Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-08-11
THE RAILROAD WAR.
THE c. &P. PEOPLE PUTTING UPA MONSTER
FRAME STRUCTURE,
In Bridgeport Which viii Efeetually Block the
O., L. & W. Road, Should
Il Be Finished.

The Pennsylvania Railroad Company Is
a monster corporation, and the town, indi-
vidual or corporation that fights it finds
an enemy worthy of its steel. This
has been very clearly proven in the
fight between the Pennsylvania Company
and the c., L. & w. Co. from Bridgeport
to Martins Ferry. First the Pennsylva-
MIA Company, after the Martins Ferry
Council passed the c., L. & W. right OF
way ordinance, tried to get Its first street
switch connected withits main line at two
points, so that no other road could cross to
the industrial contents of the bow formed
by the switch and main line. Failing IN
this, they placed piece of track on con-
tested piece of ground in Bridgeport, and
after much deliberation with the town con-
scented to sign truce till August 10.
No doubt feeling that the piece OF ground
in question might not belong to them, or
that the C.. l.. & w. might, with the con-
sent of the court, condemn the platt, they
commenced another and more formidable
obstruction, yesterday. Like the wolf III
the fold, construction train, with one
hundred or more men and several cars of
timber, came down to Bridgeport early
Yesterday morning. The lumber was I'M
loaded on the depot platform, and the
workmen commenced nj once to build
structure which, for all the information
any outsider could CLEAN, might be called
a what is it" In such matters We can
| only be sure of what We can see, ana all
we could see was one hundred men buslly
engaged in shaping out OF heavy timberS,
a frame work about thirty feet wide by
sixty long, on the river bank,
| lust above and opposite the {. +.
passenger station. When quericd rs to
whatit was all hands joined in one chorus,
sDamfino." The only tangible intorma-
! ton which could be got were few over
heard remarks of Roadmaster Dixon,
which were us follows: THE ground be-
longs to us, and we might need building
here for some purpose, and since some OF
our men are unemployed they might rs
we'll build it now, while we are slack.
The building, whatever it is to be, extends
SO far over the river bank that passage
around it can only be made by treSties OF
driving spilcs, and the C., l.. Il W. Co.,
unless they can prove to the court that II
is of no immediate use to the {. N L. Co.,
and Thereby gain the consent oil the court
to condemn il, will have 10 90 a long way
round. The officials, however, say they
are going to Martins Ferry, even if they
have to bridge the river twice to get there.
Their workmen AT Martins Ferry have
about a mile and a half Of track
down, and there is little prospect
of their disseminating operations. Whllc
engineer w. b. HanlOn was engaged yes
terday III surveying right in among the L.
Il Il. workmcn, said TO your reporter
that they were bound for Martins Ferry
and would get there if the c. Il j. compa-
nv built building all the way up to that
town. Hon. Ross J. Alexander, Mayor
Junkins and Marshal McConnaughy served
a notice on the men ut work to discontinue,
but they knew their business, and OF course
in the most polite terms requested the city
officials to seek Il warmer climate and con
tinucd their work
The sympathy OF the general public Is
with the c., l.. Il W, nearly every one
=. Wishing to see the road continued 10 Mar
tins Ferry. 4 somewhat novel scheme
was talked :of in Bridgeport last night,
whereby the construction Of the building
might be stopped. The idea was to call a
meeting of Council and pass an ordinance
prohibiting the further construction OF
frame buildings inside the corporation.
The scheme will hardly be carried out,
but the man who thought it would de-
serves a hahgc for originality.