The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-11-24
WARRINGTON AND wAYNEsBURG
NARROW GAUGE.
A Trip over the ROad-R hat IL Cost
and It's PrOspects-Its Advan-
tages 10 WheeIinx-The
Greene County Girls.
WAYNEsBURG, November %.


Greene County Girls.
WAYNEsBURG, November %.
| Correspondence OF the Register.
Did you ever ride over narrow gauge
railroad, particularly new one? If the
traveller is not pushed for time, his ex-
| perience on such an occasion will be CON-
icsl. 1t was my good luck TO enjoy
such ride, yesterday, on the Washing
ton and Wsynesburg narrow gauge rail-
road. The schedule time for leaving
Washington Is 1870 P NJ. daily. l put
in an appearance at that hour, sought
an introduction to Capt. Tanner, the
ubiquitous and polite conductor, who,
at my request, handed me over
to the kind mercies OF engineer Parker,
who carefully and skilltulIy holds the
throttle of General Greene" aud steers
the train to Waynesburg. Perched upon
the locomotive, l anxiously awaited the
start.
TIME UP.
Time was up, but big load, consisting
of one passenger coach, box car and
two gondolas ladened with miscellaneous
freight, postponed the start halt an hour.
Finally, u toot OF the whistle announced
to the large, sdmirlng and solicitous
crowd that all was ready, so OF we
started from the open depot,
down u steep grade on the main street
and out beyond the suburbs of the bor-
ough. Now, before proceeding further,
we msy mention just here that IN Dar-
row gauge railrosding, when all hands
and the cook are sort of new at the busi-
ness, and teel themselves born COM
manders, that peculiar institution called
discipline isn't known. You see no such
nonsense rs red tapped, brass buttoned, sill
ver-mounted, ,shoulder-Strapped train men
moving silently around like soldiers on
sentinel duty. No sir! The crew are
Jolly, free and easy, and vie with each
other in looking after the welfare OF the
passengers and the safety Of the train.
There is no useless gong rope communl-
eating to the engineers cab. When the
engineer is required to stop a stentorlan
veil from some one does the business. 1t
reminds one not little of navigating the
OHIO in the little low watei steamers.
You know when they run aground the
Captain orders the pilot to "back her,
while the pilot rings to "go ahead tas.
but the engineer don't do 1t because he
Is out on the bow bossing the deck hands
in their efforts TO pole the boat atoat.
The trouble is, there is no system, no
head, and until things are in better shape,
there won't be. Notwithstanding these
draw backs there is much to be spoken
fayorably, which will appear further
along.
OFF rHE TRACK.
As remarked before the diversion,
the train Was beyond the borough max
ing ten miles sn hour, when the box
| car Jumped the track. Parker seemed to
! know it by intuition for before he got
through with beautiful ejaculation that
! begun with d--n and ended with word
quite similar, the train was stopped. The
car was soon placed on the track
| when oil we started again.
1t was only u momentor two before the
same car was going bumpy-te-bump over
the ties once more. The urbane vlsage
of the engineer became quite cholerlc
with this second mishap, and he ejacu-
lated considerably longer and with a
greater vehemence than al the first IN
terruption TO our progress. This time
| when the car was tracked council was
held and q decision reached that to go
onward with that impediment was out
of the question, as one OF the sxles was
supposed To be out OF line, and at every
whipstitch it would Jump the track. The
train was backed to Washington, the
freight transferred into another car
and away we sped, two hours behind
time.
THE ROAD.
straight line from Washington TO
Waynesburg would be nearly due south,
but the road makes lnnumerable curves
and bends over and around the inter-
vening hills. In Washington county the
road is very rough, l might say the
roughest part OF the line, Tor alter II
crosses into Greene county II follows wa
ter courses, the principal one of which Is
Ten Mile creek, ana the ten miles OF
road from the county line to Wayhes
burg is comparatively straight and
smooth. There are several curves which
make "A semi-circle inside OF one hundred
wards. Msior BritOn, the contractor, In
| formed me that some OF them have Il
curvature OF 80 degrees to the 100 feet.
| The great "horse shoe bend on the Penn
svlyania Central is said TO be only ~ de-
grees to the 100 feet. or nearly one-halt
! less the sharpness OF some OF the curves
on the w. II w. The local name gwen
| TO these sharp curves are "Mule Shoe
! benLs. The cOutiguration OF the land
] for the first few miles out OF Washing
ton towards Wsynesburg is not well
sdspted to railroad building. The steep
hills and many gulleys make 1t cheaper
to 90 long way round abou. than to
cut across, hence the sharp curves and
steep grades. The latter IN places beng
as much as l37 feet TO the mile.
The road is 2S miles in length and the
time occupied IN making theru Is three
hours. The road being new and the bed
unsettled, the EXTREMIST care Is exercised
in traversiug the sharp curves and
trestlng. No tickets are SOLD TO psssen-
gers as vet, the conductor takes the cash
direct from the passengers. The fare NJ
present is only IS cents for the entire
distance.
The county through which the road
passes does not appear to be closely SET
tied, vet the land Is rich, most OF 1t fairly
improved, and gives proof OF well to do
owners, who Will readily svsil themselves
otthe increased facilities for marketing
their products.
THE COST.
The cost of this piece of railroad, In
cluding all the rolling stock needed, the
depots and "Ys, will not fail much
short of 100000. OF this amount, over
| 100000 WAS subscribed, the balance
will be raised by seven per cent loan
secured by first mortgage on the road
In fact the bonds are ready Tor marketing
and will be offered as soon as some de-
tails and estimates are prepared tor the