Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-09-03
CHEAT RIVER RAILROAD ORGANIZED.
A Meeting of the stockhoiders heiu
at Morgantown Yesterday-Ihe hou'o
1t VIII Follow.

A Meeting of the Stocknoiuers hoiu
at Morrantown Yesterday-The Route
1t VIII Follow.
speeial Ttlsordm 10 ne sunday Rso'stsr
MoRGANTowN, w. VA, September 2.
The stockholders OF the "Cheat River
Railroad Company" which was char
tered July Is, held their first meeting
to-day at Dille's law office.
The Company was regularly organ
lied, bylaws were adopted and the iol-
lowing directors elected: w. ). Guffey,
Geo. Heard, Emmett Queen. w. f. john
son, Geo. d. Prentis, all Of Pitts6nrg.
Guffey was elected President; Queen,
Vice President; Johnson, Secretary;
Heard, Treasurer. The next meeting
will be In Pttsburg. Only preliminary
business was transacted.
The route which has been mapped
out by the engineer in charge is con-
sidered a practicable one. The road
will start from connection in Penn
sylvsnia with the Fairmont, Morgan
town and Pttsburg railroad, now being
built between Morgantown and Union
town, Pa, near the mouth OF Grossy
run, and about four miles from
the mouth of Cheat river, which is IA
miles north of this place on the Monon-
gahela river, and will follow Cheat its
entire length, 81 miles, TO Rowlesburg,
where IL will connect with the Bal
timore and Ohio Railroad. The
road will open up one OF the
finest timber, coal, iron and lime
stone regions to be found In
the United States. The limestone
crops out at Beaver Hole, along the
route, In an un0roken column OF three
hundred feet for two miles and the sup
ply is iRexhausitble. There is enough
Ligonia paving stone along the route,
the same as used for paving in Pitts
burg, to pave half the cities Of
the country. The entire length Of
the road is an almost unbroken forest
Of all the varieties of timber common to
the State. There is one unbroken for
est of $1,000 acres, in which several Of
the corporators are interested, as well
as 10000 acres of coal and limestone
land in which they are also interested,
which the road will develop, and this is
the prime incentive for the building of
1t.
There Is now no means of transporta-
ton for this vast amount OF timber ex-
cept Cheat river which is too low a
great part of the year and is subject to
such sudden rises and floods at other
times that it would not pay to attempt
to get it to market. Dewlng's mill, at
the mouth OF Cheat, which has capac-
ity of $50 logs per day, has run short,
although they have 100000 logs lying
along the banks Of the river.
The second blast furnace west or the
Allegheny Mountains was started up on
Cheat river about 179s, and many more
were started up to 1850, but the most OF
them were abandoned on account OF the
difficulty of getting the product to mar
ket. The building of this road will
again cause these vast ore beds along
the river to be worked, and the supply
of iron ore is practically inexhaust-
ible. Among the iron furn-
aces on or near the proposed
road are the Henry Clay,
Green Spring, Muddy Creek and Laurel
Iron Works. The ore is found all along
the route, and is the same as that used
at Austin and at Irondale furnaces. The
mountains, which tower 1000 above the
river are filled with the Preston basin
coal and the Connelisville cokeing coal
veins. There are many beautiful and
highly cultivated farms, and
thousands of acres OF graz
ing land back from the river, but
II is cut of from the outside world and
this road will open up all of this terrific
~ TO settlers. Fairchance, Pa, Nor
gantown and KingwOOd are now the
nearest railroad points for the people in
that section and the road will not only
give them access to the markets OF the
country but will cause great influx Of
agriculturists. 1t will light up the
Cheat valley with fires froms thousands
of coke ovens. The gentlemen who are
connected wit the company are amply
able to carry out their purpose Of
building the road. They know
that the wealth of Galconda
is 8 mere pittance as
compared with that hidden away in the
Cheat Mountains. Among those inter-
ested in the enterprise are MeSsrs A.
3. Guffey, Emmett Bueen and George
Heard. of Pittsburg; George ID. Prem
tice, OF Allegheny; w. f. Johnson, OF
Westmoreland county, Pa, and l. c.
White, Of MorGartown. The principal
Office will be at No. 43 Sixth avenue,