Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-03
FIELDS OF WEALTH
In Indiana County Valleys
Which 1t is Proposed 10
Develop by
BUILDING A NEW RAILWAY.
A Line 25 Miles Long Soon to be
Constructed That Will be
AFEEDER TO TIE PENNSYLVANIA
Bringing the Products of Important Coal
and Lumber Regions
nTprNn nn ru2 pITTSPUPG MIPEEp
AFEEDER TO TIE PENNSYLVANIA
Bringing the Products of Important Coal
and Lumber Regions
DIRECT TO The PITTSBURG MARKET
rrRoM A STATE CORRESPONDENT. J

INDIANA, Pa, June "A territory as
rich even as the Connellsville coke region,
and vastly more picturesque. is about to be
opened. A Few field OF wealth is now to be
developed in Pennsylvania. This country
is Indiana county. 1t will be opened by
the Homer and Susquehanna Railroad. A
charter for the road was secured May "a,
but the work was done so quietly that moth
ing was known of it until yesterday.
The incorporators of the road are all Indi-
ana county capitalists. The capital stock is
$500, 900. J. NJ. Guthrie. the great lumber
man of that section, is at the head of the
venture as President of the new road. He
is backed by the Huges & Guthrie Lum-
Der Company, of which he is a member
Among the other directors of the company
are John W. Sutton, H. W. Wilson, Ben
jamin f. Pitts, of Cherrytree; Mr.. Hoover,
of PhIllipsburg, and Hon. John P. Elkin.
ROUTE OF THE NEW LINE.
The Homer and Susquehanna Railroad
will be 25 miles long. 1t will start at
Homer City, town six miles south of In
diana, on the Indiana branch of the Penn
sylvana Railroad. 1t is right at the juno
tion of Twolick and Yellow creeks and has
magnificent water power. From there the
road runs up Twolick creek, and then north
east past the towns OF Greenville, Diamond
vile, Cookport and Gettysburg to the west
branch Of the Susquehanna river at Cherry
tree. Over the entire distance the grade
will be easy. 1t is through creek bottoms
In no part of the line will the grade be over
40 feet TO the mile There is a good bottom
all the way, and but little grading will be
needed.
The road will be standard gauge, and it is
not decided whether it will be single or
double track. Engineers began work on
the line on May %, and the survey will be
completed this week The work will be
begun at once, and will be completed within
a year. 1t will be operated for the present
as feeder for the Pennsylvania Railroad,
but may become part of the Pittsburg and
Western system when that road is connected
with the Beech Greek line at Clarion.
RICH MINERAL REGION,
The primary object of the Homer and
Susquehanna Railroad is to develop the
wealth of Indiana county. 1t is
rich in minerals so rich that
Westmoreland county can hardly COM
pare with it. The whole line OF the
rood is underlaid with coal of the finest
quality. There are three veins of what is
known as Freeport COAL The top vein is
seven ieet IN thickness, the middle one three
and one-half to four feet and the lower vein
four feet in thickness Each of these veins
crops out on the hillsides, and can be mined
BY drifting. All are above the water line.
Already this coal has been tapped bv Mr.
John NJ. Guthrie and Colonel ]. W, Moore.
of Greensburg. They have a coke plant in |
operation at Homer, and the product OF
their ovens is pronounced everywhere first |
class and finds ready sale against the Con-
neIisville coke.
This bouavar bu+ a ror| - L.
wealth. There are immense beds of iron ore
along the greater part of the line. 1t has
never been developed because the people
there, who are quiet farmers, regarded the
idea OF building railroad to it as a dream
too great to be realized. Then there are great
beds of limestone and fireclay of the best
quality abounding everywhere. The wealth
this road will place on the market cannot be
estimated.
COAL LANDS BOUGHT UP,
]. NJ. Guthrie, the ather of the enter
prise, has for years dreamed of this rail-
road. For the past two years he has been
preparing by buying up the best of the
lands along the proposed route. He now
holds about 5000 acres of coal, iron and
lime lands and the company itslef has
options on nearly all the other land along
the line.
Besides the mineral wealth, the road
passes through one of the richest farming re-
gions in the State. The traffic in that line
would alone sustain the building of the road.
For beauty the line will not have an equal
in the State. 1t passes through a fertile
valley. Below it the mountain streams leap
and toss in the sun. Then, where the trees,
low bending, cast their shade, are found the
finest trout and bass. On either side and
above it rise the hills that climb to
almost mountains in height. On their side
are huge moss-covered rocks, scattered there
by nature. Above them stand the good old
pines and oaks that have withstoOd q GEN.
tury of storm. Here and there the hills are
broken by pretty ravines that lead out to
the broad plains bevond. 1t is as charming
IS If a part of Switzerland were set down in
Western Pennsylvania.
FOR BUSINESS AND PLEASURE.
There are a number of sites for summer
resorts. The ground is !, 300 feet above sea
Level, and there are numerous iron and sui
phur springs. An old project OF establish
ing summer resort above Twolick is being
revived, and may be carried into effect when
the road is completed.
1t will make Homer the PRINCIPAL town in
Indiana county, as the trade which has
heretofore gone to Indiana will be trans-
ferred there over the new line More coke |
works will be established there at once.
Last week Pittsburg parties bought 600 |
acres of coal land near there and a syndicate |
Of Eastern men have also purchased large |
tract. Coke plants will soon be erected all |
along the line. A big frebrick works will |
be built near Homer, and iron mills for |
Indiana county are but few years of. It |
is believed that gas will be found in abun- |
dance and a number of test wells will be put |
down this summer.
Another advantage of the line will be to |
bring the vast lumber interests of the Cher |
rytree region directly into the Pittsburg
market. The pine forests of Cherrytree are
the greatest in the State. Heretofore all
this lumber had to be RATED down the Sus-
quehanna to Wllliamsport. Now it can be
loaded on cars and shipped direct to the
Pittsburg market. CHRISTY.
PLATT's Chlorides true disinfectant. An
odorless liquid very cheap ana efficient.