West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-01-19
HIDDEN WEALTH .
What Kingwood's Road Opens.

I ~ '''"' VIC ''h anu hdIl uliitS OF
narrow guage railroad from Tunnclton
represents rs much hard work, disap-
pointment and true grit to the luilc a.
any railroad in America. The enter
/ Prise had been so much talked Of. after
the manner of other similar enterprises.
that there were not few well-wishers
of the scheme who became convinced
that IL would all end in talk 1t could
not have been less than disappointing
when, after all the hope deferred, the
work actually began in earnest and was
abandoned because of the failure ofth
contractors. 1t seemed that the money
was gone and the read would never
come. Kingwood dist let had sub
Ecribed SIS, 900 and there were private
subscriptions Of home capital to the
amount of 100000 more. The out
look was indeed dreary.
In the darkest hour Capt George NJ.
Whitescarver, of Grafton, an cxpe-
rienced railroad man who had made
success of the Grafton g. Grecubrier,
the narrow guage road from Grafton to
Philippi, took hold and organized a
syndicate. The men who compose the
syndicate arc George VI. Whi;escarvcr,
John w Mason, James r. Smoot. Mar
tin J.. Shniier, A j Bonaiield. w. G..
Morley, w. G. ('Junior') Brown, w.
NJ. o. Dawson, j. Ami Martin, JOS.
jackson and Gus j. Shaff.r. 1t will
be seen that these are all home men.
though not all Preston county men.
The syndicate eomplatcd the road and
own it. The entire cost of construc-
ton and equipment to date is about
$40, 600, which includes the invest
mont Of the syndicate, which will not
exceed $50, 900. 1t is a good bargain
for Kingwood district and Preston
county, for they get the road, and this
little road places them on the great
Baltimore & Ohio.
PUTTING THIS AND THAT TOGETHER.
If you run your eye over the map of
West Virginia you will see that the
Baltimore q Ohio cuts Preston county
just about in half Kingwood besides
being the county scat, is very nearly
in the geographical center Of Preston
county. Now run your eye along the
face of Laurel hill from Tunnelton to
kingwood, and you will perceive that
the steel probe has finally been driven
into the very heart of county whose
developed wealth will 60 beyond the
most sanguine expectations. 1t does
not seem at all probable thai this road
is to begin and end at Tunnelton and
Kingwood 1t is but thirty-four miles
from kingwood to Fairchancc in Fay
cite county, Pa Over comparatively
easy route and through region al
ready well populated and rich in tim
Der and mineral From the Tunnelton
terminus to a connection with the Graf
ton x Greenbrior is twenty-miles by a
route said to offer fewer and less serious
difficulties than were encountered be-
tween Kingwood and Tumeltun. The
value Of this possible connection is that
after all the Grafton & Groenbrier NAV
be held as an Independent road. This
Henry G Davis woud like, for he is
moving in that direction, and between
him and Camden there is likely to BE- n
line from Cumberland to the Ohio
river
LARGE OAKS FROM LITTLE AcoRNs.
do not overlook tho fact that as vet
the Kingwood road is small affair and
narrow guage, but it is within the
range ofpossibiiity to combine compar-
atiyely small interests into forces Of
great importance The cost of raship-
mcnt between standard guage and mar
row guage roads is to be taken into oc-
count, but the cost is materiallp les
scnod where staudarn guage freight
cas- are used, being transferred from
the trucks Of one system to those Of
the other This plan is pursued ON the
Grafton q Greenbrier, and in no other
way could the present business Of that
road be accommodated The long de-
layed Black Bottle, starting from Nor
ganiown, piercing another part of Pres
ton county for mineral and timber and
T probably coming out on tho main line
Of thc Baltimore d Ohio at Hardman
switch LITTLE oast Of Grafan. NAV
. yet assume DO thc railroad development
of this region 900 Importance "a. yetlif-