Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-03-21
A DELEGATIoNFRoM MARTINsBURG
VISITS BALTIMORE, AND PROTESTS
AGAINST THE REMOVAL OF THE
B. & O. SHOPS.


burg, headed by the Mayor, Dr. J. W
McSherry, came to Baltimore to-day t.
endeavor to prevent the removal of th,
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad work
shops from that town, and the transfe
of the terminus of the first division, ant
the beginning of the second division tC
Brunswick, Frederick county, Nd. This
delegation received very cold comfort
and the message they will take back
from President Mayer, of the railroad
company, will not be at all palatablet &c
the people of Martinsburg.
The delegation first called at the
rooms Of the Merchants and Manufac.
turers' Association, where they had an
interview with the committee on trans
portation, Of which Mr. John Z. Hurst
is the chairman. They drew a very
gloomy picture of the danger that
threatened them, and requested the
association to assist them in their
struggle to hold on to the workshops.
Their city, they said, was entitled to
some assistance from this city. Her
merchants bought their goods here,
and the most intimate relations had
existed between the two cities for a
hundred years. II the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company moved the
terminus of its first division from Mar
tinsburg it was likely that much of the
trade now coming to Baltimore would
be diverted to Philadelphia and New
York over the lines controlled by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
Mr. Hurst stated that the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association would
do anything in its power to assist Mar
tinsburg, but until the purpose of the
railroad company was known the asso-
citation could take no definite action.
The delegation then called on Presi-
dent Mayer J. W. Bishopread state
ment from the people of Martinsburg,
which set forth the fact that there were
400 families i'll chat city dependentupon
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany. In the repair shops alone, 600
men and boys were employed. Many
of these owned their houses and others
had their homes partially paid for.
The proposed changes would simply
compel all these people TO remove, the
men iii the workshops to so to Cum
berland, and the train hands to Bruins
wick. It was also stated that the
freight handled annually at Martins
burg was worth 5000, 600 to the COM
pany,
After reading the statement Mr..
Bishop asked if it were true that the
company contemplated the changes re-
ferred to, and if so when they were to
go into operation.
Mr.. Mayer said the company did pro-
pose to make the changes referred to,
not from any desire to injure Martins
burg, but simply as matter of bust
ness and economy. The shops at
Piedmont, Connellsville, Keyser and
Maftinsburg were to be concentrated at
Cumberland, because it was thought
that the work could be done better and
more economically at one place than at
four. The change of the terminus of
the first division from Martinsburg to
Brunswick was made because it was
desirable to have It at point east of
all the branches Of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad
Then, too, the company was embar-
raised at Locust Point bywant of room,
and it was necessary to secure some
point where the freight going west as
well as that coming east could be as
sorted. He was sorry, he said, if Mar
tinsburg would suffer by the change,
but he hoped she would make up for
the loss, byadding to manufactures,
which Misunderstood was contemplated.
Theconpany desired to make good what
she was taking away from Martinsburg,
and it was possible that the company
might use the shops at Martinsburg for
the repair of coal hoppers. The
changes he said would 90 into effect
about the first Of May.-BahimoJE
Nc1GS