The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-05-18
A PROMISING PLAN
THE RIvER
From PhiIip,burg, Pa, to wheeling Jaas.
aop, via New OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES In
the General COnpscliOn-A Much
Needed RoAd-Is 1t to be BuIlt9

Mr.. ]. NJ, Porter, Of New Cumberland,
was at the Mcclure House yesterday, Mr..
Porter is the New Cumberland "briCk
king" who has furnished all the fire.
brick and yitrifsd blocks used in paving
streets in this city. Just now Mr.. Porter
and number Of other gentlemen Of Han
cock county have in contemplation q
scheme to build a railroad from Phillips
burg, Butler county, Pa, to New Cumber-
land, Hancock Countyia distance Of TWEEN
ty-fye or thirty miles, P~hillipsbuEg Is the
terminal point Of the Pittsburgh 4 Lake
Erie road on the south side Of the Ohio
river, and from that place to Wheeling
Junction there is no road on this side Of
the river. The country intervening is one
OF the wealthiest, agrieulturally and min
orally, in the vicinity. AT new Cumber-
land are the largest fire brick works in
West Virginia or Western Pennsylvania,
In seasons Of low water 1t is very hard to
get their bricks to market, tho only re-
naming way being the Cleveland 4 Pitts
burgh road, which makes an arbitrary
rate, as q rule, In winter the river often
freezes over 80 as to cut of both river and
rail communication. To obyiate these
difficulties and TO make competition at all
times possible the gentlemen named have
taken the matter In hand and will likely
push 1t through,
Inthis connection the Pittsburgh Com
msrciaI GGiete OF yesterday says;
1T WILL BR BUILT.
A prominent railroad official OF this
city said last night in the M~onongahela
House: "The scheme is entirely prac'
ticable and / am surprised that 1t has mol
been pushed before, The Panhandle
leaves the river at the lower end OF this
city and don't come back to 1t till you get
to q point opposite S~teubenville. The
Lake Erie goes to P~hillipsbnrg, and all
the people below are compelled to ferry
their stuH across to the O. & P. or depend
upon the Ohio river boats for Its transpor'
tation. My idea Is to build the road To
New Cumberland and from q point near
that place build q bridge over the Ohio
river into Jefferson county, Ohio, above
~Steubenville, then follow the river to
Martins Ferry and Bsllaire, o. This
bridge will be built over the river al
Browns Island, one OF the lagest islands
on the Upper Ohio. 1t car be built
cheaper and better than any bridge ever
thrown over the Ohio. Some treatling
will have to be done on the Ohio side for
q short distance, ~ was done In this city
on the South Side by the Lake Erie, but
1t will be only for q few hundred yards,
The Cleveland & Pittsburgh now has a
monopoly OF the business from Bellaire to
SteubenVille and from S%teubenVille to
' Rochester, on that side Of the river. Al
S~Leubenville are three glass houses, a nail
mill, two immense blast furnaces and a
large number oil factories Of other desCrip'
tlons.
SOME ADVANTAGES,
"At Mingo, one mile below, Is a nail
mill, blast furnace and steel plant, while
a half dozen towns OF good size lie be-
tween Mingo and Martins Ferry. Al
Brilliant there Is a nail mill and large
glAss.house. At Martins Ferry there D 70 a
nail mill, blast furnace, three large glass
factories, two great sheet mills, several
~ioundries, machine shops, and two large
agricultural implement works, and at
Bridgeport ara two glass houses. AT Bel
Iaire are q dozen tableware and window
glass houses, two or three fouudries, a
nail mill, blast furnace and steel plant.
There the Baltimore 4 Ohio bridge crosses
the Ohio river, and by an arrangement
with 1t we might carry a great deal Of the
Wheeling trade now captured by the Pan.
handle and the Cleveland 4 Pittsburgh.
The scheme Is not quite in shape yet, but
it will take shape before long. Look at
the connections. AT Phillipsburg We
touch the Lake Erie, and with II the New
York, Pennsylvania & Ohio, and Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Systems. AT
Steubsnville both the Cleveland & Pitts.
burgh and the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati &
st. Louis. At Martins Ferry the Wheel.
ing 4 Lake Erie, at Bridgeport the Oleve-
land, Lorain 4 Wheeling, and at Bellaire
the baltimore 4 Ohio east and west. In
my opinion It will be as good q road as
either the Lake Erie or the Pittsburgh q
Western"
MR.. BEERS AS "ROGER,"