Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-01-21
The Enisrprising Nelghbors We
Are to Get on Our New
Iron String.
A City Coming to the Front at the
Mouth Of the Little
Kanawha.
Business and Polltics--Social and
Industrial improvements Per
sonaI and General News.

NV'tslrN''N'
PARKERsBURG, w. Va, January 20
Coming back TO Parkersburg for q few days
after two years absence, the old town
seems to have taken fresh start in antict-
patton OF the opening of her new avenue
10 the Pennsylvania and Chesapeake and
Ohio systems. 1t may be a year before the
Ohio River Railroad is in operation between
Parkersburg and Wheeling-few place 1t
beyond thai period-snd the extension 10
to the Ohio aud West Virginia connection
at Point Pleasant may be still later, put
now that they are looked upon as nnalilles
their benefits are being aHtIclp ited.
The absence of competing lines hass6een
severely felt by the larger as well assthe
smaller industries of this section. The
Camden Consolidated Oil Company, which
sbipped thousand barrels a day
at one time, had rebate which enabled 1t
10 compete successfully with other points
and permitted it to even bring Penn
sylvania oil here for its retinerles, but tnat
1hurber of our State politics, Daniel DIDO
johnson, scared the Baltimore " ONO
authorities into withdrawing that con-
Ce ssion and since then the product has
Teen mainly confined to the material fur
nished by our own gradually lessenlug
petroleum supply.
OIL Industries.
Issked Mr.. Cole, who is one of the cour-
teous and intelligent representatives, oil
the company here, whether there was any
marked decrease in the West Virginia
petroleum during last year, and he said
| that while the decrease was not particular
ly mark ed within that period, 1t had been
| gradually falling of for some time past.
There are no longer any flowing wells
within the limits Of the State nd the low
| price Of oil has made pumping nprohtaoie
| for small operators. \ weF that only
Yields two or three barrels daisj will hardly
pay 10 work with oil at 81 %, and some
producers, to work to any adyant-
/ age, find it necessary to hook
up ard pump large number OF wells with
| one engine. As TO future supplies, while
| it is not believed the limits OF the oil belt
| in this State have been reached, the results
| Of its further exploration are OF course
| problematical. Senator Camden, in an
article on the Standard Oil Company, pub
| lished in the number of the North
| American Review, issued this month, states
that the first wells bored in West Virginia
yielded Oil at less depth and in greater
Quantities than the first wells OF Pennsyl-
| yania, and il may be that deeper boring
and discovery of new territory in this State
/ may redeem its first promise. with It's
present sources OF supply the Consolidated
| Company at Parkersburg last year shipped
j nearly two thousand cars Of the product OF
its retineries here and its business, employ,
ing an average Of about one hundred and
fifty hands, aggregated upwards OF $780,
| COO.
! New Enterprises.
The business OF this section seems to
! have fallen largely into the hands of COM
paratively young men. / asked Col. Geo.
Thompson, who is in half dozen ventures
| here, TO give me few industrial figures for
the newer enterprises of the community,
and the people to whom he referred me
were nearly all, like himself, in the first
| half of the three score and ten. Perhaps
! this accounts for the disposition to try new
things in manufacturing branches, OF
which establishments like those located
here for the purpose of making auiline
dyes, manufacturing wood pulp, etc, ETC.,
are notable examples.
The absence OF coal in the'immediate vi
cinity is less of drawback to manufactur-
ing than would first appear. Mr., Jas. G..
MOflett who has had considerable expert
ence as q purchaser for man anufacturing pur-
poses, told me that Pittsburgh coal could be
ordinarily delivered at less than four cents,
and that the community was amply pro-
tected against any famine in the river sup
ply through combinations or low water,
BY the railroad facilities for getting at the
Clarksburg field in the event Of emer-
genCy.
Should the government continue the i'm.
prOvement OF the Little Kanawha, fur
ther supply faom Calhoun and Gilmer
would be available.
The Little Kanaw ha Improvement.
Speaking of this improvement Con-
gresham Neal, of Ohio, puts himself on
record as a man who is willing to make
grave charges on insufficient information
or from malicious motives, in recent
statement made by him that the improve.
ment of that stream by the general govern
ment has been brought about by appro.
priations granted at the instance of Judge
jackson and for his own benefit. The i'm
proyement of the river by private enter.
prise, to which Gen. Jackson devoted his
best energies when living, comprises four
locks and dams and extends navigation
to Burning Springs nearly forty miles up
the stream. This work, according to the
report of Supt. Dellicker, cost $2Sl, 79l.l2
of which $l5S66l is represented by capital
stock subscribed by the city of Parkers.
burg and the counties of Wood and Writ,
in sums of $50, 600 each. the remaining s6S,.
coo OF stock being subscribed by private
parties) and the difference between the
stock subscribed and the cost OF the i'm.
provement being represented in bonds
held by creditors of the Company. The
stock held by the Jackson estate aggregates
$1,000, and that held by Judge Jackson in.
divIdually, $500. The Company, Col. Del
ticker states, has offered to obligate itself
to charge no greater tolls than those now
imposed, which, as it is, are insufficient to
pay the interest upon the Company's in
debtedness, in the event that the govern,
ment desires to continue the improvement
further up the river; or TO transfer the
property 10 the United States for an amount
sufficient to discharge the obligations OF
the Improvement Company if the govern.
ment prefers to assume control OF the en-
tire river. 1t would seem TO be in better
taste for Congressman to deal with
the improvement fairly and take
the work completed by the counties
and thei, citizens at q fair price, il they
want it, instead Of making defamstory and
untruthful accusations for the purpose OF
preJudiciug public opinion sgainst the en-.
terprise as IL now stands. The reservation
in the last appropriation made by the
Forty-seventh Congress, which makes the
sun of SSl, 600 conditioned on the aban-
donment by the Improvement Company of
its franchise and investment, is the more
invidiOus in the light of unrestricted ap
propristions for the Monongahela i'm prove,
| III NulCu slDCh W tue Ol
S2C0, 600, and paying nearly twenty per
cent, is held by private pIrties.
City Prospects.
With moderate luck Parkersburg ought
10 come 10 the front fast within the next
decade. Her manufactures are already
sufficiently diversified to prevent her from
feeling the blight which the depression OF
Il single industry sometimes brings upon =
city too largely devoted to it. Her manu-
factories now include the largest and best
wood working establishments in the State,
ber oil interests are as we'll secured as
those OF any refining point in the country,
a credItsble start has been made in foundry
and machine work, and in addition to tn q
experimental industries heretofore alluded
TO snd the miscellaneous establishments OF
ordinary manufacturing, she has we'll es-
tabliShed and growing business 10 to5Icco,
grain and the general products of = fertile
and we'll cultivated neighborhooi.
With population within the city limits
szgresatiDg upwards OF 1000, AID we'll
| settled suburban npiyhhorhODi she il en-