The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-06-30
w. Va. Central and Pittsburg R. R.

3 l
the Baltimore San of June 81 1881: The stock.
holders of the West Virginia Central and
Pittsburg Railway Company met at the office
of Shaw Bros. Maryland Building, Saturday
and elected Hon. Henry G. Davis, president s
B. Elkins, ce-president, c. M. Hoult, secretary
and treasurer, and the following board of di.
rectors: Alexander Shaw, Baltimore; Hon
Augustus Schell, New York; Hon. Jas. G
Blaine, Maine; Hon. VIM. H. Barnunl, Con
nectieut; Hon. 8. B. Elkins, New York Hon
]. N. Camden, West Virginia; VIM. Keyser
Davis West Virginia. Mr.. VIM. Keyser pre-
sided with Mr.. G. M. Hoult, secretary, and
among those present were Secretary Of State
James G. Blaine, Senator T. F. Bayard, OF
Delaware; Senators H. G. Davis and J. N
Camden, of West Virginia; Senator A. P
German, OF Maryland Hon. VIM. Pinkney
Whyte. s. B. Elkins, T. E. Sckels and Angus
tus Schell, OF New York !; John K. Shaw
Alex. shaw, W. T. Poole, w. G. West, r. G.
Hall and others. of Baltimore. Among the
prominent stockholders, other than those men
toned above, are Hon. VIM. Window, Secre-
tary of the Treasury; J. B. Chaffee. r. G. Ke-
rens and U. s. Grant. Jr., of New York.
The company was formerly known as the PO-
tomac and Piedmont Coal and Railway Com
pany, and was owned and controlled by Messrs
H. G. Davis & Bro, of West Virginia, and
Mcssrs Shaw Bros, of Baltimore: By an act
of the West Virginia Legislature, at its last SEES
sion, the name was changed to that OF the Test
Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway Com
pany. The road is of the standard gauge, and
connects with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
at point near Piedmont, about 200 miles west
of Baltimore, and is about completed to Elk
Garden, distance of twelve miles. Here the
company owns large body of coal lands, con-
~; 10 Co
foot vein, and is now opening mines and con-
Meeting them with the main road by inclined
planes, and by the 1st of September will be
ready to place this coal in the market. Besides
this, the company owns $4,000 acres of coal
ore and timber lands in fee in the Piedmont or
Potomac coal basin, and it is now its purpose
to Immediately extend its line from Elk Garden
south, through its coal fields. up the north
branch of the Potomac through Mineral and
Grant counties, thence to the southeastern
boundary of the State of West Virginia, there
TO connect with the Richmond and Allegheny
Railroad. The main line, when completed, will
be above 100 miles long, and will connect the
Baltimore and Ohio, the Chesapeake and Ohio
and the Richmond and Allegheny Railroads by
direct line north and south. The first fifty
miles of the line runs without break through
coal and timber lands, after which it reaches
the great iron deposit of West Virginia and
Virginia. The capital stock of the company is
So 700 900, and is all taken. the directors being
largely interested. The company propose to is
sue So, 600, 900 bonds. In addition to its rail
road and mining rights, the company possesses
the right in the charter, to build manufactures,
saw-mills, furnaces, &c. 1t has a contract
with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Compa-
ny, by which drawback of ten cents per ton
below its lowest rate is offered on all coal ship
ped by the railway company to the canal at
Cumberland Messrs. Shaw Bros, of this city,
have consented to act as the general agents of
the company and to take charge of its mining
interests. Mr.. T. E. Sickles, formerly chief en-
gineer of the Union Pacific Railroad, and now
consulting engineer, is to take charge of the
works, and the road will be pushed to early
completion.
Through the kindness of Maj. Jed Hotchkiss,
who knows more about the route than any
other individual perhaps, we are permitted to
publish the following from the advance sheets
of the June Nuyinias::
We may add to the above by stating that this
very important railway line connects with the
B. s. o. r. r. near where it crosses and leaves
the North Branch Potomac in going west,
and then follows North Branch for 40 or SO
miles, to its source, through the southwark ex-
tension of the Cumberland, or Potomac coal
basin, in Mineral and Grant counties, (See
Geol map in June 1880, No. of the VsrySnaas),
where the head-streams of the North
Branch, either Stony river or Maryland
creek, interlock with the waters of Black Fork
of Cheat river, in the Gland of Canaan" and
give passage way to that river, near its Dry
fork mouth, and to the route down it for the
Pittsburg branch of the railway, through
Tucker, Preston, and Monongalia counties.
W. Va. From the Potomac Cheat junction
southwark the route will probably be up the
Greenbrier limestone valley of the Dry Fork
of Cheat, in Randolph county, to some favora-
BILE point, as by Gauly creek, for crossing ALE
ghany mountain to North Fork of South
Branch Potomac in Pendleton county, W. Va,
thence by way OF the Dry runs of North Fork
and South Branch, through Valley limestone
country, to South Branch, near the Pendleton
-Highland(W. Va. line), thence through High
land, by way of Crab run to Mcdowell, on the
Bull pasture, then down that river to the Cow
pasture, in Bath, whence it may follow that
river, across Bath and Allegheny, to the Rich
mond and Allegheny r. r. at the head Of the
James at the mouth of pasture, or cross
to Min creek of North River and 60 through
Panther and North River gaps, by Goshen,
and down North river to Lexington.-We haye
not space now to comment further. Wear de-
lighted at the prospect opened by this great
railway enterprise for the development OF large
undeveloped areas of the Virginias, and shall
have more to say upon this subject hereafter
COMPLIMENT TO YOU'VE VIRGINIAN.-At
the commencement exercises of Georgetown
College, the highest honors were borne off by
Mr.. D. A. Shannahan. son of Maj, D. Shanna-