Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-05-06
Wheeling and Lake Erie.

The following is an extract from The
Ohio Valley Ne,os' report of the triE
over the route of the Wheeling & Lake
Erie road, made by number of gen
men from Toledo, Wheeling and Mar
tins Ferry:
And now we shall proceed to speak
of this route as it presented itself to Oui
observation on this our first trip ovel
the ground:
First, as to the practicability of the
route, we have travelled over the old
stage road from Wheeling to Wooster
by private conveyauces frequently, and
had formed the opinion that the high,
hilly character of the country made
the construction of a railroad very eX.
pensive, if not impracticable; but in
passing over the route in company
with Colonel Robinson, and after eX.
amining the protiles Of the road exhib.
tied to us, this impression was not only
removed, but we were impressed with
the fact that the route is not only prac-
ticable but is absolutely much more de.
srable, both as to grades and curves
than either the Cleveland and Pitts
burgh, the Central Ohio, the Steuben.
vile and Indiana, or the Pittsburgh
Ft. Wayne and Chicago railroads. The
heaviest grade to be found on the entire
route is one OF fifty-three feet per mile
for two miles on Piney Fork, and the
same grade for one and One-fourth miles
beyond Hopedale,- while there is nc
curve of a less radius than one thousand
feet. The Cleveland and Pittsburgh
road has four and three-fourth miles OF
the same grade on~the head waters o.
Yellow creek, and it is one of the mos
successful roads in the State, while, il
we are not misinformed, the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad has grades of one
hundred and sixteen feet per mile.
As to directnesS of route, we were
| impressed with the remark of the ven
cradle Cyrus McNeely, that nature hat
indicated the propriety of this route ir
the formation of the country through
which it is to pass. The most direc
route is the best that can BE found. AT
examination of any good map of Ohit
will demonstrate this fact, and the Off
GERS of the road with singleness of pur
/ pose which all must approve, have re
fused very desirable offers to change
the route for the accommodation of i'm
portant towns which unfortunately are
not in the right location. This policy
while it is undeniably correct, has re
suited in missing every county seat on
the entire line of the road, thus de
priving the road of the aid of the press
as newspapers are generally located in
the county towns.
AS TO the prospect of business for this
road when constructed, that matter i.
easily settled, with the first commercial
and manufacturing city of West Va, rs
the Eastern, and the second CONNER
cial city of the lakes in Ohio as the
Western terminus, and passing through
the Ohio coal field for from sixty tc
eighty miles, and also bisectiug the
richest agricultural portion of Ohio the
business of the road is assured.
The counties in Ohio through which
this road passes contained in 1870 a
population of four hundred and twelve
thousand, and are among the richest il
the State in their agricultural and min.
eral resources; any Ohio farmer knows
that wheat is the staple commodity o
Tuscarawas, Wayne and Stark coun
| ties.
In railroad connections this road il
particularly fortunate, running as il
does in a northwest direction it inter,
sects the Pan Handle at Fairview; the
Tuscarawas branch of the G. & p. al
Zoar station; Tuscarawas and Wheeling
at Navarro; the p. q FIT. Wayne al
Fairview; the Cleveland, Mount Yer.
non and Columbus at Orrville; the At.
lantic and Great Western at Pike sta.
tion; the G. G. c. and Indiana, at VIII.
mingtOn; the Lake Shore d Michigan
Southern, at Norwalk; the B. & o. at
Prout, the Cleveland, Sapdusky and
Cincinnati, AT Castalis; and the North
division of the Lake Shore road at Oak
HarbOr, besides the abundant railroad
connections both at Toledo and Wheel.
lug.