Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-10
A FIGHT IS COMING.
The New York Central Outwits the
Pennsylvania People in
BUILDING A SHORT CONNECTION.
The Beech Greek Route to Shorten the
Distance to Chicago.
NEWSY NOTES FROM NEARBY TOWNS

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.1
CLEARFIELD, Nov. 9.-There is great ex-
citement throughout this county in railroad
circles, as it is now stated the Beech Creek
Railroad, which has so long been thorn in
the Pennsylvania Railroad s side, will reach
its Pittsburg and Western connections at
last. For many years this county was with
out single railroad, and it was not until
far up in the "sixties" that roads began
coming in. Last of all came the Beech
Creek, now controlled by the New York
Central, which comes up through the south
east from Williamsport and has already
entered nearly all the best coal fields in the
county.
All the roads in the county are really
owned and controlled by the Pennsylvania,
with the exception of the Beech Creek.
Some years ago it was understood that an
agreement had been entered into between
the Pennsylvania and the vanderbilts, who
controlled the Beech Creek, that they were
not to extend their lines further up into
Clearfield county than the line of the Bells
Gap at Mehafey, 81 miles southwest of
Clearfield. This agreement has been sa-
credly kept by the Vanderbilts so long as
the road was in their halds, but recently
the road was leased to the Northern Cen
tral, after which affairs changed consid-
erably.
The Railroad Company Organized.
Six months ago company was formed to
develop and operate the great Patton coal
lands which lie southwest of Clearfeld on
the Cambria county line. When these par
ties perfected their arrangements the inn
portant question of shipping the coal was
taken up. The Pattons and W. H. Dill, the
banker who recently failed, and was at that
time very influential with the Pennsylvania
Railroad, wanted that road to get the tom
mage, but McGee, Lang and Kerr insisted
so strongly on the Beech Creek that they
finally won their point.
Now comes the great trouble in extending
the Beech Creek lines from Kerrmoor to
Patton without crossing the line of the hos
tile. Bells Gap, backed by the Pennsyl-
vania. Many schemes were advanced, that
finally adopted being proposition for the
Beech Creek to quietly finish its line to La
Jose at Chest creek, and there connect with
the Cambria and Clearfeld, a branch OF the
Bells Gap, when they could enter into a
traffic agreement to use the Cambria and
Clearfeld's 8 tracks from La Jose to Patton,
a distance of IL miles,
The Pennsylvania Company Outwitted.
But the Beech creek people were playing
deeper game than that. The grading went
on smoothly until this month, when the
mouth of Chest creek, at Mehaffey, was
reached, when the Pennsylvania people be-
came suspicious of the work going on and
commenced themselves. to occupy all good
positions up the water way. The Pennsyl-
vania laid out three different tracks, but the
Beech creek people were not idle, and with
their hundreds Of men on the ground, q gen.
eral railroad war was looked for. While
the Pennsylvania was busy running up
Chest creek, the opposition quietly went
ahead and located on up the river to
Cherry Tree, and today they have
fully 1000 men on that line ''oc-
cupying" the land in different ways. The
Pennsylvania people were puzzled at the
Beech Greek people trying to reach Cam
bria by any other route than the old Chest
Creek, but they now see at glance what
the Pennsylvania had smothered in the old
South Penn was about to be accomplished
by the Beech Creek in spite of them: This
road would 90 right on through Indiana |
county and connect with the Pittsburg and |
Western, thus giving the New York Cen !
trail and Philadelphia and Reading a |
through line west which would be the |
shortest to Chicago by over 100 miles. |
The great coal fields would also be reached |
by running up Walnut run, near Cherry |
Tree, at the apex of the three counties, |
Clearfeld, Cambria and Indiana
When the Pennsylvania people realized |
the game they began desperate counter tao
tics, aud now there is going on wild game
Of occupying" The Pennsylvania is
claiming all routes, but the Beech Creek
people are going right ahead and laying
down their lines. giving bond to every man
who kicks against their grasping the re-
quired right Of way. The coming week will
be one of great excitement in the southwest
Of the county.