The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-03


will perform his part to the full.
In this connection we may say that We
do not by any means despair Of receiving
from the city ol Wheeling the aid voted
In June 1872. The legal questions arising
out OF that vote have been argued ant
submitted to the Supreme Court Of the
State OF West Virginia, and It Is expected
will be determined at the session com
mencing next month. The counsel rep
Presenting the city and our friends in the
case, are sanguine Of o favorable result,
Failing In this VIC are hopeful Of equiv
alent aid in another quarter. In any
event VIC will be able to gil In letter and
spirit our contract with Mr.. Shanly, at
, which time Il Is believed, confidence will
have been restored in the money and
stock markets, and railway securities
will have again commanded the conf.
dence of capitalists,
The report Of the Chief Engineer Of the
road, Mr.. A. X. Robinson, Is largely de.
voted to setting forth the advantages and
the prospective business and prospects Of
the road. Itseems that FIVE lines in whole
or part have been surveyed between Mar
tins Ferry and sandusky, q distance of
one hundred and sixty miles. The line
finally adopted was the one by Hopedale,
Fairview, BOwerstown, Leesburg, Zoar,
Navarro, Dalton, Lodi, and Milan to San.
dusky. No line has been decided upon
between sandusky and Toledo. The line
as adopted, the Engineer thinks, is the
shortest, cheapest of construction, and in
every way the most practicable route be-
tween Wheeling and the Northwest
Work was commenced September 9Th
last on sections 90, 61, 81 and e5, just
west OF Navarro, and though interrupted
for time in consequence Of the panic, is
now going on.
Tho things TO be considered in the build.
ing OF new railroad are: First, its me.
chanical properties and lacilities-as for
example, its grades, curvatures, etc. Sec.
0nd, its cost Of construction and equip
ment. Third, its character as a profitable
investment for Stockholders.
AS TO the first proposition, 1t has been
the wish Of your President, that the
grades should in no case exceed forty feet
per mile, and that curves should be of no
less radius than one thousand feet. Il
have found 1t necessary to go above forty
feet grade in a few instances. One is q
grade of flfty.three feet per mile for two
and one.hslf miles on Piney Fork, and
one and one.fourth miles near Hopedale.
These grades l do not consider so very
Objectionable, as they occur below where
the heaviest coal trains will be loaded.
No road now built, or proposed, running
from the Ohio river, has so low q rate Of
grades as this OF yours. The Cleveland
& Pittsburgh Railroad has four and three.
fOurths miles oi So feet grade per mile on
the head waters OF Yellow Creek, and to.
day it Is one oi the most successful roads
IN the State. In but one case will we
have to use so short radius as one thou.
sand feet. This could be avoided by q
short tunnel, but do not think 1t neces.
sary, as it would increase the cost Of the
work without any great benefit. The
second proposition, the cost Of eonstruc-
tion, need not discuss, as you have
already made a contract for the building
and equipment OF your road with Mr..
Walter shanly, at price below the aver.
age cost of roads in this State. In refer
ence to the third point in view, namely Il
AS a profitable investment for stock.
holders, there may be mentioned four
principle sources OF revenue.
The first Of these Is the local business.
It will be seen by reference to the public |
documents, that the counties traversed BY
your road are amongst the best agricul-
tural districts In the State, and the trans
portation OF their products, together with
the considerable amount OF lumber, coal,
ETC., that will be wanted by them In re.
turn, will contribute largely to the reve.
nue. Of your undertaking.
The second will accrue from the manu-.
factories OF Wheeling and vicinity, which
will naturally seek an outlet to the West
and Northwest by your road. Wheeling
has already assumed firstclass position |
as manufacturing point, and with in.
creased facilities for shipping, will rival
Pittsburgh in the production Of iron and
glass, and will need large quantities Of
lumber and iron ore from the Lake Supe.
rior region, which will pass over your
road as return freight. Crossing as your
road does 80 many Of the leading roads Of
the State, will encourage manufacturing
at many points, and new industries will
spring up, where now there Is compare.
lively nothing, for the want of cheap coal
and facilities Tor transportation.
The third source Of revenue will be
from the through freight and travel.
Your road composes an essential link,
when taken in connection with the roads
centering at Wheeling and with the
great network Of roads centering at To
ledo, In forming another grand source Of
communication between the seaboard and |
the great northwest When we consider |
that this line is so much shorter to reach |
Baltimore, Washington and New York |
than any other now in operation, and the |
circumstances Of position, we will see
tt mat 1t must have very large amount OF
through business. 81, \.
The fourth, and in my opinion the most |
important item Of revenue. will be from
the transportation Of coal to the lake. and
70 the different points along the line.
Your road will traverse the immense
coal field Of Eastern Ohio in its
widest part, For y distance Of eighty.
seven miles (that Is nom WReel-
ing 10 within two miles OF Orrviliel all
along the hill sides the coal is seen
and In many places two and three work.
able veins Of coal of the best quality, vary.
ing In thickness from three TO seven feet,
and l believe that on every mile Of the dis.
tance between the above named points
coal can be successfully mined. From
Wheeling TO Hopedale we pass through
seven veins Of coal, four Of which are
workable, One Of these Is the celebrated
vein SO extensively mined atPittsburgh,
for the manufacture Of iron, and has made
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