Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-03-15
AN rmpoRrAsv PAPER
Coneeruins the Opening OF Certain Streets
an Martins Ferry.

- -
snordsn. Who sirns himself Cd" to an arti-
Gle in the SUNDAY REGsrEE OF the Stn inss
refers therein to q number OF Things "
which the people Of Martins Ferry arc
intimately concerned, and az citizen
desire, With your consent to direct attention
to and expose the fsllacy Of the position ne
assumes and statements be makes. Inc
burden d. his complaint may be briefly SUM
med up thus:
"Why Is it that Council has refused to
open up two streets which would be oil more
importance to the town than the opening 2,
any others in the corporation, tor they Wouie
give direct route to the new cemetery ana
the new school houseY' The motive OF TINS
question may be drawn from the following
statement in the same article:
"Some Of the bigoted members OF Coun'
ell thought this might be OF some beneht 70
the Penn Mutual Insurance Company sud
Mr.. Spence, Cor, perhaps, they we're not
paid for lobbying these street bills through
so they defeated the motion to open up
Fifth street, and thus lost the right OF way
for Center street, which was undoubtedly
great loss to our city.
In order to get more directly at what L
desire to say in refutation Of I'D, l Will 60
somewhat into detailed account Of the part
played By these two streets, Fifth and Cen
ter over which he makes his lament. do
this briefly, and if the facts have the effect
on other minds that they have on mine, GER
tainly the Council will appear IN their true
light before the people.
1t is the duty of citizen to fairly appre-
I L -
bend the motive Of a public body before en-,
tering into Judgment upon its actions, ana
TO this end / submit the following statement
and ask for it careful perusal BY all con-
cerned:
The Penn Mutual Insurance Company
own twelve acres of land adjoining our city,
and without any way Of access to town ex
cept over private property. This tract OF
land ia bounded on the east by the lands Of
Seabright, Medill and Spence, on the north
BY the land of Rev, F. S. DeHass, on the
south By that of Joseph Bell, and on the
west BY the new cemetery, The opening up
of Fifth and Center streets, graded and
| Macadamized as they would then be, would
| bring the land of the Penn Mutual lnsur,
snce Company into sure and ready mar
ke. sud enhance its value not little. The
peculiar Importance of these two streets
begins now to be apparent. Fifth street runs
north and south and its extension would 60
over the land Of Mr.. Bell and necessitate the
! purchase of the right Of way from hum.
Center street runs east and west, and its
extension would likewise obhge securing a
right of way over the land OF Mr.. Spence
and others.
The direct route" referred to by the cor
respondent sd, would 90 by way of Fifth
street, but Fifth street would 60 by way Of
Mr.. Bells land and past that Of the Penn
Mutual Company Now, with view Of
giving the city the advantage Of this "direcl
route, the Council conferred with Mr.. Bel
for the right of way over his land This, he
would gladly and freely have donated TO the
city, out in consideration Of the great bene
fit the street would be to the Penn Mutuafs
land, he properly thought he should for that
reason, be awarded compensation, aud
very generously set price 81
The reduced sum of $500, for what
had originally cost him 81, $50 To this the
Council readily acceded, but With the IN
Outstanding that the Penn Mutual Insur
ance Company, as an Offset to the advan
tsges which would flow to them by the ex
tension Of Fifth street past their lands
should open up Centre street through their
grounds as far west as Seventh street. and
| permit the direct route to continue
over their lands until it reached the GENE
terry limits, distance barely short Of 200
feet. To this understanding the Penn
Mutual Company signifed their assent
through their agent in the presence OF the
city engineer and one Of the cemetery
trustees.
Work was accordingly begun upon this
200 feet Of the cemetery road over the lands
Of the Penn Mutual Company, and it contiu
ued until the Cemetery trustees had expend
! ed 800 upon the construction thereof. Just
at this point the agent Of the Penn Mutual
called hall, doubtless thinking that the pur-
! chase from Mr.. Bell was Low completed, and
| demanded that before the work could 20 any
| further the Council should also give GER
tain house and strip OF land together valued
at 81 200, in addition to the. opening up OF
Fifth street, this opening, bear in mind,
place On the part OF the Council.
They, however, not yet wholly bereft Of
their senses, very properly declined to in.
olude this additional consideration, and
now made repeated efforts to adjust the diff
ference, but without avail in a single in
stance.
Thus the direct route to the cemetery
having been blockaded by the agent Of the
Penn Mutual Company, and, in such cir
cumstsnces the opening up Of Fifth no
longer sdording direct route, the Coun-
Gil wisely concluded to reconsider the pur-
chase OF the right Of way over Mr.. Bells
ney 20 secure an option upon It so they
could continue their former intention, in
the event ofthe Penn Mutual conforming to
the original agreement.
Let as now turn to Center street, running
east ard west. The opening ofthis depended
on the opening Of Fifth The correspond
emf I'D. observes: '"Mr. Spence made a
deed to the town, giving them the right Of
way through his property for Center street
to Fifth street Now, as q matter Of fact,
Mr.. Spence did not own to Fifth street, and
could, therefore, deed no further than lie
owned. This he did 60 the following cor
ditions:
|. That the width Of the extension OF
Center street should be 50'ieet and not 60
feet, which is Me width &c THE street so far
as opened up.
2. That il Fifth street were not opened
up within six months from. the date Of Mr.
Spence's deed, then said deed to De null and
void.
We have seen that the trustees he'd begun
work on the direct route" to'the- cemetery,
and that the Penn Mutual Insurance Com
pany, through the greed of their agent had
called halt at SOertain stage Of the work.
Thersupon the situation stood thos:
The Cemetery Trustees were waiting on
the Penn Mutaal, the town CsUncil were
waiting on the Cemetery Trustees, Mr..
Spence was Visiting on. the town Council
Who then, was 1t fault P The correspondent
lays ID with the Council But tsaly, what OF
the Penn MutnAlH
If the mule had Oasy kept on without