Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-08-17
NOTES BY THE WAY.
A Racy Letter From the Pretty Cap
ital Of the Good County
Of Upshur.
The Narrow Guags Railroad Sys-
tenn the Thing for a New
or Hllly Section.
Buckhannon Forging Rapidly Ahead
Under the Stimulus Given by
the New Railroad.
Fro.a OR SDseIal SaS Correspoadeaoe.


in developing their material resources they
find but little time to devote to politics.
Sensible people. The immediate cause ofa
railroad boom in this part of the State is the
advent of some railroad msgnates who talk
business. Mr. VIM. NJ Clements, the Mas
ter of Transportation on the Baltimore and
Ohio road, and also President of the Graf
ton and Greenbrier, accompanied BY
number of gentlemen interested in the lat
ter enterprise, reached this place on Tues
day evening of this week. With him came
Mr. Bradshaw, General Superintendent Of
Construction and Repairs on the B. L o.,
Capt. Geo. NJ Whitescsrver, Supt. Of the
Grafton and Greenbrier, and Directors
Hall and DAYTON of the same company.
At a meeting of the citizens Of the town
held at the Barlow House they submitted
proposition to extend their road from Phil
iPpi to this point. If the people OF the
county respond promptly, and the indica-
tions are that they will, it is probable that
within the coming wear Buckhannon will
have two railroads within her limits 1t was
the original intention to extend the G. 4 G.
from PhiEppi to Beverly but the people Of
Randolph county imposed 50 many restric-
tions and conditions upon ther subscription
il becomes unavailable, and unless the lin
itations are removed there is not much pros
pect of Randolph having railroad in the
near future. In addition to this fact an ex-
perimental survry of the line shows a xmore
practicable route TO the Chesapeake and
Ohio road can be had from Graf
ton By way of the Buck
hannoR river than by the head of the Ty.
CARTS valley. In the event that the Buck
hannon line is adopted the only way that
Randolph county can get out of the woods
is to build road from Beverly to Buckhan-
non, which will probably be done.
Benefit of Narrow Guage Roads.
1t is wonderful how well adapted narrow
guage railroads are to West Virginia. The
little road running from Clarksburg by way
of Weston to Buckhsnnon has been phe-
nomeual success, and | am creditably in
formed, is the best paying enterprise In the
State. The little road from Grafton to Phil
Eppi is already beginning to pay, although
it commenced its operations under serious
Mr.. Clements informs me
that within the last two months the earn
ings of the road have been sufficient to pay
expenses, to pay the interest on their bond
ed debt, and a surplus left over. That
speaks we'll for Young enterprise that has
made beginning. These roads
are not only paying their projectors, but they
are enriching the country through which
they pass. They create business, they build
up enterprises that were never dreamed of
before their coming they have increased
the value of real estate and have
made marketable lands which
formerly could not be sold for any price,
hey cause an influx of population and capi-
tsl, and it is no wonder the intelligent peO-
Of West Virginia who are alive to their own
interests, look with with suspicious eye upon
hat species of political demagogism which
seeks the qualification Of personal ambition
At the expense of the prosperity of the
State, and its rapiddeyelopment.
a Succeessful Experiment..
1t has been argued against narrow
,uage railroads, that they could be OF no
value to cattle dealers, aud live stock ship
Ders. The fallacy of that argument has
been exposedSb by recent experiments.
Mr. Levi Leonard, large cattle dealer Of
this comfy, was the pioneer shipper over
the road from Buckhanuon to Clarksburg,
and found it a success With the single
of changing cars at ClarSs-
burg. he shipped cattle through from Buck
hsnnou TO Philadelphia and New York. 1t
takes two carloads on the narrow
guage to fill one Of the B. 4 ..
cars. Mr.. Clements has improved on
this experiment with his road from
PhiIlippi to Grafton. He pats a B. 4 y.
car on the narrow guage trucks and loading
the cattle at Philhppi, ships through to Bal
timore or New York without change OF cars,
only changing trucks at Grafton.
The Evidence OF Improvement
The best evidence to my senses OF the i'm
provement made BY even narrow guaSe
railroad upon an interior section OF the
State is what see right here at Buckhan-
non. Just twelve months ago when the
road was completed to this point Buckhan-
non was a quiet, pleasant but spathehc ht-
tie country town having all the appearance
of being finished village. Go where you
will TO-DAY through the town, in any drec'
tiop. and YOU hear the noise OF pounding
hammers as new buildings are going uPand
being finished, you hear the hum OF ma chin
srv Won see vast stacks of lumber pilei up
preparatory to being shipped away, you oo-
serve draws going up and down the streets
bauGus "a and from the stores The spires
of new churches and the walls OF new edu,
cational institutions show that the moral
progress of the peopleis keeping pace with
their material prosperity:
Only twelve months have elapsed since
the railroad came, and yet among the nu-
merous improvements and new enterprises
which have sprung up within that time
see a large woolen mill operated By Parker
4 Bowman: a handle factory owned 6y a
Pennsylvania firm and superintended oy
Mr. Tom Brady, late Of Wheeling. THIS
factory is now Shipping broom and shovel
handles to Europe. And here is large
nIanipg mill busy with its work for the
local trade and also dressing lumber Tor
sb;pmeut to other States; two wagon and
caTriage factories; saw mills and Timber
aids and a boom across the Buckhsnnon
R;ver And here are also two large Hour
inc mills, one run by steam and owned oy
q W. Hart, and the other by water. the
nronerty of ex-Goyernor Farnsworth- The
istter gentleman has Just supplied his mill
~;tb new equipments, and is said TO be the
most perfectly equipped Touring mill In
West Virginia. having all Of the besa and
most modern mill machinery. The man
and capped Barlow House, with
Ia neat appointments and the CHEEKY
welcome of It's genial host Is among the con