Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-03
TO THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

TO- Hr COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
| A Square Statement of the Questions in-
yolyed Between Ohio County ana tne
Wheeling Bridge and Terminal Co.
| To the Editor Of The Register.
S1R:-The question pending before
the County Commissioners on tne pay,
ment OF the last one hundred thousano
dollars to the Wheeling and harrlsoure
Railway Co., is exciting much puollc
interest and some very wild speculation
and guesses as to what the CONTRACT Is.
We have taken some pains to ascertain
what the real question is, for the Com
missioners to determine, and we give
such portions of the contract as we
think will aid in solving the question.
The contract starts out as follows:
"WHEREAs, The Wheeling and Har-
risburg Railway Company, OF west VIZ,
ginia, requested vote to be ordered
and money to be appropriated In aid OF
the construction of its railroad In Ohio
county, including bridge across the
Ohio river, at or near the head oi
Wheeling Island, and tracks thereon ana
approaches thereto, and the terminal
tracks and facilities thereof, In saio
county, including tunnel through
Wheeling hill, and within the limits OF
the City of Wheeling north OF Tenth
street; and
"WHEREAs, The Board Of Commits
sioners of the county OF Ohio, In the
State of West Virginia, deemed 1T desir-
able for the county to appropriate money
to aid in the construction or sucn rail-
road bridge across the Ohio river, IN
said county, and of railroad crossing
said bridge, and the terminal and con-
Meeting tracks and facilities Of said rail-
road, in said county, such appropriation
TO be made by subscription to the capl-
tai stock Of said Company"
Then, after reclting other whereases,
which are not specially pertinent, the
county makes the subscription, and then
the agreement runs on as follows: This
subscription is made upon the terms
and conditions being the same which
are specified In the order under which
the said vote was taken; that is to say,
the said sum of three hundred thousand
dollars is subscribed to the capital stock
of the Wheeling and Harrisburg kali
way Company Of West Virginia, and
such subscription shall be payable
as follows: Fifty thousand dollars,
when at least one hundred thousand
dollars shall have been expended by the
Railway Company on the construction
of the bridge aforesaid, and fifty thou
sand dollars shall have been expended
by the Railway Company In the pur-
chase and construction OF terminals, as
aforesaid, in the county of Ohio. The
subsequent fifty thousand dollar pay
ments up to two hundred thousand dol
lars are made upon the same terms, or
when the Railway Company shall have
expended additional sums OF fifty thou
sand dollars on terminals, and one
hundred thousand dollars on the bridge.
All these payments have been made,
about which there was no question,
and the contract then runs on,
and says. The remaining one hun
dred thousand dollars shall be paid
when said bridge and terminals shall
have been completed, and when new
railroad from the bridge to Conversion,
in the State of Ohio, shall have been
constructed ready for the passage OF
trains, or shall in the Judgment OF the
Board OF Commissioners be so far adj
vanced in construction as to practically
assure It's completion, and when the
sum of three hundred thousand dollars
shall have been expended In the our
chase and construction OF said Termi-
nails"
In this last clause is the first mention
made of any road between Bowerston
and Martins Ferry. All the other
work on the bridge and terminals in
Ohio county are specifically set forth
as to be done by the Bridge and Ter
minal Company, and nothing is said as
to who shall build the railroad between
Bowerston and Martins Ferry, and four
years time was given within which the
bridge was to be built, and also the rail-
road between Conversion and the bridge.
The subscription was made on the 18th
day of February, 1888, so that the four
years do not expire until the 18th OF
February, 1892.
Has the Wheeling Bridge and Ter
minal Railway Company built a bridge
which costs six hundred thousand doll
ars: has il completed a tunnel through
Wheeling hill, and has it expended
three hundred thousand dollars on its
terminals inside the city OF Wheeling,
and has new railroad been constructed
ready for passage Of trains between the
bridge and BowerstoR in the State OF
Ohio?
This, it seems, in the contract, Is the
question for the Commissioners to de-
termine. That the Railway Company
has expended many times over that sum
on the terminals in the City Of Wheel.
ing, no one doubts. That the bridge
and Wheeling Hill tunnel-three tun-
nels-are completed, there is no doubt.
There is nothing in the contract re-
curing the Company to come down into
the heart of the city or go through the
City Of Wheeling, or requiring it TO
build union station, or requiring 1t TO
do very many other things which it has
done. FAIR PLAY.
BARGAINS in shoes and rubbers at