The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-06-19
The wheeling ana Lake Erie
Railroad.

Editors lntelllgOnceTi
l went up to Northern Ohio last week
10 sec for myself, what progress was be-
Ing made with the work on the Wheeling
and Lake Erie Railroad, and the condi'
ton Of its affairs at that end Of the line.
An inspection Of the work and an inquiry
and examination into the Affairs aud
prospects Of the company resulted in u
feeling Of satisfaction.
l found that the road was completed
between NorWalk and Milan, a distance
Of four miles, with locomotive and con.
struction cars daily running upon II.
The grading Is completed four miles
farther and the ties and rails are upon
tho ground and being laid down upon the
track at the rate Of from one.quarter to
one.half mile daily. This carries the
road to deep water on the Huron
river so that connection will be
made with lake navigation rs soon as the
rails are laid TO that point, which will be
by the LIST Of July or earlier.
The material and work so far are all
that the friends Of the road could desire.
The rails weigh 35 lbs. 10 the yard and
are we'll laid with splice bars on solid oak
ties. / rode over the road twice, some.
times at aspeed Of thirty miles or more
per hour, and found il as smooth as an
old road. The completed portion Of the
road is mostly over heavy fills and deep
cuttings, made necessary by the descent
from Norwalk to the lower level Of navi.
gable water, but the grade has not
been allowed to exceed ftLy.two feet
to the mile, with easy Curyaiures.
Huron river, the present terminus, Is
easy Of entrance from the Lake, and has
ample depth OF water for seven miles
above it, mouth, and affords one Of the
best il not the very best, harbors, and
most convenient for the handling Of heavy
ireights on Lake Erie. Considerable ship
ping is owned at Milan and Huron.
There ia a shipYard at the point where
the railroad strikes deep water in the
river, from which u schooner Of l,400
tons burden was recently launched, and
which, with other vessels, was there lying
in the river. From this point to Huron
at the mouth OF the river, which is four
miles further by the railroad, the work
is being energetically prosecuted, with u
good prospect Of completion in July.
South.eastTardly from Norwalk the
most Of the line is ready for the rails as
far as New London.
Tho rails are being delivered for this
portion Of the line, and will probably be
laid down 30 as to be ready for trains to
pass over by the middle or last Of Au.
gust. So soon as this is the case fine
local traffic will he developed, advanta.
geous to the road and also cheapening
fuel and other products OF the line. Two
locomotives are ut Norwalk, ready 10 do
this business. There are three flat cars
being used for construction purposes and
more will be added as needed. 1t is
found that the cars will carry ten tons
each with safety.
You are aware that it was determined
to build the Wheeling & Lake Erie Rail
road on narrow or three-foot gauge, To
this very many subscribers to the stock
Of the road objected, influenced generally
by the idea that narrow gauge railroad
ia to certain extent q toy road. Wit
Messing the operating Of the few miles Of
road already completed has dispelled this
objection. On the day on which II waH
first opened upward Of 1000 people were
carried between Norwalk and Milan, and
large numbers since. The public
have become thoroughly salts
fed that freight and passenger.
can be carried as well on three.foOt as
on n wider gauge, and the stock sub
scriptions are now being freely paid in
Respecting the progress Of the road be
yond New London, it looks to me as il
the resources Of the company ought to
prove sufficient TO carry it forward to the
coal fields this winter or early in the mex
year, after which its extension TO Mar
tins Ferry, in the nature OF things, car
not be long delayed. This may seem tc
you to be a very sanguinc. view of the
prospects Of our road, but l think the
facts justify it. Yours, Jos. BELL.