The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-08-25
ACARD


ACARD
In Reply 10 tIr. Kcyser. second vice
President OF the n. 40. n. n. ca.
EdIt6s IntSlllgencer.
The Second Vice President of the b, &.
o. i, n. Co. havingthought bestto submit
on the late railroad controversy his views
10 the public by q card in the newspapers
Of Saturday morning, | ask permission to
make q brief statement by way Of reply.
Soon after the p, W, & KY, road was
completed in the spring Of 1878, many per-
sons in the city thought 1t desirable that
the two roads should DO connected, so that
the inter.trafic OF the city, at least could
be- accommodated but 10 all inquiries
made Of the B. L o. agents here the uni.
form answer was given that 1t could not be
done. In October Of the same year q party
especially interested In having the con.
neCtton made succeeded in obtaining the
admission OF q prominent official otthe B.
& o. r. II. Co. that he thoughtthe ConneC.
ton might be made, but that the applica.
ton should be made by the other
company, as the younger company.
The party went Immediately to Pitts
burgh and conferred with Mr.. FELTON,,
General Superintendent Of the T., @. & St.
l.. Ry. Co., lessee OF the T., ". 4 Ky,
road, and asked him to make application
for o connectioi between the two roads.
Mr.. FELTON, had no sCruples on the subject,
and Immediately telegraphed Mr.. Devries
requesting that the connection be made.
The telegram was forwarded to Baltimore,
and after some delay an answer was re-
turned that II was not considered expedi-
ent that the connection be made at that
time, or words to that effect. The project
was OF course abandoned, and the Top
Mill Furnace had TO ship by river some.
thing like q thousand tons Of pig iron to
the La Belle Iron Works, hauling 1t down
10 the barges Of one end Of the line and up
at the other, though only two and q half
miles apart, which could and would have
gone by rail II the connection had been
made.
It was only after the counsel OF the B.
& o. R. R. discovered that by the law Of
ls47, forming the charter Of the B. 4 o.
Company, the Legislature could compel
the company to make the connection, and
q session Of the Legislature being near at
hand, they consented in December, tho
Legislature meeting In January, that the
connection should be made, which was
done by the P. @. & st. L. Company. The
parties most interested in preserving the
connection, fearing that II no action was
taken by the Legislature, the d. & o. Rail
road having consented so tardily, would
have the connection broken as soon
as the Legislature adjourned, had the bill
to which Mr.. Keyser refers prepared and
introduced in the Legislature. This was
done without the knowledge or approval
ofthe p, @. & st. L. authorities, and as
soon as it. was brought to their notice
they requested that there should be no
Legislation on the subject, but that the
whole matter should be left to the comfy
Of the two companies. Their letter to
that effect was left with the attorney of
ltheB & o. R. R. Co. In accordance with
their request, the parties introducing the
bill had It Withdrawn and 1t failed to be-
come a law. It Is true that the b. 4. O.
r. r. Co. desired TO have the bill become
a law, not because it would fix the rela.
lions Of the two companies, butbecause It
would fix the status Of the B. &. o. Co., as
the Legislature in passing the act would
recognize the B. & o. R. r. Co. US an in.
corporated company with a valid charter,
and this fact could be relied on should the
Legislature attempt to vacate it's charter
for acts previously done or left undone,
which al that time 1t was thought the Leg.
islature might tryto do. This Is the whole
history of the bill, inside and outside, on
which Mr.. Keyser lays 80 much stress and
which he thinks was connected some way
with some covert designs on the part Of
the managerso Of the P. W. & Ky. road.
In regard to the 'lawless proceedings"
as Mr.. Keyser is pleased to term the action
OF the T. W. Ky. R. R. Co., in maintain
ing its rights, l beg leave to refer to the
following authority from the city Of Wheel
ing:
WHEELING, W. Va, August 81, 1870.