Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-25
AN IMPORTANT B. & 0. EXTENSION.
Cars Will Soon Be Running From This City
Direct to Borgantown.
THE PENNSY Is ALSO ON THE MOVE

UnlOntOWn ten miles SOutn TO Smltnuelu.
and half dozen different contractors, on
as many sections, are rapidly grading down
the remaining 20 miles.
The route from Uniontown is via Frick's
Redstone Coke Works and Oliphant Fur
mace to Falrchance, paralleling the South
west Pennsylvania line six miles to its
southern terminus at the latter point, thence
by Georges creek to Smithfield. Thus far
the road has been taken OFF the hands of the
contractors, Bennett 81 Talbot, and trains
will be running in few days. The same
contractors have large force of men at work
on the next section of three miles along
Georges creek to near Morton's mills,
where it defects to the southeast, crossing
Morgan's Summit and striking the head
waters of Grass run.
Tunnel Through Good Coal.
Through the David Morgan summit
tunnel is being constructed 450 feet in
length. Much of material to be removed is
good Spring Hill coal The station here
will be at John Morgan's. The route for
the next four miles is along Grassy run to
its mouth, where it strikes Cheat river at
Cheat Haven. Contractors Langhorn &
Allen have this section, which is heavy
grade.
From Cheat Haven, already a favored
summer resort, the road follows the deceit
full Cheat three miles to its junction with
the Monongahela at Point Marion, thence
up the latter stream ten miles to Morgan
town. From Cheat Haven to Point Marion
the contractors are the Drake-Stratton Com
pany, Limited, who have sub-let the grading
TO Matthew M. Smith, of Altoona, Pa. He
has about so men at work, and has slow
and heavy contract. At three places on
this section he is obliged to lay track and
use cars to remove the excavations, viz: at
Cheat Repose, Ira H. Keyser's and
north end of Cheat bridge. He
will have five crossings of public
roads, three of which will be where
the public road is under the Pennsylvania
Company's survey. The Drake-Stratton
Company have also the contract tor con-
structing the bridge across Cheat river at
Point Marion, the quarrying and dressing
of the stone for which they have sublet to
Coda Brothers, of Beaver Falls, Pa The
latter have 80 men at work in a fine stone
quarry which they have opened on Bios
ser's Hill, a few rods below the bridge site.
The bridge will be of iron and steel, con-
sisting of five spans of 1876 feet each, one
plate girder of s. feet, and one 65 feet, and
will be 80 feet above pool level of the river.
There will be five piers in the water.
An Old Fight With the Pennsy.
The next section is ~ miles long, which
reaches to the State line. P. H. Bennett
has this contract, most of which was graded
by Foster & Sons in 1884, when the B. and
o. made squirt to build the road, but got
into fight with the P. r. R. representatives,
which fight was transferred to the courts,
where it still sleeps Hostilties and grad
ing were suspended pending a de-
csion, which was never rendered,
and the briers and weeds have grown
undisturbed until now. From Uniontown
to the State line is 20A miles, the total
length of the State Line road, which is the
charter name of this Baltimore and Ohio
branch. The charter name of the southern
end of this new West Virginia. Pennsyl-
vania line is the Fairmont, Morgantown
and Pittsburg Railroad, and it was COM
pleted from Fairmont to Morgantown about
halt-dozen years ago. OF the ten miles
remaining, P. III. Bennett has the Grst five
from the State line, and the work we'll on to
completion, and Lane Brothers have the
next four miles, reaching to the old grade
one mile north of Morgantown, the work
being nearly completed.
The Importance of this enterprise which
the B. & o. has been quietly pushing
through is seen at glance. Fairmont is
the county seat of Marion county and is
the center of the great coal and coking in.
terests now developing in Northern West
Virginia, while Warrington, in the same
county, is the center of the West Virginia
oil field.
Of Material Benefit to Pittsburg.
To mi
one must travel 20 miles to Wheeling,
thence " miles on the main line, cir
cuitous route of 147 miles, whereas from
Pittsburg to Fairmont via Unlontown and
Morgantown il only 125 miles. Pittsburg
will thus be placed not only in direct con-
nection with the main B. & o. line at Fair
mont, but will be the direct northern OUT
let for the Monongahela River Railroad,
which extends southwest through West
Virginia, and also for the great Davis
Elkins system of roads, giving to this city
and the lakes market for their products
and source of supply to them of iron, coal
and lumber that is unsurpassed in the
world. 1t Is bound to become great traffic
highway to the South, and double track is
early looked for. Pittsburg will do for
West Virginia much of what now falls to
Wheeling, and Pittsburg morning papers
will be landed into many towns in the
Mountain State ahead of those from the
Nail City,
The town that has most felt the impetus
of this new enterprise is Point Marion,
situated In the extreme southwest corner of
Fayette county, at the junction of the
Monongahela and Cheat rivers. When the
late Daniel R. Davidson went up into West
Virginia few years ago to invest in coal
lands, which will now be opened up, ,alighting
from his carriage at Point Marion and siz-
ing up the location he said: This is des-
tined to become the largest city on the
Monongahela river above McKeesport." Z"
Point Marionites fully believe Mr.. David
son was a prophet, and are ready for the
city. But the fancy figures they are asking
Tor land will have to be toned down before
the town can grow much.
What the Pennsy Is Doing.
1t is not strange that the Pennsylvania
Company should view with anxious interest
this master stroke of its great rival in the
coke region. Both have Tor several years
played watching game in the matter of
pushing on toward the State line, and have,
in fact, just about kept pace with the de-
veIopment of the coke industry through
South Fayette county. Within the last two
years Pittsburg and Uniontown capitalists
have bought up the coal in Georges, Nichol-
son and Springhill townships, which will |
soon be developed. Neither road at present
reaches this field, though the Pennsylvania |
Railroad, with its terminus at Fairchance, |
is three miles nearer to it than the Balti- |
more and Ohio, with present terminus at |
Redstone Coke Works. When the Balti- |
more and Ohio began to extend to Nor |
gantown, the Pennsylvania road at |
once put men in the field also
Both wished to 60 down the Georges |
Creek route from Fairchance to the Monon-
gahela river at New Geneva, but toward the |
mouth of that creek the route becomes so
Al f;culf tbot onlv one tracl ia prant;ooh1a