Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-12-13
JACKSON COUNTY.
A RIDE OF THIRTEEN MILES THROUGH A
FINE TERRITORY.
A New and Important Feeder 10 the Ohio River
Richardson's Incidents Of the Trip
What the Country Produces.

Monday mornings issue of the REGIS
TER contained an account Of the compile
ton Of the Ripley and Mill Greek Valley
railrod. which runs from Ripley's Land
ing or Millwocd to Jackson Court House,
and in thar connection q short history OF
the road and how it came into the hands
of the Ohio River Railroad Company was
also given.
AS has been stated the road was formal.
~ opened up on Monday for business, aud
although there was no demonstration OF
any kind, the people of Jackson county,
especially of the territory touched by the
new road, could have hardly been
made to feel more enthusiastically
happy if half a dozen brass bands had
been sprung on them ard several spread
eagle speeches made. Jackson county
people in bad weather know what mud is,
and they know q soft thing when they
zee it. For them the Ripley and Mill
Creek Railroad is a
~YERITABLE BONANZA,
an entire picnic, with all its accessories, and
if they stand ard gaze at a train working
its way around the curves and up the
grades Of the new read. with q loving gaze,
no one can blame them-and no one does,
who in this sort of weather has tackled q
ride from Ripley Landing to Ripley City
in the stage coach, if you may choose to
dignity il with that name.
Heretofore che stage made daily trips,
and it occupied the biggest part OF a day,
in wet weather, to make the trip one way,
besides which it was generally dissagtee.
able and cost more than an ordinary
days wages to make the round trip, in
addition to losing the entire day.
In my telegram of yesterday l referred
to a trip made over the road by General
Manager Thompson and others, and per
haps some details will be interesting.
Tuesday was payday on the lire and
at the first station, Wildwood, the pay
ing of began, and it was certainly q most
interesting operation for all except those
who had the work to do. One man would
come in with his own time, and then he
would present probably half a dozen
orders from Other employees, ranging IN
amounts of from fifty cents to three or four
dollars, while others had a fist full of board
bills which they wanted the officials 10
pay out of other mems wages. A number
of men held orders given them by their
companions for money Loaned, etc and
when they came to get them ca9hed found
that the money had been drawn before
they got there. To see their faces lengthen
out was quite an using to the spectator,
but not at all so to them. At quite a
number of points along the road, stops
were made for this purpose, and although
Col. Fickinger, who rfficiated as paymss-
ter, had q great deal to contend with, the
way in which he disposed of matters
was quite refreshing to see.
As the heavy work ia now about
ALL COMPLETED,
the main part of the force has been PAID
off and discharged, and only the regular
section hands have been retained. They
are constantly employed in getting the
road in good order at points where 1t Is
especially needed, and will be kept at
work steadily putting on the finishing
touches.
Judging from what he had heard about
the new road, your reporter WIS prepared
for almost anything, expecting to see
curves 30 sharp that one could reach out
of O window in the reach coach and light
his cigar in the locomotive %furnace; 90 up
grades 80 steep that the passengers could
uss the backs of the seats to sit down
on, or see the train lun off the rails every
now snd then, scoOt through the mud
for a while, and then find the track again.
ANY such things wOuld not have been
surprising, but after several miles had been
traversed and the train slid along as slick
az grease, with hardly a jolt or o jar to
disarrange a mans breakfast and ruin his
appetite for the next meal, the great SUI
prissresolyed itself into the splendid con-
di,ion of the road bed, even not taking
into consideration it's ewness Two men
could converse with each other from OPP
pos;ts seats without trouble, and a news
Taper could be read without having the
letters Join 10 a general jig dance AL over
the sheet. This state OF affairs is due to
the fact that Col. Fickinger engineered
the work.
AT COTTAGEVILIE.
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