Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-12-05
THE IRON CITY.
PROJECTED RAILROADS AND WHAT IT
WILL COST T0MAKE THEM.
Freight and Traffic Of Western Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh as Railroad Center-The
Pittsburgh and Rochester-A New
Line East and West-And One
Through West Virginia,
THE JUNCTION ROAD A FIXED FACT.


| THE JUNCTION ROAD A FIXED FACT.
| Special Correspondence OF The Register.
| PITTSBURGH. PA, December 4-The Bos-
| ton Herald, few weeks ago. said it would
| take $l00, 1000, 900 to complete the railroads
projected around Pittsburgh. BY this ex-
| preston the Herald doubtless means the
| whole of Western Pennsylvania, and il can
| not be very far wrong in its calculations. Ii
| is pretty safe TO say, however, that the
greater portion OF that hundred million
| will never be expended, inasmuch as the
many roads projected will never reach n
more advanced stage OF completion than
| projection. For two years past there has
| probably been issued at Harrisburg All
| average of
Two or Three Railroad Charters
a week. In the vast majority OF the eases
| where charters were granted there was no
| intention of ever building the roads on the
| part of those obtaining the charters. Their
| aim, in most instances, was merely to OBJ
| tain control OF available routes, with view
| of afterward selling them to parties who
really wished tO build road. In this man
| ner almost every available route over which
| Il railroad might be constructed, in PennSyl-
| yania, is covered by a charter. In mum
| Der of cases very handsome prices have been
realized by the fortunate owners Of these
| privileges.
There IL No Locality
in the whole length and breadth OF our
| country able To support more railroads |
| than just this same Western Pennsylvania.
| The coal, iron and other minerals with
| which the region aboUnds furnishes an al
most upeGhapStable supply of freight for
| as many railroads as cen he built. Each
| hundred feet of ground over which road
passes is capable OF furnishing many car
| loads OF freight. and back of these are hun
dreds of other feet equally rich, and from
beneath, the strata Of coal and iron ore |
come more thousands OF car loads OF oil. |
The Capability Of this country for support |
ing railroads may be well illustrated in the |
Southwestern Pennsylvania Railroad, a |
short branch line OF the Pennsylvania Cen |
tral, running from Grecnsburg, in West |
mOreland county. to COnncllSville III Fay |
cttc county, distance of twenty seven |
miles. The freight receipts of this line |
| for the single article of coke is 50 POO day, |
and within few weeks they expect to in
crease their revenue from this source 81 900 |
day hy adding more cars to their rolling |
stock.
Pittsburgh
is considerable OF 4 railroad centre already. |
Running east we have the Baltimore and |
Ohio, the great Pennsylvania. and the Lake |
Eric, which, connecting with the Wander |
bIlt system OF roads i'll Ohio, affords us an |
outlet north, east and west. To tho west, |
again, we have the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati |
and St LOuiS-Pan- -Handlc--and the Pitts |
burgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago. To the |
north we have the Allegheny Valley. These |
roads, with their branches running to Cleye-
land, Erie and Wheeling, afford us an out
let in almost every direction. NOtwith- |
standing the fact that these lines are con- |
trolled by three different arrangements, |
this city has never prOtited by any of the |
numerous wars waged by rival lines and |
has always figured more as local than q |
terminal point. BY some of the new lines !
now projected, and on some Of which work !
has actually begun. the city hopes to obtain !
relief III THIS partlCular and 10 become one |
OF the
Leading Competing Points.
Merely to cnumeratc the roads projected /
in different directions would take more |
space than you could well afford to give;
therefore ! shall continc myself to several
of the more important lines either under
construction at present or the building OF
which is probable in the near future.
Last Wednesday Il charter was issued al
Harrisburg to railroad company 10 be
known as the
Pittsburgh and Rochester.
This charter provide! or the consolidation
of six roads. some OF which are now built.
into one company. These roads are the
Pittsburgh and Western, Pittsburgh and
New York Rochester and Pittsburg, Roch.
ester and Charlotte, Buffalo Rochester and
Pittsburgh, Bradford and State Line,
and the Great Valley and Brad
ford The first named, the
Pittsburgh and Western, is an important
road in itself. The greater part OF it is now
constructed, and rs soon as finished ii will
bring the city into direct connection with
the
Great Wabash System.
and at once make it competing point.
The capital Of the new Pittsburgh and Ro-
chester Company is to be SlO,ooO,0Oo. The
new line Mill lead to the lakes and the East,
and in a sense be the last link in the great
Wabash system. Starting from this city,
the line runs via the Pittsburgh and West
ern and the Low Grade division Of the
Allegheny Valley now under Goulds con
trol. to Brookyilic. Pa From Brookvillc,
the Pittsburgh and New York carries the
road to Bradford; the bradford State Ling
lakes il to the Pennsylvania State line,
where the Great Valley and Bradford con
meets. and runs on To Salamanca AT this
point connection is made with the New
York, Pennsylvania and OHIO formerly
the Atlantic and Great WESTERN giving an
outlet East and West. By the
Pittsburgh and Rochester
route. the road pushes on To Rochester,
and from there 10y the Rochester and Char
lottc il reaches Charlotte. on Lake Ontario,
an important lake port. The consolidated
road will be controlled by Eastern Capital
lists. James Cutlery, OF this city being the
only Western man i'll the pool.
Having secured good outlets North, East
gnd West Pittsburg capitalists have turn
4 ,J4nir ott.ntinn N tbp south and have |
been casting about for way to reach the
valuable mineral deposits ~ W"s' N'f,n'-
and Old Virginia, uIrL At the salhc ''Iir
make connections with the Southern sys-
tenn of roads and attract nGrc Ui the Sputh-
eru trade To this point. Of several routes
nroiected shall mention hut two, both H
which are sure of construction III the not J
very remote future. Early last spring
President James H. Hopkins and Snperir-
tcndent Ramsey, Of til" Pittsburg south
crn narrow guagc took an eXienhGn tr'P
tGrourh West Virginia aud looked over
ssyeraI routes bv which A railroad might he,
easily built After tlnr return several
New York capitalists were interested in the
,ahcme and il WAS resolved Ln puaAthc
Southern S6athward.
As Won know the road Is al saady hilit ~
far AS Washington. Pa. The n"~ roaL
which has been surveyed. rii! moi go 20
Washington Leavin., the PreS"n7 ROAD ~
point called virgin" ''Al'''''- a., y.
run soath by way Of Abrrfniown, w. va,
will cross the Baltimore ard Ohi" Sa"rt
distance east of Grafton, run thtuugh bGV-
erly and Huntcrsylic, ANA thence hH '"r
GrGerhricr Valley, to 4, psint OH the Giseea-
pcakc and Ohio road. at sr-near rhe w illte
Euiphmr springs This snd'of the line will |
he very much irprorcI By leaving the
present location at Castle shannon and
coming to Pittsb1rgh BY way OF Bag saw,
nil r,in and SynritcallY t.nnCling COsl 7
Hin. There is tsIk alav.of running branch /
of :hc Pittsburgh Sosthern to Wheeling,
and of eventually changing che whole line
from narrow 10 = broad s!agr When
this is done lis cor sec;ioE Will! the CheSa-
| pagke and OAio Will give II cnnncctioha