Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-01-24
A SUDDEN LULL
In Railroad Matters and Rumors at
Fairmont.
A PRETTY LITTLE BLUFF GAME
That Did MOI Work for Several Reasons
The Promoters Of the West Virginia
and Pennsylvania in
the East
Special 10 the Register.

FAIRNoNr, w. Va, January 23.-There Is
something Of lull in the railroad gossip
Of this section since the departure OF the
B. & O. officials. The indications to the
average observer are, that something IS IN
the wiud--what may develop-whether or
not the two great corporations have
grounded fair aims and resorted to tricks,
or whether either or both is occupied IN
The perfection of q scheme-not deceptive,
but only erDale-doth not yet appear. As
regards the purposes of the B, & o., or the
Pennsylvania Central, our people ere equal
W IN the dark: There isUnfy one Sute snS'
stesdfsst proposition, namely: The 4 d U.
will build its road between Fairmont anu
the State line, upon the choice OF routes,
unless the Pennsylvania Central in person
will come to fight them. The West Nir-
ginia and Pennsylvania Company are
judicious set OF merchants and farmers,
good business men in their line and sue
cessful, but in railroading their experience
is not large, and if they were not guided oy
the ablest legal counsel, their likelihood to
establish aud hold the choice OF routes
would not inspire the greatest confidence.
But the
Apparent Pause In the Railroad pro-
ceedings
Of this country would not seem difficult o.
explanation to one here on the ground and
Observing the movements. The solution
does not seem far TO seek. Let Us see:
1t has been very generally understood.
that George Sturgiss, of Morgantown, own.
ed all The franchise of the Iron Valley cor
poration between that place and the Penn
sy.vania line, including its Eight OF way
acquired, etc. He, himself, claimed to
"carry in his vest pocket" all the rights
end rivileges Of that part OF the Iron ' al
ey location, and, the b. 4 o. having con
reGed the imprscticabiiity OF heading oil
the Vest Virginia, and Pennsylvania Cen
irsl road between Feirmont and Morgan
Town, at once seized upon the idea OK buy
,ne Sturgiss out, and defeating the prOjrc
ion of the West Virginia and Penrsylva'
MIA Central below Morgantown, By holding
The franchise of the Iron Valley, IN ad'
verse possession. Why that prudent COM
tapy were led into cIediting the represen-
tatiOns of Sturgiss, professed paper ral!,
road shark, is not so clear. But certain IT
is, that large force OF b. d y. officials
went to Morgantown recently, accompan:.
led by counsel, and spent the interval oil
two days there,
Inyestiga aiipg the Title and Ownership
of the Iron Valley besween that place and
the State line, with no other motive than
to buy those privileges outright. Ihe re-
suits of that investigation have never beeu
made satisfactorily known nor OF that
conference with SturSiss. But 1t has
leaked out that the B Il o. were not thor
ougLly satisfied with the Sturglss hold
ings, and so tie whole party returned to
Baltimore, accompanied by Sturgiss, Ha
gans, NCGrew and others, and now the
story has come back 10 US that it turned
out under the microscopic Investigation OF
the T. * o. in executive chamber, that
Mr.. Sturgiss simply had nothing to sell,
and that the hope entC 'tained by the B. X
o. Of operating the West Virginia and
Pennsylvania road through him has failed
and failed, it seems, without his fault
Hence the bull. The energetic b.
having failed in one scheme, must have
time to mature another.
Meantime, Mr.. President Loundes, Ben
Wilson, and Jos. f. Sands, are all in the
EAST, CODISTTIDB VIII clusg glNaula NCh'
tral oiiicials-aud no doubt
PerfectinE some Plan
by which the construction Of the West
Virginia and Pennsylvania road can go on.
From the length OF time they haze spent
in such conference, We naturally expect
pretty solid results. So also, the counsel
and officers of the B. d o. are now consult
ing IN the East. But Sturgiss, OF Morgan
,o wit ha
West, having taken the early train from
Grafton a few days ago, perhaps 10 grow VI
with the country"
One other thing seems pretty closely set
tied in the judgment OF our people-name
iy- that the Fairmont, MDrgantown anu
Pittsburgh charter was only creature o
utility. The Indications now are, that tn
B. & 0. never did intend to construct :hC
road bearing that name, but had that char
,tr issued only as a .ee'er-though JUS
what they Intended TO feel thereby is no.
"a easy q explanation. Both corporations,
he b. Il. o. ssd the West Virginia aud
P.urs sylyania have force at work grading
and iittirg the grade for the ties.
The movements of certain officials and
their sgenis OF the b. & .. continue to per
pltx US. They are silent, mute as clans,
But Always at Work,
and, they say, doing as good work as they
want to do. They have msde scores Of
journeys TO and from Baltimore; they
nave i'm ported squads Of hands; they have
bought supposed necessary river crossing,
in fee simple; they have daily received
ard daily sent some half bushel kilograms
10 ard from Baltimore they have ruu two
or three general bold games of bluff upon
the home company; but they seem to have
at last s,aked their whole fight on the Stur.
gIs> Hagans-McGre interests in the Iron
valley.
The movements OF the West Virginia and
Pennsylvania road are not much more sat
,sfaciory. They put batch of men to
work at each end OF their line, and then
went ntawsy-nohody knows where. L0uudes
Is in the East, but he wisely tells no tales
The Hoods, who have been "how.ing atore
their hinder legs" have gone home salts
fed. and there 10 a calm.
What this county needs is competing
railroads Shall We have them? We shall
sse.