The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-03-20
GhGatelh9eaar:
s.,,o,bing More on the Railroad ana
So"' Bridge Question:

llU l,ulNuEH W Wv
!" TIe length Of my last communicate
, ~" issue of the 18th inst.,) preVentee
ln l soyinr ali | desired as to the cXpcnd
NY w ~ Wheeling capital in the bulldlnII
" W. railroads. from this city through ono
YonT own very pertinent and very appiT,Gi
n rg'' remarks, both in connection WY VII,
p,y last article and on the BarnesVlIl
" ~" to secure ut that point 1.-THE term
na, Of the Tuscarawas road, IN you
n n,o Of the 10th, comprehend most lIla
i EsI intended to say further on that poln,I
And yet regard the point as Of 2vs sucI
vital Importance to the peoPleW WIZ VI
inS and of such prominence 10 this wllol.
abroad scheme, that cannot Iorbear pre-
.s"tinp a little more fully, two or thret
&stothc advantages which Wheeling
would unQueslionably derive, III Inc way
"CIocal lrade from a road or roads, run
min" n0rlhwestward through Belmont ant
"Ti6ininr counties, there can be bu
"nr opInion. II is within the rccol
lrrilon Of comparatively young mer
among as when Wheeling merchant!
Commanded the entire country trade anC
cnstOm Of Ohio, within u circle Of Iron
Gl,y 10 sCventy.hye miles or more, to Tho
Wat, Southwest, and especially TO The
Northwest OF our city This trade VI
have almost entirely lost in consequence
o(thc Central Ohio road running through
OUT best trading points to the wcst-anC
cutting of from us those of the south
wesl-and the Panhandle road drawing
off the largest proportion Of our north
western trade Now, can any C0nsidcra'
Me part OF this lost local traffic be re-
coyere12 That to the west and south.
west We can hardly hope to regain 10 any
considerable extent, as no railroad that
might be made from our city in that di.
rrciion could draw of to us the business
which the Central Ohio has already d.
yeted to gainesville and other points.
Bot with regard to the northwestern
tnle which We once had, the
case is entirely different. Our for
mer customers from the counties Of llar-
ri.oD, Tuscarawas, Carroll, and Jefferson
now find market for their produce and
wares at Pittsburgh, and draw their sup.
p.es thcreirOm through the Panhandle
road not because they are geographically
nearer to that city than they are TO us, nor
vet because they can buy materially
cheaper there than here, or sell at better
prices, but because Pittsburgh is directly
accessible to them by rail while Wheeling
i, not But drive a railroad from this city
through to the TusCarawas river and be-
yond, bya judiCiousIy chosen route, and
Wheeling will regain a mercantile trade
alone which will be worth more to us than
all tue West Virginia trade we now con.
troll. lSubmit to those who were the
business men Of Wheeling twenty years
ago whether their experience and recol-
lection will not bear me out in this asser.
ton.
From the Tuscarawas river to
Pittsburgh, by the Panhandle road,
the distance is about one hundred miles,
while from this city to the Tuscarawas,
hyeither OF the projected northwestern
roads, it is but little, if any, over half that
distance. Other things being about equal
which point would the local trade referred
tOnaturally seek? 1t maybe well to beal
in mind just here that when the Northern
and Southern West Virginia railroad i.
made, a part Of our present West Virginia
traffic will doubtless be drawn of to Pitts
burgh. Should not this consideration be
an additional incentive to us to make our.
selves more accessible TO our Ohio neigh
bos md recover their trade?
Another consideration which should be
noticed in this connection is, that while
money expended by us in the consLruc.
ton OF the roads asking our aid, may ap.
la!enlIy, or in fact, benefit others besides
ourselves, we will be doubly compensated
BY securing better and more direct Yves.
TEN anti northwestern connections with
lines already built for us and ira.
verslng all parts OF the country where
oar increasing manufactures and proluc.
ions seek n market Atleast one Of these
proposed rontcs-the Wheeling & 1'us.
Ciawas Valley-would give US a compe.
.ing line to the Atlantic by the Lake
Shore and New York Central roads, and
would open up directly to our glass and
nail manufacturers the whole OF Western
and Central New York, which now oh.
lain these commodities of our own manu-.
lecture through second hands in New
York city. ID, = : y.
But have said enough-all at least that
space and time permit ut prcsent-as to
WY We should expend our capital in
oNlldIng one or more railroads hence, to
the northwest. Now for few considera.
lions rs to why it would DO unwiso for the
people OF Wheeling TO invest their money
IN inc construction ofthe proposed bridge.
II IS Ialr to assume that but two objects
are had IN view in the proposed bridge
enterprise. One OF these is 10 create IN
Investment that will yield reasonably
hlr prollt, ut least, to its stockholders.
WINE INC other announced purpose is to
encourage and invite railroads to come 10
All through the city, by providing them
with an ample, convenient, and expedi.
I nl means of transit over the river
This latter object I have, | think already
Shown to be inexpedient ut the present
Ime, especially rs regards the two north.
western roads now requiring our direct
contributions of money to make their
construction even probable, bridge or no
bridge As an investment, i think il can
We readily shown, the bridge will not nav.
NH Is proposed to construct the work
through corporation separate from any
lalIfoal company, it is both natural and
mTISr 10 compare the enterprise, and its
SS1atClpAted results, with the bridge at
S ."aaos. which was built by a similar
%enCy-a separate company. THAT
S STiuSe We are told cost originally $3.50.
WV, and it is estimated that
' ',sI one at this point would cost
% wv n more-say 100000. As TO this
We Slll doubtless be better informed in
III. saS course s,I, ola few days, when the report
nau S,IlMa'G of the engineers who have
' ,i'o " MadeA survey Of the proposed
n. esuaII be made public. But for the
t rSsaI suppose tho cost to be $500 900,
"ua Ineh let us make the most liberal esti.
a'eol the revenue that eau reasonably
|TSANcted from the Investment.
lnG revenue Of the StenhRnvilla hvi1,o