Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-22
WANT A RAILROAD TO PITTSBURG.
Anxious to Pour Their Iron, Coal and Tim
Der Into the Gas City.
THE STATE is TAKING ON A NEW LIFE

! SeefnS.
"When were you in the city last?"
81 have only been through the city once
in the past 10 years.
"You have doubtless noticed some i'm
provements?''
eyes, my visit, which is partly on legal
and partly on private business, has called
me to several different points, and 1 have
been attracted by the vast Improvements
made in the city since I was last here. ]
have been on several of the principal streets
and was greatly interested in the new build
! ings which I saw, among which are the new
Court House and postoffice, as well as in
the great number of large buildings that
have been erected on different streets
Pittsburg is no longer the Pittsburg of 1C
years ago, l see business and hustle on
every street on which 1 have been this
morning"
"Have you anything new in politics in
West Virginia this y-ar?''
''This is an off year in West Virginia; we
have no elections, and by way of politics
We have only the pleasing satisfaction OF
W atching the contests in Ohio, Pennsyl.
vania and elsewhere We take very lively
interest in the election in Ohio. In West
Virginia we are devoting ourselves to bust
ness this year and not politics.
NEW WEST VIRGINIA RAILROADS
''What is being done in the way of open.
ing up and developing your State?"
Our State is making rapid strides in all
lines of development in every section, and
our industries are paying and prospering,
farming being the least profitable; our peo-
pie are in good condition financially, there
having been no failures of any consequence
in the past 12 months"
''What is going on in the way of railroad
building?'
''1here is now building new east and
west line through the State, the Norfolk
and Western Railroad. having its eastern
terminn2 at Norfolk, Va, passing through
West Virginia, and which connects with
lines west, opening up to the eastern and
western market; the celebrated Flat Top
and other coal fields of the State This is
a great road and is opening up wonderful
country; the completion of the road has
been retarded by the excavating of a long
tunnel, but will be completed in a few
months Next in Importance is the Cam
den system which has its northern terminus
at Fairmont, at the head of the Mononga-
hela river, and is north and south road
passing through the State, connecting with
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. The
DaSis System is another important line of
road building from Piedmont through the
State to a connection with the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad at Grafton
care any of the roads coming to Pitts
burg?"
WANT A ROAD TO PITTSBURG.
ultimately, we hope; but our people are
growing somewhat impatient because rail
road communication between Fairmont and
Pittsburg has not long since been consul
mated; indeed, the industrial progress,
which is visibly changing many parts of
West Virginia from wilderness into hive
of busy, bustling activity has scarcely made,
1 think, that impression upon PIttsburg
people that its Importance demands; GER
tainly no community should be more in
terested than Pittsburg in the development
of such large area of contiguous territory,
which should be naturally tributary in a
business and commercial sense to this CITY.
Is is somewhat singular that greater effort
has not been made on the part of Pittsburg
to secure extensive commercial relations
with the section indicated, 1 mean the
northern and interior counties of West Vir-
ginia. Most of their trade and
products. have drifted to Eastern
cities much farther away, because
of lack of direct transportation facilities to
and from their natural market at Pittsburg.
For years the people of that section have
hoped for time when profitable business
relations could be established with this city.
But for some reason capital has held aloof
from Investment in railroad up the
Monongahela river to that point in West
Virginia, which would open up to Pitts
burg large part of the States resources.
The people of the upper Monongahela Val
ley realize the value of such line, and
have given support to every proposition
looking to its building. As an instance,
several years ago the counties OF Marion
and Harrison voted large county subscrip-
tions to aid in such enterprise, surveyed a
route along the west bank of the river to
the State line, secured the right of way,
ETC., but their efforts were unavailing.
DON'T UNDERSTAND THE VALUE.
''The apparent indifference on the part of
Pittsburgers in seeking this new field for
their enterprise and new avenues for enlarged
trade by the building of a railroad in that
direction, may proceed from lack of ap-
probation of the magnitude of the resources.
Certainly it would seem that every con-
sideration of business sagacity would dictate
the establishment of close relations with
section only a hundred miles away if they
could be made to realize the value of the
trade of that section
$40 what point would a road have to be
constructed to secure these advantages"
''To Fairmont, on the B. & O., which is
the present northern terminus also of the
Camden system, and toward which town the
Davis system Of roads is now heading
GLOW much road would have to be built,
or what extensions made, to give Pittsburg
such railroad connection"
"Well, a branch of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad now runs to Morgantown,
which is only 90 miles from its line at Fair
mont, and the construction of u road cov-
ering this gap would give Pittsburg a con-
nection bv the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
system. A connection by the Pennsvlvania
system could be had by the extension of its
Southwest branch from Uniontown to Fair
mont, a distance of only about 40 miles"
"What kind of town is Fairmont, and
what is being done there in the way of
business?
FAIRMoNT THE KEY TO THE SOUTH.
''Fairmont is really the key, so far as
Pittsburg is concerned, to the trade of
northern and central West Virginia. With
its suburbs it has population of less than
8. 900 people, yet it paid to one railroad last
year freights aggregating over $1,000, ,OOO
A portion of these freights were paid ON
coal and coke, which are produced in large
quantities in that neighborhood, but still
the general business of the place paid over
81 COO per day exclusive of coal and coke
shipments The volume of business trans
acted in the place>may be estimated by the
bank statements which showed business of
over S15, 600, 900 last year. This town euioys
exceptional advantages in business sense