Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-10-11
The Nittany Valley Railroad.

at Mill Hall or Beech Creek to run TO
Bellcfonte and connect with the Buiia-
10 Run railroad, is a fixed and settled
fact. The money already expended
in a road along Buffalo Run, and the
fact that this road will not be sold to
the Pennsylvania company, will com
pei the construction of n road to con-
meet with the Reading at its nearest
and best point This point seems TO
be either Beech Creek or Mill Hall.
The important question now Is, which
Of these points will be selected? ? If
the route through Nttany Valley be
adopted, the road will have to connect
at Mill Hall. If the other route be
taken, the road will run down Bald
Eagle Valley and connect at Beech
Creek. So far as the interests Of Belle
fonte are concerned, it is a matter Of
some advantage that the road should
be made through the Bald Eagle
Valley. This route brings the Snow
Shoe coal seventeen miles nearer to us
than by the other route The road
will be at least ten miles shorter. The
cost of right OF way, in important
item in the construction of railroads,
would be comparatively little. But
aside from the -hortness Of the route
and cost of right of way, there are no
other good and sufficient reasons for
adopting this route. The valley has
railroad. There are no natural re-.
sources Of any description justiiying
the building of another road. No ore
deposits, no timber, no manufactures,
in short, no local freight Of any kind
warranting q new railroad.
Some Of the objection. TO the sclcc-
ton of the Nittany valley route can
be speedily removed.
One is that right Of way will cost
more. We answer that from Belle.
foutc to the Centre county line the
right of way has been freely given. In
the few instances in which it has not
beer secured. we will assert that fifteen
hundred dollars will purchase it. As
for Clinton county we cannot speak so
favorably. For a distance Of seven
miles there, the right Of way has not
been given. The proposition was made
to the citizens that if the right of way
was given, the company would build
the road and fence it. No favorable
response has been made to this propo.
sition. We have no doubt that the
opposition from leading citizens and
farmers from that end Of the line has
induced the company to seek q cheaper
and nearer route by way of Bald
Eagle Valley, But why not go 10
work aud do as the people Of Walker
township did, secure and offer the
right Of way at once They want and
need this rival road. 4 weeks work
among the people Of that locality will
remove this difficulty and probably
add the most important improvement
ever made to that portion Of Clinton
county. We honestly believe that if
right Of way was secured from the
Centre line down to Mill Hall that
the Nittany Valley route would be as
sured to us. Why should not this be
the best and cheapest route? 1t lies
through the most fertile and prosper.
Gus farming district in the state. The
amount of farm products and supplies
annually shipped to and from this
region would more than pay for the
ten extra miles of road required to
connect at Mill Hall. That's not all.
There are still valuable timber lands
in this section which would afford
shipping for years. Still more, Bald
Eagle valley has no ores. Nittany
valley, on the other hand, has regular
deposits of rich and valuable ores
from Mill Hall to Bellofonte, tho en-
tire length Of the road. There are
probably dozen ore operations going
on now. Given a railroad and the
freightage afforded by these and other
operations would be greater than any
road in this portion Of tho state. This
It = !