Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-12-18
The Proposed 1Lountaln climbing ka,lIoad
between Staunton and highland.

MEETING OF THE HIGHLAND SuPERYI-
soRs TO BEHELD TO-DAY.
j. The Supervisors of Highland county
will meet at Monterey to-day to hear a
proposition from certain parties to con-
struct a railroad over the Staunton and
Parkersburg turnpike from Monterey to
StauntOn, if the right of way can be gotten
from the counties Of Highland and Angus
ia to build over the portions Of the road lying
within their territory. We have conyersed
with MI. Harry Wegner of Staunton, who
is interested in the scheme, and he says II
the right of way can be obtained over the
pike, parties stand ready to furnish the
money for the enterprise. He says no grad
| ing will have to be done, DIS the same engines
will be used that now pull trains over 500
| feet grade in tue Rocky Mountains, while
the highest grade over the pike here is only
1874 feet. Mr.. w. D. Rippetoe OF Buffalo
! Gap. who represents the parties DESTROYS
of obtaining the right of way, has been over
the route carefully and feels assured that
there is no insuperable obstacle to be oyer
come. MI. Wegner says that mere CEN
tie rounding of tie corners on the noun
tain will he absolu e y al, tnat will be re-
quired. The High AMI Recorder OF last
Friday gives general notice to tie people
of that county to attend tie meeting of
their Supervisors to-day. We presume that
at this meeting some details OF the plans and
particulars as otis projectors and their
responsibility will be given. The Recor-
der in answering some objections that have
been made to the enterprise by those living
along the line of the pike, has the following:
This company proposes to lay their track
along the Staunton and Parkersburg turnpike
but will only run trains over it during II
hours OF the a. thus giving those who wish to
travel over the pike by private conveyance IS
hours of daylight to do so, as trains will only
run at night from p. m. to 6 a. m. 50 in no
way will the usual every day travel be inter-
fered with.
This company agrees in the event of the
right OF way being granted, to take the toll Off
the pike and keep it up at their own expense.
They further agree to sink the wood ties en-
tirely beneath the surface of the road bed and
to fl up between the rails SO that no more
than one inch of the rail will be above the
ground. The building of this road will ne
ces state culverts, bridges, widening OF the
unnecessary to enumerate. The few who OBJ
ject to the building of this road say first that
it will impede travel by private conveyances
and destroy our main thoroughfare. We think
we can disprove this argument. Now from
the proposition by the company, as explained
in the first part of this article plainly shows
| to reasonable man, road wagons and
buggies can go as easily as ever, for the track
will mainly be on one side Of the road and
where it will be necessary to cross there viii
be regular crossing planks as in all railroad
crossings. The next objection advanced by
the opposers is that engines and cars cannot
be brought across the grades Of these noun
tains; This objection is knocked in the
head when we find out that engines manu-
featured for the purpose cross the Rocky
Mountains, Pixies Peak and other grades
mach sleeper than any between this point and
Staunton. Even as near as Pennsylvania
these engines are employed in crossing grades
of from four to five hundred feet to the mile.
We now have in our possession letter from
firm in Ohio builders Of these engines, and
they warrant them to pull grade of 800 feet
to the mile and haul large burdens. And ac-
cording to a correct estimate the highest grade
on the S. & P pikeis not over 334 feet to
the mile The above explanations and facts
surely prove to fair mind the practicability
of running engines and cars across the sever
al mountains with safety