Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-12-16
GOING UR.
An Increase in Railroad Business This Year
Over Last
WHICH INDICATES PROGRESS
In the Commercial Interests Of the CRY and
Vicinity.
TALKS WITH RAILROAD MEN

There is no truer or more reliable index
Of the progress and business prosperity of
city than the traffic done by the rail-
roads entering into it. Wnen a number Of
railroads head toward any city, one nsy set
it down as an upalterable fact that that
that city holds out some inducements
to attract them. Wheeling is fortu-
nate in having several reads enter her pre-
cincts, and the business done over them is
immense, and is increasing day by day and
year By year, so that additional facilities
have to be constantly added to handle the
traffic. Her sister cities, Martins Fer
~, Bellare and Bridgeport, are also well
Supplied in this line, and their growth has
been rapid.
What the next few years will bring
forth remains to be seen. Several new
railroads are crawling Wheelingwards and
when the great Union bridge is completed
they will be knocking at the gates of the
city for admission, slopg with several
Others, which do not now enter the city
directly. Wishing to obtain some ides as
TO how the railroad bnsire ss is increasing
in Wheeling aud vicinity, REGISTER re-
rorters have interviewed the officials OF the
different roads as to their pre-: sent business
and prosp;C.s, and in all cases, with one
exception, they have bten very favorable
I'D r.. -
this section is materially increasing in
volume, both in freight and passenger
traffic.
THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO.
A call at the freight office Of the & O.
elected the information that at this time
not much could he said about the yeal d
business. The srrirg business was very
heavy and would no doubt have COZ
tinued to increase had il not been for the
unfortunate and distressing freight block
ade that occurred right in the busy season.
This state of things continued for four or
five motifs, and it naturally hurt business
very materially. Ire previous year Of
1857, which was q splendid one for rail-
roa 7s, had shown an increase over 81, but
on account of the cause mentioned the
business of rs WOULD rot show mp in the
same manner, although the prospects for
the immt dis.e future a'e excellent, aud no
doubt there will be heavy increase next
year.
Col. Tom Burke, the genial ticket agent,
WREN QueIied rs regarding his part Of the
business, ran his index finger over the
Cooks for few moments, iotted down
some figures, and came to the conclusion
that the passenger traffic had experienced
| material increase over 1887, although be
could not, without a more thorough IN.
speCt;on, give any figures lie estimated
however, that it was probably ten per
cent, which is a good showing, with the
outlook even brighter.
THE PANHANDLE.
Freight Agent J. "a. Belleyille said:
The year of 1887 was rather a phenome-
nal year for the railroad business, as the
river was not navigable for about four
months in the busy seasoD, and the rail-
reads caught the freight. But even
taking that fact into consideration. our
business has increased in 'SS over 'S7 al
least 90 per cent, and the outlook for the
| immediate future is splendid indeed.
anticipate that DEFENDERS business over
our road this year will be the biggest in
her history
Ticket agent J. G.. Tomlinson said: 81
cannot give you q correct estimate of the
increase in the Panhandle's passenger
traffic unless I should 90 over the books,
but it is a ve'y material one. Something
like II per cent. would hit it about as
close AZ poss BILE. am sure it is that at
least"
THE OHIO RIVER Road.
Messrs. Bellevil,e and Tomlinson ALEC
have charge of the freight and pa@enge
business of the Ohio River road, and the
former gentleman said that the freight
traffic of this road had also increased
about 20 per cent, which was partly due
to the extension to Huntington. Mr..
Belleville ttOught the increase in the bus
iress of the city over 1887 was at lesst 80
or 40 per cent, and that it would be still
larger next year if no Unforeseen circum-
stances arose.
Mr.. Tomlinson said the increase in the
River Roads passenger traffic was at least
six per cent, and on the increase.
A call was made at the c., L. & W.
Office. but no information was cleaned, as
the office has only been established short
time. However, an official of the road
stated that in his opinion the business has
increased quite largely, and next year g
prospec ara even better.