The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-06-08
MORE ABOUT THE W. V. RAILROAD.
Morgantown Has the Il. 4 O. and will
get the Pennsylvania.

get the Pennsylvania.
The Pittsburg Times publishes
the following summary of the rail
road development of West Virginia
There is going on at present hus-
tie for the possession of the upper
Monongahela Valley, with its tribu.
taries, between the Pennsylvania and
Baltimore and Ohio systems. 'rhe
great coal developments between
Fairmont and Morgantown, the pro-
gress Of coke manufacture, the tim
Der and lumber resources, practical
ly intact, and the growing demand
for them have awakened both com
panies to the fact that something
must be done right away The
Pennsylvania railroad is not doing
business openly in the matter but
is behind the scheme that ex Sena-
tor Camden, Of West Virginia, is the
head Of A syndicate Of Philadel
phia, one Of whom is Colonel Straw
bridge. Of the Pennsylvania railroad
directory, and others closely con
nected with its interests, is backing
Mr. Camden This syndicate is now
building with all the rapidity posi-
BILE standard gauge road FROM
Fairmont to Clarksburg. There il
viii meet the Weston. Clark sburg
and Buckhannon road, narrow
guage, but SO constructed as to be
easily changed to a standard guage.
ITS SOUTHERN SCHEME.
This road passes through the val.
ley of the West Fork river, the
southwest branch uf the Mononga.
hela, which passes through the conn
ties of Harrison and Lewis, with
branches into Randolph and Web
ster counties. Through these last
named counties pass the mountain
ranges Of West Virginia, forming the
water shed not only Of that State,
but for Pennsylvania, Maryland and
Virginia just across the noun
tains is the valley of the Elk river,
and down this will in a short time
be built nc least two roads. one of
them belonging to the Camden sys-
TEN and the other to the Davis sys.
TEN. Senator Camden is making all
haste to get to the head of the Elk
river by way of the Monongahela
and its sources, while Senator Da
Wis, starting ut Piedmont, in Mineral
county, on the Potomac river. is
rushing his road already built
through Mineral and Tucker coun-
ties through Randolph county, in
which the Elk has its rise. He has
survey down the Elk Valley to
Charleston, the capital Of tue State,
where it falls into the great Kama
wha river, There the Chesapeake
and Ohio road and the Kanawna and
Ohio road meet, the former reaching
tidewater at Hampton Roads aud the
Ohio river at Huntington.
a GREAT STATE.
The territory that will thus BIZ
opened up is the very heart of the
coal, timber and iron ore region el
West Virginia, and the Pennsylvania
is trying to pull both strings that
will control it. Through the medium
Of Senator Dayis's road the Pennsyl.
yania will get its freight at Cumher
land, where its Cumberland and
Pennsylvania road comes TO the Pc
tomac. This, however, will bring in
only one side of the State, while the
Camden system will bring it in from
more than half of the counties and
give it to the Pennsylvania at some
point near Cheat river, either at
Morgantown or at the river itself
The Pennsylvania road is already
finished to Fairchance and Browns
vile, and routes to the Cheat have
been surveyed from both points
STILL ANOTHER SCHEME.
In addition to his interior lines,
Senator Camden has his Ohio River
standard guage, bounding the entire
south side Of the State, from Wheel
ing to Huntington He is now build
ing radiating lines from Sistersville,
on the Ohio River, and from Ravens
wood, in jackson county, to interior
points. The latter one will reach
the Weston branch, and the former
will terminate at Clarksburg. The
traffic of the Ohio River road will
thus be diverted to the Monongahela
River branch and into the p. r. r.,
while the p r. Il. will send much OF
it's Cincinnati and Western business
over the same line to the Ohio River
road, which will eventually be built
into Cincinnati.
THE B. & o. ENDEAvoR.
On the other hand, the b. &. o.
will struggle for the same business
1t has already line to Uniontown
1t also has good line from Fair
mont to Morgantown, with hiatus
of between 20 and 80 miles to bridge
1t has line from Grafton to Par
kersburg, passing through Clarks-
burg. From Grafton to Bealington
in Randolph county, the B. & O.
owns a line of narrow guage road
which is projected to Charleston on
the Kanawha river. This road will
be built. Substantially those lines
are parallels of the Camden roads
At Cumberland the B. & 0. taps the
Davis line with as good a chance OF
getting its freights as the 2. r. r.,
unless an ron-clad agreement be
tween it and the Davis people is eff
fected.