The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-12-23
P.W. d X. RAILROAD.
Another Chapter OF its History.

&c pIepaiatoiy W tuc SOuSOiiuatlnS az
of the 2lst Of July before stated-ar
Act Incorporating new Panhandle
Railroad from Holidays Cove tc
Wheeling, via Wellsburg, and author.
iziDg the counties Of Brooke and Ohio
and the citizens of Wheeling to SUBJ
scribe-thatis is, TOR the citizens Of Wheel
ing to subscribe and thereby ,oaive ana
abandon the right and pOVsr of Charles
RusseNs Charter of 1859 secured to thai
City.
This Act passed on the 18th of July
1868, and six days after, the Dist Of Ju-
ly, the consolidation act Def ore stated
passed. The persons authorized TO op.
en- books in Brooke were Adam Kuhn
Thomas Everett, VIM. H. Harvey
Lewis Apologize, and A. M. Buchanan
and in Wheeling, Sobieski Brady. Tho.
mas Sweeney, James c. Achison. Tho
mas II. Logan, and Andrew Wilson
and provided that as soon as $4,000
stock was subscribed, the Company
might organize. Those that subscrib.
ed the $4,000, probably in expectation
OF getting some Office, or other emolu-
ment, now say, at least, such as failed
to get office, that they ought not to be
held to pay, and have several suits, now
pending against them to recover their
subscription.
The next we hear OF the new Panhan-
die Railroad is March l, 1869, an Act
is paesed, authorizing it's extension to
the Kentucky line, on the same terms
mentioned in the Act of July Is, 1868.
The next we hear OF it in the stat
ute book, is February l6, 1871, when
an act was passed, changing its name
to the Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Ken.
lucky Railroad Company, retaining, I'M
impaired, the rights and duties OF the
original Company. Little hope, l
should think for the enterprising pic.
neer subscribers to the $4,000 stock
Those who dig pits for others generally
get in themselves at last, however con-
spicious may be made to appear their
external "godliness."
This closes l think. the history, SO
far as the statute books 60. The city
Of WHEELING still retains the right and
power, it seems to me. to compel the
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati Il St. Louis R
r, the successors to all the liabilities
20 less than debts of the Holiday
Cove Railroad Company, to construct
and equip our branch Of twenty-five
miles, unless by acts and voting OF her
citizens, the right secured by Charles
Russel's Charter of 1859 is waived and
abandoned.
We next come to what the Board Of
this Pittsburgh, Wheeling & Kentucky
Railroad has done, after being elected
to office by the pioneer subscribers to
$4,000 stock-which, those failing to
get office, now deny to be binding,
Their first move was to put forth that
the successors of the Holidays Cove
Railroad Company, viz: the Pittsburgh
Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad Com
pany hsd agreed to bear halt the ex-
nense of building the branch OF twenty
two miles to Wheeling. Their next
put forth was that these successors had
agreed to put on the ties and rails, call
ed the superstructure, If said subscri'
bers would procure the right OF way
grade aud make ready for such super.
structure, which would amount to
about one-half. Their next put forth
was that those successors must have
preferred stock, for whatever they ad-
yanced, the interest and principal OF
which must be first paid ; aud this,
they assured us was better than q mort;
gage, for they could not sell the road
out.
On these conflicting statements the
over-confding people of Ohio and
brooke voted, the former 1925 900, and
the latter 100000, and placed their
respective bonds at the Boards diSpo-
sal This. they assured US, would con-
s;dersbly more than complete our part
OF the contract, they having before EN-
ployed competent engineers, wAo hsd
accurately surveyed and estimated; The
Board advertised for bids, and large
number were made /; among them, as
soon turned out, many irresponsible
adventures and cheats-but Messrs
Uosie & Henderson, and others, offered
TO undertake the whole work, complete
il within one year, and give the ampIest
sscurity, for a sum that would have lett
a considerable surplus after securing
the right of way. The Board decline:
to accept the latter, but accepted I'M
bids OF irresponsible adventures ana IN
manv instances, scalawags, without any
security for faithful performance what
ever. This was the frat move th'
accents and trustees OF S345, OOO OF oul
LAST summer the Board presented
themselves again with their engineer
statement of many unforeseen accidenlS
slides slips, &c, and that s22,oOo more,
or about that sum, would be required
70 complete our part OF the contract
and the members Of the Board took the
stump personally; and my iellov.cI IT.,
zens Of both counties will remem oe e.
what they said They told us out o
abundant caution we had better rals'
$4,000, which would certainly cove!
and meet all contingencies. We raisec
it, sl5,OO0in each county ana plsc pace
the $4,000 more at their olsposa'
Now look at the engineers rePor. y y
10Th of October last, and the Board
t .U'n drawn up quite evidently b!
tbsir too well known Attorney, ao'
stoned BY their President, and the'
III at the condition Of the road-be'
from Holidays Cove to Wheeling.
We taxpayers have eyes to see an
,:.,fo common sense lett, however In
bnfIding, or have been in protecting gu
;oterests heretofore.