The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-07-21

Until yesterday morning the fate Of
the Wheeling street car system trem-
bled in the balance. Night before last
the men composing the syndicate
which recently purchased the control
ling interest in the road had not do
cided whether to let the crash come or
buy what stock they could additional
Ito what they already held, and put the
road on the footing it should be on to
be credit to the owners and tho COM
munity, to command patronage by do
serving it, and to make money.
Yesterday morning it was decided to
go ahoad with the programme mapped
out when the new owners secured con-
troll. Tho stock covered by options,
both at seventy and sixty-tlve cents on
the dollar, WAS then purchased, and
paid for in cash. This necessitated the
drawing OF some pretty goodsized checks
by Mr.. Kimball. OF the pool. There
still remains out between $1,000 and
5000 OF stock held by local stockhold-
ers, who seem to have reasoned that in
order to save their own stock the now
investors would have 10 put W the
money to put the road in good condi-
ton, and they could not make their
own stock profitable without equally
bcneftin9 that OF those who would not
sell.
WHAT THE PROPERTY COST.
The syndicate has also bought d part
of the outstanding bonds, and has COW
cred practically NIL the remainder with
options. Some OF these run forty days,
and others Tor four months. AS high
as 1903 was offered on some OF these, and
accepted at the syndicates option. AS
itstands now, the gentlemen composing
the pool, Messrs. Champion, Kimball,
.Ieyda. Hazard and jolly, practically
own the whole system, consisting, OF
the capital stock OF both companies,
the bonded indebtedness. about sixteen
miles OF track, the power plant and
equipment. About tho most valuable
thing Represented in their purchase is
the franchise.
To acquire what they now own tho
the gentlemen have put up about
S250O0O. in round numbers, including
the paying OF the floating indObtGd
and to buy tho outstanding bonds will
swell the cost to them to about S48o, 900.
They expect to expend made OF the
next four or five months at least $500, OOO
IN rebuilding the road, which will make
the sum expended when the roads are
ready for traffic in shape satisfactory
to the owners, exceed three-quarters OF
q million OF dollars.
OF the old stockholders who refused
to sell to the syndicate ono of its men,
bers said last night that the nov pur-
chasers entertained only the kindliest
feelings. They merely exercised their
judgment as to the disposal OF their
property, as they had right to do, and
whether they acted wisely or not only
time could definitely tell.
AN ENTIRELY NEW SYSTEM.
Readers of the INTELIlaENcER do not
need to be told that the road is in bad
condition. 1t had gotten to be 30 bad
that the patrons wondered how it could
get worse. Rough tracks, ramshackle
overhead system, inadequate power
plant, weak motors and anIiQuated cars
combined to make riding q WEAKNESS
to the flesh, while delays and bad con-
nections kept the patronage down to
the minimum. Its the intention OF
the company TO completely rebuild and
newly equip the system.
To do this will require an expendi-
ture OF $4,000. Inside OF thirty daysa
thousand men will be at work rebuild
ing the road. The entire track will be
relaid, most OF it with ntnety-pound
rails, heavier than the average steam
railways use. This will necessitate also
"a big lot OF repairing to the streets.
The old, unsightly wooden poles will
be taken down, and iron poles Of neat
design erected in their places. There
will be no cross wires fastened to
houses il it can possibly be avoided,
poles being used everywhere.
On tho new Main street bridge the
track will be laid with view to its
lasting forever. It will be NJ solid and
permanent 80 II 1t were = part OF tho
stone structure itself.
There will be an entirely new equip.
ment Of cara throughout. The old
Vanderpool cars, with the motors in
cabs on the front platform. will 90 sent
TO the acrap heap. The now THOMPSON
Houston motors arc too weak for tho
work, and they will also be retired.
GREATER POWER NEEDED.
Tho colors Of tho cars will be changed.
All tho new cars, OF which there will be
thirty or forty, will be painted some at
tractive light color. No advertisements
will be- displayed on cars after the pres
ont contracts expire. Cars vii! DO num-
berod instead OF iettered.
Sheet iron sides will be substituted
for the wicket gates nov used OIL the
front platforms. These slides will DO
painted to harmonic with the color OF
the cars, and on them vii! be the num-
Der Of tho cars and tho route and destl-
nation of each, so that man can Sc
lect his car at q glance.
The cars will DO heated in winter by a
modern system. There viii be q new
system Of transfers introduced, with the
other sweeping changes, o better pro'ec-
ton for the company and more conven-
lent to tho public,
A single trolley wire will BIO substi-
tutcd for tho double one throughout.
Tho new motors will be the best
in the market, possibly the new
Lave system, Just being introduced in
Chicago. or the Westinghouse orThomp-