Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-07-25
.ALAND THAT is WILD.
COUNTIES OF THB STATE DEVELOPED BY
IHB WHIST VIRGINIA CENTRAL.
Villages aud Towns Springing Up in a Trackles'
WILDERNESS Along The Potomac and Forks
Of the Chsat-Ths Scenery on
tbs Road.

Of the Chsat-Ths Scenery on
tbs Road.
Special Correspondence Of ne Register.
ELKINs. RANDOLPH COUNTY, July "a.
When Henry G. Davis and Stephen 3.
Elkins determined to construct the rail-
road, known now as the West Virginia
Central and Pittsburg, which follows the
north branch of the Potomac through Min
eral, Grant and Tucker counties 10 its
source aud continues into Randolph, these
gentlemen made o trip over the proposed
route. This was even before the prelimi-
nary survey was made, Part of the way
they managed to follow hunters paths,
but much of the long distance was through
tie forest primevsl, through the tangled
wildwood, and they didn't cover the dis
lance with any apparent rapidity. Indeed
the ground was gone over with the great
est labor and exsrtiOn. Sometimes
couple of hours would be required to cover
a distance of a mile. Mountain5ers were
engaged to blsze the trees in the way,
build rude roads and prepare in a measure
for the great things to come.
The route was laid out through dense
aud almost impenetrable forests of spruce
aud hemlock, black walnut, cherry, ash,
maple and poplar. Within the ragged
mountains were millions and millions OF
tons Of coal, so the biologists said,
but all the same it took an immense
amount Of nerve to plant coed money
in a country so wild, ard considered al
most inaccessible. But the nerve was all
there, and the nefdful money was lmme-
diately forthcoming. With it were brains,
well-directed energy, minds wonderfully
fertile in resource and indomitable in car
ryipg ont plans conceived. After the
scheme of such magnitude was formed, at
tention was directed to details, and the
results up to this date are satisfactory in
an eminent degree.
THE SUMMARY.
Exclusive of sidiugs, which are numer-
GUS on account of the heavy lumber traffic,
and including the Mineville and Elk Gar
den branches, the total mileage of the road
is given at 1854. With the Pied
mont aud Cumberland line, leased
and operated by the West Virginia
Central, the total length of the road on
August will be 1924 miles. This in
cludes the Cheat river extension from
Thomas 10 Elkius. which is not yet COM
pleted. For the past month the pay roll
of the company exceeded the sum of one
hundred thousand dollars, all OF which
was uaid TO residents Of the State of West
Virginia.
DEVELOPMENT EXTRAORDINARY.
Within the past few years the develop
meut along the line Of the railroad has
been extraordinary. 1t has been in meas
ure after the fashion Of the development
along the old National road, which
vas built from Cumberland, Nd, to
Springfield, ILL.,, through Wheeling, VIVA,
more than half q century ago. As re-
suit Of that development towns sprang up
along the read with much greater length
than breadth In fact il has been said
that had the building of railroads been de-
layed another decade would have seen al
mos. continuous line Of houses along the
National Road from end to end. So it Is
on the West Virginia Central. Towns are
springing up hsrs and there, new switches
are put in every few miles for some one
willing and anxious to ship lumber, and
about every rev switch new houses seem
10 grow up in a single night Bat OF this
| wonderful development hereafter.
PICTURESQUE SCENERY.
The scenery along the West Virginia
Central is worth writing about. Com
pared with it the so-called picturesque
B. & O." loses all its charms for the eye.
As mentioned, the TailrOAd follows the
north branch of the Potomac to its source
from broad, shallow, rocky river to
mountain spring.
II was way back in the lsst century
when Lord Fairfax and Lord Baltimore
got into dispute about the line that sepsr-
stsd their dominions. The former sn old
man, but pretty spry on his legs all the same.
He set ont from his home near Winchester,
Va. determined to follow the stream to its
fountain head. But he couldn't make
much progress through the great forests
and besides he got sick. Therefore the
surveying expedition was abandoned until
the next winter and then he sent msn to
represent him. 1t wss quickly determined
that the forest could not be penetrated,
aud very sensibly the man waited until
the face Of the Potomac was coated
with thick ice, and up0a this ice
he made the journey. He discovered
what he thought to bs the source
of the stream, and there stone, approPri-
stely marked, was planted. He was mis-
taken, however, and on that account the
States of Maryland and Virginia since
have found cause for disputstion.
Fairfax is the name given to the station
about forty-four miles from Piedmont. IL
is in honor of the memory of the old Lord.
Il is the highest point on the main line
3 900 feet above the tide-and is on the
divide between the water shed of the At
Iantic and of the Gulf of Mexico-the blue
Potomsc rushing toward the ocean, while
the dark-colored tributaries of the Cheat
Join the MOnongshela at length, and add to
the Ohio flood at Pittsburg.
THE GRAND CANYON.
From Piedmont, or rather Westefnport,
to Thomas, there is nothing in the scenery
specially striking to the eye. The Valley
Of the Potomac, between the rugged noun
tains green with the foliage of millions of
trees, is perhaps somewhat wilder than
that along tie B. & o, bat it has the same
general features tbs on the Cheat river
extension that the beauty and grandeur OF
The scenery strikes the eye. 1t is along
ak miles of q stretch of track which falls
an average Of l56 feet per mile-a rather
heavy grade. The grand canyon OF the
Aneghenies begins about two miles
from Thomas The road bed
is perched upon the precip'
i,ate side of a gorge, perhaps $50 feet
above fork Of the Blaekw water river, which
trails narrow and sinuous in a rocky bed.
Trees grow to the waters edge, and from
it the mountain rises at an angle of 45 de-
grees TO height OF from 600 TO 500 feet,
r h~o,ksfnl o,rsan hrCko, hare apd