The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1875-12-02
OUR COAL r. R.
One NoraChanca toSecureit
Shall We Seize the Golden
Opportunity?

Last spring, when the project of a
railroad down the Scioto valley from
Columbus to Portsmouth, was being
agitated, we called the attention of
our citizens to the Importance of
building a road from Hillsboro to
Piketon or vicinity, to connect with
the valley road, and thus give us a
direct connection with Portsmouth,
Chillicothe and Columbus, and ulti-
mately with the Chesapeake & Ohio
R. R., by the extension of the valley
road from Portsmouth to Hunting
ton, which would certainly follow the
completion of the road to Ports
mouth. We also referred to the fact
that the building of short lateral
branch of % miles from Piketon to
Jackson, would give us access to the
great coal and iron region of Jack
son county, and thus enable HILLSIDE
ro to command an abundant supply
of cheap coal for manufacturing pur-
poses.
Since that time we have watched
with great interest the progress of
the Scioto valley enterprise, until it
has now reached a point which rem
ders the completion of the road from
Columbus to Portsmouth almost a
certainty, within the next year. The
track is now being laid between Co.
lumbus and Chillicothe, and it is ex-
pected that the cars will be running
before Christmas. The work from
Chillicothe to Portsmouth will doubt
less be commenced next Spring and
rapidly pushed to completion. The
extension of the road up the river to
Huntington will then be only a ques-
ton of time,
Briefly, then, the situation is this:
A railroad down the Scioto valley
from Columbus to Portsmouth will
be in operation next year. The road,
we are informed, will pass about 8
miles west of Piketon. It will there
fore cross the old road-bed of the Gin
cinnati, Hillsboro & Parkersburg r.
r. about 33 miles east of this place
By building only 33 miles of road,
on ,chich at least One-third of the
grading IS already done, HiHS6oro
can secure a connection acih the Sea
oto Valley Railroad, and by means
of a third rail on the jackson &
Springfield Gauge R. R., ION
which work has already commenced
between jackson and Waverly) we
can at the same time secure a direct
and short line into the jackson coal
and iron region.
These are the FACTS in the case,
briefly stated. They admit of no
dispute, and the only question is,
How is the road to be built?
Two plans have been suggested
One is, to organize a company and
build an independent road from Hills
boro to the point of junction with
the Scioto Valley R. r., the stock to
be owned and controlled by the peo.
pie along the line. The other plan
is, to ask the Scioto Valley R. R. Co.
to build the road as branch of their
main line, on the same basis as that
is being built-that is, by donation
of $4,000 per mile from the people
along the line, payable ochen tie road
IS finished
The latter plan We think the most
feasible, as it will require less money
than the former, and will probably
give us the road sooner.
On this plan, the amount to be
raised by Hillsboro and the people
along the line would be $165,00O
from which ought to be deducted
whatever would be a fair valuation
for the work already done on the old
road-bed. Estimated at $1,000
mile, it would be worth S49,500,
which deducted from S165,000,
would reduce the amount to be rdis-
ed to S115,5OO. OF this amount
Hillsboro alone ought to raise S75,-
900, leaving only S4O,5O to be rails
ed along the line.
We think it can be easily shown