Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-10-27
Corcspondsnce of TIE Reaister.


But to drop politics can say to the people
ii the river counties, between the two
leading cities of the State that they
will be greeted by the noise OF the
steam horse on the first day OF February
next. Col Page still hopes that the road
will be opened by the first Of the new year
but l think that hardly possible. Track
lsying is progressing with great rapidlty,
no less than a mile day being placed.
The immediate supervision Of the road is
under Capt. Geo. +. Harris, OF New York,
who IL Laying the Track
with his latest method and appliances.
The psrty Of editors who went over the
road rs lar as finished were delighted with
their trip. \ number OF distinguished
men from different parts of the State &C
cOmpanied the party, including Governor
Jackson, Caleb Boggess, OF C.arksburg, Al
bert Lewis, of Weston, W. y. Chancellor,
Of Parkersburg, and the
PresidIent of the Road.
"Camden's business career" said lead
ing Parkersburg citizen, "has been phe
uOn.ina one. LESS that twenty-five years
sgo he was a britflPss barrister, travelling on
horse back over the interior mountains, and
IraCtiCing at the country towns wherever
he could procure case.
About 1850 he came 70 Parkersburg and
! accepted a CierSShip at salary OF uEe DOL
lars a week When the oil excitement
| broke out he began to ospeculate quietly anu
Was nearly always successful. \ company
vas formed consisting of himself, Col
! Chancellor and Col. W. p. Thompson, who
il now secretary of the Standard, with
| HEADQUARTERS at Cleveland. Tn~y bought
| and sold oil lands and went into the Oil
J business themselves. Through
Hard work and Shrewd Business Man.
aEement
| this company began to accumulate ana II
made money rapidly. When the company
| sold out to the Standard, Chancellor and
| camden went out Of the oil business, ous
! Thompson removed to Cleveland and &C
| cepttd position in the office Of the stand
/ ard Company, with salary OF S2oOOO a
year. Cdmuen's greatest hoooy, Is the
| DEVELOPMENT OF the resources OF the STATE
| An of his money is invested
| within the bounds of West Virginia and
| principally in railroads, coal and timber
| lands He is q large owner and director in
! the West Virginia Central road and IN the
| Clarksburg, Weston and BuCkhannon road
| He has much money invested in extensive
| tracts OF timber lands in the southern por-
| zion of the State, where he may build
Other Roads in the Future.
Camden is very different from many
men of large means. h cares nothing for
.Ccumulaling for the sake OF having
large bank account, but as rapidly as he
scuuires weslth he reinyestS II IN some
Srate enterprise which will be beneficial to
| The people and assist in building up the
wealth and reputation OF the State.
Colonel Chancellor
is another Of Parkersburg's most enter
prising citizens. From the position OF a
hank teller twenty years sgo he has risen
| to be one Of the leading business men OF
he State with fortune, amounting to
| considerably more than
Quarter of a Million Dollars.
He was also Cne of the pio-
neers in the Ohio River road
movement.
TWO days in Parkersburg, and were
| right royalty entertained. An elegant
| habOuet was rendered them on "Wednesday
| evening and the night was merry one
Every thing was done by the good people
of the town to make the feast success,
As IL Certainly Was.
Col McEldowney, Of Wetzel, who by the
way would make very good stick OF Con-
greSsiOnal timber, presided with becoming
grace and dignity. Being a we'll known
! bachelor, he was quite fayOrite with the
ladies. The editor of the local press should
receive special recognition from the sssocia-
ton for the part they played in the enter
tainment of their guests.
! Thursday morning the party left for
Piedmont, and that day was spent explOr-
ing the wilds OF the country near by over
the
" est Virginia Central and Pittsburgh
railroad, which is commonly known as the
Davis Elkins Blaine road.
This road peneIrates country that was
principally wilderness when the snort Of
the iron horse was first heard in it. Ii is
| an enterprise that has attracted attention
| throughout the country, not only because
! of the prominence of the gentlemen con-
! nectsd with it. but because OF the fabulous
! millions which are reported to be secTeted
J in the towels OF this territory, and which
are to be unearthed by this new enter
! prise.
! guest at his
Delightful Home Near Deer Park
! in the person of his son in.lsw, Hon. 5.
| Elkins, then delegate in Congress from
| New Mexico. AS they sat together in the
\ shade of the pleasant pi4zza aud talked OF
| The coal veins hid in the hills along the
! upper Potomac, Steve Elkins suggested 10
| his fsther-in law that money might be
| made by buying these lands which were
| offered at cheap figures and by building
railrosd to the coal basin. man OF
such sstute business sense as Senator
Davis was not SLOW to catch on and the
project definitely took shape. These lands
| were owned largely in large tracts by par
| ties who had no means to improve them,
! and TO whom, in
Their Depressed Financial Condition,
they were 8 burthen in the way of taxes
and no income. Vain efforts had been
made 10 dispose of them. Quietly they
were picked up by Davis and Eikins at
moderately low fgures. and after a sutfi
cient territory bad been secured the rsrl
road enterprise WAS set on foot. Seventy
thousand acres of the land was capitalized
into the railroad project These land
were covered with abundance of fine tim.
Der. Beneath the surface lsy numerous