Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-02
Is What Engineer Wolfenden
Asks and Plans For.
HIS CENTRAL ELDORADO
Would Be Two Miles Square, Built
on a Plan Like Washington's,
WITH MOST UNIQUE FEATURES.
Railroads Would Draw to 1t as if By
Magic, 30 1t Would Boom.
HIS CENTRAL ELD0RAD0
WITH MOST UNIQUE FEATURES.
TWO GREAT POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS

James Wolfenden, of Lock Haven, is an
engineer and mechanic, stopping at the Gen.
trail Hotel. He has been in the city for the
past four weeks, putting in boilers for the
Westinghouse Electric Company. During
his hours of rest Mr.. Wolfenden does some
quiet thinking of his own, and for some
time has been trying to work up public in
terest in two or three schemes, a little Wis.,
ionary, probably, but commendable for the
novelty of their conception and the pro-
gressiveness of the cesign.
Mr.. Wolfenden has embodied his ideas in
quaint language in an appeal to the Legis-
lature, which he has sent to Representative
Graham. he wants the Capital located
near the center of the State. His plan is
to set aside section of country
TWO MILES SQUARE
and have it graded and laid out like the
city of Washington. Here the new State
buildings would be located, and in time
town would spring up. The proceeds from
the sale of lots, he thinks, would be sufi-
cient to repay the State for all the money
expended.
As proof of his position, Mr.. Wolfenden
cites the example of Pierre Lorillard, who
bought wild tract of country in the north
ern mountains of the State, made a park out
of the barren wastes, built hotel, and as
summer resort it is financial success and
unsurpassed. Continuing, Mr.. Woltenden
said:
There are no railroads in the central part of
af funor al
Clinton and others are rich in deposits of iron
and lime The Central Railroad of New Jer-
sey, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western,
the New York and Hudson Canal Company,
and the Susquehanna and Western roads that
terminate at points in the eastern portion of
the State, could easily be extended and made to
center through these counties at the new Capt.
tai. The interior would be developed, iron in
dustries started, and the wage workers suffer
ing from the effects of too mnch concentration
in the large cities could be scattered through
the State and materially benefited.
AFRAID OF PROGRESS.
Ten years ago started at Milton, and tried
to secure from the farmers the right of way for
a railroad to run through Sugar Valley and
Nittany across the State. They were behind
the times and didn't want any railroads Now,
tbevare perfectly willing to give the land, If
the road would only be built.
/ would recommend also two polytechnic
schools to be established, one to be located in
Allegheny and the State buildings at Harris
burg could be used for the other. The advan-
tages of the location of such school in Alle-
gheny are incalculable. There is such vari-
ETY. of machinery in the two cities that students
would have excellent opportunities for study.
Some time ago talked with Governor Beaver
about locating the capital somewhere near the
center of the State. He was hattered to have
it near his home, but he did not look on the
idea with much favor. In his last message he
recommends that 81, 100000 be spent to build
additional buildings at Harrisburg. With this
money a tract of land two miles square could
be bought and some of the buildings put up.
but what the interior of the State needs is rail-
roads to develop the wilds and waste places
HIS OFFICIAL WORDING OF IT.
In his appeal to the Legislature, Mr..
Wnlfenden says:
We stand to-day apparently at the parting of
two ways; one is the equitable plan to broaden
the peoples earning capacity by executive
leadership, to obtain metropolitan State cap
ital and build an Eastern and Western Penn
sylvania Central road; the other way is to sub
NIT to the monopoly route of one railroad, hav-
ing its first conception competitor of ri yer
and canal transit for lumber, etc., trades now
almost extinct, which can only be revived by
building other roads. This particular road will
not branch out and does all in its power 20
prevent other parallel lines from beirs built.
They combine with bankers, and give editors
ana public officials passes to secure their infiu-
ence with the Legislature for sectional interest
and retard healthy competition and the bene-
fetal distribution of labor.