Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-06-02

ton with the Cleveland and Marietta r
r., made their line Toledo and Marietta
line, abandoned the line from Bowerstown
TO Wheeling, and abandoned the bridge
aud whether they would ever build from
Valley Junction to Conversion was
WHOLLY UNCERTAIN.
"Thisabandonment was determined upon
| in 1888 or earlier, and eliminated in 1884
by an express refusal by Garrison to build,
on which refusal his directors took confirm
story action. A few Of US, who had been
especially devoted to the interests of this
end of the end, did all in our power to
point out the merits Of the east end Of the
line to the Garrison party, and to induce
them to build, but they turned deaf ears
to rs and said: Go on and build it your
selves and let us have traffic arrange
ment with you,' and papers to that effect
were formally executed.
''Some associates and myself then organ
ICED the South Pennsylvania and Ohio
Railway Company, with authority to build
line from Valley Junction via Bowerston
to Martins Ferry and Wheeling, in order
that the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad,
the Valley Railroad, the Connotten Valley
Railroad, the Cleveland, Youngstown and
Pittsburg Railroad (now the Lake Erie,
Alliance and Southern, and the Cannon
Ball Railroad might all be brought to Mar
tins Ferry.
with full knowledge and recognition
by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad
Company, we have devoted more than four
years and much money to the work Of car
rying out this plan. Most of this period
has been iuauspioious for new independent
work. We procured nearly all the right Of
way from Martins Ferry to Bowerston,
placed many of them on record, and inter-
ested
RAILROADS AND CAPITAL
in our enterprise. As part of the sys-
TEN we acquired the franchise to bridge
c.a. -;fer at Wheeling and the surveys,
rightsJf way and franchises Of line to-
, wards onnellsyille. 1t has always been
, and our purpose to construct the bridge
and he road to Bowerston for the use OF
all yads upon equal terRS-thus giving to
the eople along the line and securing to
tbeoridpe four or five railroads instead of
noe, or possibly one. The fact that sew
enl railroads may thus be brought to the
Ridge, has alone enabled Us to interest
apital in building both bridge and road.
This alone has made it seem desirable and
profitable for independent capital to build
either, and to hold and operate them in q
common interest, as q union road and
union bridge.
"Since the subscription by Wheeling, 1t
has been 30 apparent that both enterprises
are desirable and will be carried through
| that even the Wheeling and Lake Erie
Railway Company now see that Others, in
common with them, may be permitted to
enter q field which they might orce have
had alone, but which they despised and
abandoned.
"They have been trying for quite 8
while to get rs to abandon the plan OF
constructing
UNION LINE
from here to Conversion, and to surrender
our position and all we have acquired to
them-but we have tenaciously held to the
position that the road to Bowerston should
be common to allan inlet and an outlet
to all roads, and that If any one Of the sew
ersl companies built it, the Others would
be excluded, snd thus the largest interests
TO Wheeling and Martins Ferry, to the
bridge and to the people along the line
would not be served.
''Their present zeal to secure the line to
the exclusion of all others Is only excelled
by their indifference when they supposed
we were not able to build il. Their activity
became especially marked when they. dis-
covered, q few days since, that we were
paving money on eur right Of way and
taking deeds. The Wheeling and Lake
Erie Railway Company has not right Of
way between here and Conversion that ia
worth straw, unless they have secured
n them very recently, and these, if sny, have
been obtained by them with the full
knowledge Of our claims and right.
'sThe parade and show they are now
making are decisions and snares and
threats of danger to every interest ct
Wheeling and along every feet of territory
from here TO Bowerston.
"Tbey are putting men on the line to
bulldczs and brighten people into contracts.
lust learn that the contracts they are tax
ing are in the name Of dummy COM
pany called the Harrison, Jefferson and
Belmont Railway Company, of which a
Mr.. Adair, of Leesville, Ohio, is President.
Don't il seem like child's play and incon-
sistent for them to say they have raised
millions on mortgage given by the W. &
L. Z. Ry. Co. and then put the titles to
the land they attempt to getin
THE NAME OF ANOTHER COMPANY?
We have offered them traokage rights OF
traffic arrangements on equal terms with
All others, but they now propose, if they
can, to play the highwsyman, seize that
which is not their own, frighten other
capital away and play the same dog-in-the-
mapper game which has characterized their
mast history. IFthsy should once get pos
session of this field, then Jon would see
them fall back on their stolen goods, send
professional boomers along the line to de-
mspd subscriptions and donations OF
money TO pay right of way, demand oil
Martins Ferry fifty thousand dollars under
a threat not TO come, build only into the
coal field, or delay completion go IS to de-
feat q part of the bridge subscription,
and in every way possible try to defeat
tba bridge or get It's absolute control and
Ownership. More than four years ago
thew wholly abandoned this road and
bridge, and BY repeated acts since have
recosnizsd and emphasized that abandon
ment. When the old road was sold, the
old stockholders wiped cot and the new
ope. the present w. 4 J.. E Railway Co,
Was organized, some three years since,
tbey made Conversion their eastern end or
terminus.
'.Thsy have set afloat all sorts Of
FALSE AND DISTORTED RUMoRs
To ftishten capital away and to weaken
our influence and our hold upon the con-
fideuce of the people-some Of which viii
Be noted in detail later should occasion de-
mand.
',For seventeen years few OF us ON this
end Of the line have been trying to get .
railroad into Wheeling, and through evil
and good report have stood by that pur-
pose, and when few years since we
/ thought our efforts were about 10 be
crowned with success, they switched or to
Marietta and said, 'd--n the wheeling
i snd-' Some Of these same parties are vet
! contracting spixitsof that company. Every
lfsiead q the Whssling end vas driven