveland
The conclusive objection TO the Hopedale
route since it has cut loose from Dennlson
and adopted through route upon It's own
responsibility is, that II has no organized
ConneCtion-no substantial and nOtiCea.
bic backing. ...... .H...
The Cleveland road will certainly DO
built, and II we neglect the connection
which they offer US, they will seek other
connections, and make their way to tho
river at some other pOint-perhaps at
Marietta; perhaps ut Bellaire.
And II Is proper to say that the Cleve'
land & Tuscarawas Valley road has no
connections south of the Panhandle road,
and no power under its charter to build
road further south. The road from Ma
rietta to Cleveland has no connection
with with the Cleveland road. That road
Is being constructed by Marietta men and
Marietta capital. It's main purpose Is TO
get connection with Pittsburgh, and II
proposes To strike the Panhandle road at
NewCOmeRtown, fifteen miles west Of
Dennison. Our proposition Is that Wheel.
ing, with the assistance Of the Cleveland
road, shall make the road to Dennis0n,
and when both roads arc completed that
they shall be consolidated, and make u
through line. ..a.......
It Is objected by some Of our people
that the road terminates on the Island,
and, therefore, Is inaccessible, and cars
have no connection with eastern roads.
This objection, oilcOurse, 10 equally appll.
cable TO the Hopedale line. SO far as ac-
feasibility TO the business Of the city is
concerned, the road might just as well
terminate In the Seventh Ward Is In the
Eighteenth Ward. II cannot be- equally
convenient to all parts Of the city.
As TO connections on this side OF the
river, they can DO made by passing the
cars over in boats constructed for the pur-
pose rs was done at Benwood and Bel
iaire, prior 10 the construction oil the rail-
road bridge And IL seems to me that
such'a mode Of transit is preferable to a
bridge which passes over tho tops of the
houses near the river, where the business
Is done.
A very convenient connection may be
made by boats with the Baltimore &
Ohio railroad at the mouth Of tho creek,
with depot on the Island at any point
below the suspension bridge. The ne
cessities Of trade will, no doubt, tilti.
mately compel the construction Of the
most convenient mode Of transit. But
whether Il should be q bridge, and II so,
whether II shall DO draw.bridge, or a
bridge without draw, 80 elevated as To
allow passage way for steamboats, Under