The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-03-09

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THE CLEVELAND AND PTTTsBURG
railroad earned $14S2l .93 per mile, and
its net earnings were 81 ,4Ol ,264.09. OF its
total tonnage 46.0S per cent. was coal and
223 per cent. ores.
The Cleveland and Pittsburgh, for the
year named, was operated at less than AZ
per cent. of its gross earnings. The av-
erage cost of railway operations in Ohio
was over Y per cent. Of the gross earn
ings.
The average earnings of all the roads
in Ohio for the year named was S8 S6l.5l
per mile, the highest being Sl7974.9O
(P.. FtW. & c., and the lowest 81 ,43767
| IL. E. & L., before named.)
If our road should attain to the aver
age its net earnings would be 1897 ,7749O,
being 81 10 per cent, or to half the aver
age its net earnings would be $4T1 1887, or
060 per cent. on its cost.
OF the six roads l have named five are
new, or comparatively new; two are the
poorest paying of those reported by the
commissioner, and challenge investiga-
ton Of the data, and the severest criti-
cism of my calculations, and the statistics
and probabilities on which they are based.
A diligent and unprejudiced examination
Of facts and reliable sources Of intorma-
ton will show conclusively that none of
the roads named, except the c, and p,
will compare favorably with the W. and
l.. E. in the matters of advantageous ter
mini, courses, distances, qualities and
quantities of Goals, population and local
resources of soil; and, as to natural re-
sources of coal, soil and minerals the G,
and P. will not compare equally.
THE COAL FIELDS.
Wheeling, w. Va, is the centre of the
Allegheny coal basin. Here from the top
of the Mills 70 the depth of l,6O0 feet may
be found 10 seams of coal, 7 of which
have an aggregate of So feet of coal. The
Wheeling vein is from 3 to g feet, and at
Wheeling is about l3O feet above the bed
of the Ohio river. This seam dips to the
southeast at the rate of 30 to 60 feet to
the mile.
For % miles the Wheeling and Lake
Erie follows the valleys,t the hills on either
side of which are full Of this coal, above
the track, and on every mile, at an alti-
tue that, at very slight expense, the coal
is carried, by gravitation, to the cars.
Now, it will be remembered, that 3 to
miles north of the Wheeling and Lake
Erie line, and parallel with it, this coal is
not 20 be had, its incline taking it above
the top of the hills; hence it is unknown
to the Panhandle, the first road north
of us. From 7 to 10 miles south of the
Wheeling and Lake Erie, and on a par.
allel line, this coal is below the bed Of the
Ohio riverand its tributaries, hence there
is very little mileage of this coal on the
Central Ohio, the first road south of us,
al d there they get it by shafting. !
A little west of Hopedale, 25 miles
from Wheeling, this vein is at the very
summit of the hills, about 800 feet above
the level of Lake Erie and some 200 feet
above the road bed. ..... .,
The road bed here is not far above the
next seam of coal which rises to the
northwest, and is soon above the track
as it descends the valley of the Conotton;
thence to Navarro, SO miles from Wheel
ing, there are seems OF
COAL ABOVE AND BELOW THE ROAD BED
tie entire distance; and these seams range
in thickness from 5 to feet.
At Navarro all the veins are lost above
the hill except No. |, or Massillon, or
Briar Hill, or Mahoning, by which sew
eral names it is known. This coal is the
lowest in the series, and is on the line,
At convenient shafting depth 100 to
300 feet. Thence to Burton City, at the
,rossing of the P, Ft w. & c., 81 miles
rom Wheeling, 6S from Sandusky and
III from Toledo, the distance from
Wheeling to Toledo being 10S miles,
carce II miles from direct line.
confidently assert, fearless of success
Ill contradiction, that no railroad in the
United States has any 200 miles with so
many miles of coal-of so many and de-
irable qualities, located so advanta-
eously with reference to the road bed,
nd that can be carried soGheaply.
My calculations have been based wholly
N coal shipments in one direction. The
passenger traffic, shipments in the other
Erection, and through and other freights
ught to equal the receipts from coal
hipments, and operating expen es ought
0 be placec at 40 per cent, or less, in
tead of 40 per cent
/ have not named the large deposits
f black band and other iron ores, the !
re clay and lime and sand stone (of the
celebrated Waverly and other groups) {
,und in such abundance on the line. s
POPULATION. m
Toledo has population of $4,000, and
City has $4,000, on Lake Erie.
IN the Ohio river, within a radius of two
nd half miles centefing in Wheeling, ,,
population of $4,000, which, for its
is unexcellei in this country in
on and glass products.
FOURTEEN COUNTIES ON THE LINE.
The counties of Belmont, jefferson, I
arrson, Carroll, Tuscarawas, Stark, t
fayne, Medina, Lorraine, Huron, Erie,
ttawa, Sandusky and Lncas are of the
cry best coal, ore, grain, stone, timber =
I'd stock producing counties of the State :
Ohio, and have a population of 4l6,- :
TO- lst
THE LIFE OF RAILWAYS I
in the local traffic, and this line pre- s
nts unequalled resources for the out P
owth and upbuilding of the very best
cal traffic.
Through rates from points to points,
here competition exists, are paidb the e
terror shippers. il
The substance of the local shipper is c
ten up in exorbitant freights for 100 ii
les, more or less, to pay the freights Of d