The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-18
ARAILRoAD PRoIEcr
In Connection With the Proposed Rive
e Line to Parkersburg.

In Connection With the Proposed River
Line to Parkersburg.
~WAsHlSeToX, Penn, Nov. II, 1879.
EditOn 1ntSllIIsneer.
The Washington Ob@re, OF last week,
in speaking ofthe Wheeling aud PArkers.
burg narrow gauge, has the following sug-
gestion in regard to a connection of that
road with the P. S. R. R, which l think
is worthy OF attention from the business
men OF Wheeling:
"Ii this enterprise Is successful, why not connect
our Pittsburgh Southern lthe extension OF which
Sou h seems to lag) by the completion Of the West
AIddletO!n branch, with the Wheeling 4 PAFkers-
burg r. T.? Then the construction OF 6tteen or
twenty miles Of road from Flnleyville on the p s. R.
4, into the Colusllsyille coke region would give
Wheeling manufacturers Just what they want aud
have been hoping to secure By the completion O the
liempaeld.
The West EIiddletown branch OF the P.
S. Narrow Gauge was designed to run
from here to Wellsburg, and is already
constructed VITO and one.half miles north
west OF here, to Harding's Coal Works,
and the money contributed by Washing.
ton to build it two and one.half miles fur
ther whenever the people along the line
raise $1,000 per mile, when theP. S. Com
pany promise to complete it. Now the
suggestion OF the ObSerrgr is that the road
be built not to Wellsburg but to Wheel.
ing, via West Middletown. understand
that the P. s. Company take kindly to this
suggestion, and would prefer to extend
this branch to Wheeling, and connect
there with the Parkersburg Narrow
Gauge, rather than take it to WelIsburg,
where there would only be connection
with broad gauge road.
The road from Washington to West
Middletown "a miles) has already been
surveyed, and found to be very practica.
bic and easy OF construction. From
West Middletown 10 Wheeling almost an
air line road could be built, Of easy grades,
through rich and fertile section OF Couu-
try which is now uudeveloped distance
% miles), making the entire distance SO
miles, only four more than by the Hemp
field and yet through section OF country
rot drained by that road. The Construc-
ton OF this branch alone believe would
pay. But the Obserrsr further suggests the
building OF q branch from Finleyville, on
the Pittsburgh Southern Railroad, into
the Connellsville coke region, and II that
were done believe it would not only pay
but pay very handsomely in the invest
ment. II the latter branch we're built, not
only Wheeling but Pittsburgh would have
competing lines into the coke region.
The entire line from Wheeling, via West
Middletown, Washington and Finleyville,
into the coke region, would only be about
Us miles in length, over 20 miles being
already constructed, Besides the adyap-
tage to the manufacturers OF Wheeling in
the reduction Of the price Of coke, you
would have another line OF road to Pitts.
burgh through rich agricultural country,
whose trade does not now GO to Wheeling.
hope the business men OF Wheeling are
not so busy pushing the Parkenburg road
that they cannot give thought to this
road, which II seems to me would greatly
promote the wealth and prosperity Of your
city. N.