The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-12-13
WHEELING ANDLAKE ERIE.
The Advantages OF the Hopedale
Route and the Prospect OF It's Sue.

/ hofkpALs, W, Oecemper D.
Editors Of the Register:
Having been actively engaged for the
last eighteen months in working up the
project of the so,called North western
road, Wheeling, Hopedale and Lake
Shore road. Wheeling and Toledo
names synonymous with the Wheeling
and Lake Erie, 1 feel it is my duty to
make some explanations which are due
to many Of your readers, but which to
some Of your citizens are not new. And
rs they have had considerable "Cleve.
land sand" thrown into their eyes
lately, propose to try some "Sandusky
lime" After six months of effort in
trying to get Wheeling interested in the
Hopedale route by letters OF Eastern
capitalists, who proposed to furnish the
capital to build and equip the route,
after being snubbed by Cadiz and then
snubbed again by the scratching of in
corporation papers, by the advice and
consent of Wheeling men, who, am
sorry to say, had been playing in
Cleveland sand" we succeeded in in
cooperating the Wheeling and Lake
Erie Railroad Company. and finally
organizing company, giving Wheeling
one Director and one in each county as
far west as Navarro. At this point we
chose Mr.. Chapman, one of the Direct
ors OF this same Lake Shore and Tus-
caravans Valley railroad, that we hear
is offering to build a switch to
Wheeling from Freeport if Wheeling
will raise two-thirds of the money
to build bridge across back
river, eighteen bridges on Wheeling
creek, six tunnels and several more
bridges, say nine, as our friend Mr..
Cochran has it, on thirty four or fifty
four miles, as the case may be, through
say three small towns of from $50 to
800 inhabitants. We cannot think
Wheeling will act the suicidal part Of
cutting her own throat, or allowing an
other road to switch her off as the Bal
timore and Ohio has done, or as this
same Lake Shore and Tuscarawas Val
ley railroad will. if she ties her destinies
with them, for they have the beach rods
to do it with.
The Wheeling and Lake Erie Com.
pany has indeed the one side of a
triangle, and that IS just Dhat is the mat
ter. But that one side extends to San
dusky from the head Of Wheeling
Island, if Wheeling wills it." If not,
then to the Ohio river, "a Mr.. Cochran
saws, whether she wills it or not and az
Mr.. Stanton said in Wheeling one year
ago,"We are going to dig our way out,
it we do have to tunnel some more via
Deep run than we would have to GO
via Portland" The number OF tunnels
to Portland is the same from the mouth
of Piney Fork to the Ohio river, as it is
to take the cross cut. Some are heavier,
but entirely practicable, (see surveys),
while by this short cut we have eight
cen miles of coal fields from Piney Fork
to Wheeling, nine miles on either side,
while via Portland there are only four
teen miles of coal fields tributary to the
road. This saviugof five miles of dis
lance, and four miles more OF coal
fields, and a free right of way,
we think will compensate tor some dig
ing. With this advantage also. and
we think very decided one to Wheel
ing, of opening up an entirely New Terri.
tory, and securing the trade not only OF
the entire Short creek valley, but also a
large share OF the Connection and the
Tuscarawas valleys, including the towns
of Smithfield, Mount Pleasant, Hope
dale, Cadiz, (via Cadiz ARM Fairvlew,
New Market, Mastersville, Bowerstown,
Hagerstown, Lusburgb, Cumberland,
Zoar, Zone Of the richest communities
in the State, Bolivar and Navarro. two
of the greatest shipping points on the
Ohio canaD. Zoar. Bolivar and Navarro
did on the 4th, 5th and 9th Of Septem:
Der last pledge to this Wheeling and
Lake Erie Railroad Company On ten
miles $1,000 and almost the entire
right of way. l would here state that
by and with the consent OF the commit
tee and stockholders in both the Lake
Shore and Tuscarawas Valley railroad
and the B. P. and Chicago road, they
transferred all Of their stock to thus CON-
PAM and pledged to increase the same
several thousand dollars. As a through
route is what Wheeling has asked for
we ask you to take your maps and see
if we are as cross.eyed as our Bridgeport
friends would make you believe: (See
Intelhqencer Of last winter). We can
also satisfy parties that more interest
has been taken on the western end OF
the line during the last sixty days than
there has been on the eastern end in the
last four years. See resolutions and
letters in the hands Of the chairman OF
YOUR Railroad committee, DR.. Baird, as
this company is now ready for your sub
scription on this condition. If you are
afraid of the enterprise, make your
subscriptions on condition when the
cars are running (on to the lsland). All
we ask you to do will be TO pay the IN,
terest on the money. You cannot anord
to lose this road, if you have to give
half a million to secure it, and this you
can afford to do better than to give
100000 for a Wheeling Creek Bridge
route, when you already have that trade
Inv mixes from Belmont county. now
as YOU can reach the Tusearawas val
lev in fifty-two miles. and, BY 80 doing,
he TWENTY-FIVE miles nearer Sandusky
than YOU are to 90 by the Bridge route
via Athens and Freeport, or eighteen
miles nearer than to 60 by the Harrls-
vile and Cadiz Bridge and Tunnel route
with the advantage, also, of another
eastern route, via Hopedale and Pan