Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-08-20
WHEELING AS A RAILROAD CEN
TER

Whilethe conflict thickens' between
the railroad companies for advantage of
ingrcss and egress to and from our city
il is not without some feeling OF pride
that Wheeling may already contem-
plate her position as "a railroad center.
Already our city may be said to pos
sess competing lines to every point OF
the compass. We have the Central
Ohio division OF the Il. < o., the Cleye-
land and Pittsburgh, andwill soon have
the Tuscarawas road, giving us very
direct access to all parts Of the North,
Northwestand Southwest; the Baltimore
and Ohio. and the 2. W. x Ky. give US
easy communication with all parts OF
the Northeast, Southeast and South, to
which will doubtless be added in a
short time, the Hempfeld, as COM
peting line in the same direction.
There is in fact but one other route
over which line Of railroad could add
anything to the advantages already pos
sessed BY the city, and this will be oc-
cupied in time by the extension OF the
Z. W. 4 Nv. along the river to Parkers-
bury and Huntington, connecting with
the Chesapeake and Ohio and the Lex
ington and Big Sandy roads. Whatever
NAV be further added TO the cIty's posi-
ton bv means OF railroad enterprise,
can only come in the way Of feeders to
the lines already entering the city. y
road through the central part of the
State, such as projected by the Pitts
burgh and West Virginia Southern
Company, would open up the mineral
wealth and enable Wheeling to utilize
il in her vast furnaces instead Of going
10 foreign fields for supplies.
When TO these immense railroad con-
nections are added the river commune
cations, it is difficult to conceive Of q
city more advantageously located than
Wheeling is to-day. We can recall no
city Of its size possessing superior adj
vantages in this regard. With them
Wheeling ought to grow. We can con-
ccive Of no reason or contingency that
would interfere with a steady, If not a
rapid advance in both business and pop
ulation. Other branches of industry
will sOOn be added To the large manu-
factories in our midst, Larger business
houses will take the places OF those now
standing. The waste places OF our ter
ritory-ii any are leit-will be speedily
filled up. The city will begin to reach
out in new directions.
Some one has prophesied that the
next generation would see the limits OF
the city encircling Moundsville and the
beautiful valley in that locality. 1t is
altogether probable that the present ter
ritory OF the city will be needed and Oc-
cupied exclusively for business pur-
poses. What we need most IS space for
residences. The beautiful valley of
Wheeling creek offers advantages to
which the only drawback of speedy
overcome. An arm Of the. city will
reach ont in this direction before many
years. Nor 10 We entirely despair of
seeing Wheeling Hill utilized for
the same purpose. 1t would not be a
formidable undertaking to make it into
terraces with streets running parallel
with the course OF the Hill with COM
mon outlet at the ends of the hill OF
very easy grade. II the houses were
then built against the terraces the lower
stories could be used from one street,
while the upper stories could be entered
directly from the upper street. Wheel
inc hill might thus become very pic
turesque and desirable part of the city.
SOLDIERS REUNION.