The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-03-17
WONDERFUL RESOURCES
To Be Developed By The
Opening Of
THE RAILROAD EXTENSION
What the Pittsburg Dispatch Has To
Say concerning the Effect Of the
New Railroad on the Country
Through Which 1t
Daeaoe

W hat tht DitBattn mas ~
Say concerning the Effect Of the
New Railroad on the Country
Through Which 1t
Passes.
Last week the Pittsburg Dispatch
sent man over the railroad extern
sion. When he got home be had
printed three columns of well written
matter concerning the pew railroad
and adjacent property, and the fol-
lowing is portion OF the article.
With only thirty two miles of
track needed between Uniontown and
Morgantown to reach the valuable
but undeyeIoped coal fields of West
| Virginia and to connect With the
Davis and Camden systems of rail
roads, it is surprising that the Balti-
more d Ohio company did not build
! what is known as the State Line
branch long before now. To be more
exact, the distance between Union
| town and Fairmont is traversed by
two railroads, the State Line from
| Uniontown to the boundary line be-
tween Pennsylvania and West Viz
ginia, and the Pittsburg, Fairmont
d Morgantown from that point to
Fairmont on the Main Line to the b.
d. o. However, both companies are
controlled by the B. d o. and the
construction of the connecting links
establishes through line from Pitts
burg to West Virginia and the South.
While the Baltimore d Ohio built
the connecting links, it is said by
people who think they know that the
influence of Elk. Senator Davis, Elk
Secretary of War Stephen b. Elkins
and Senator Camden had much to do
in bringing about the result. These
men are enterprising, and largely in.
terested in West Virginia coal and
timber Davis and Elkins manufac-
ture considerable coke along the
West Virginia Central They say it
is as good as the Connellsvile arti-
Gle, but that remains to be proved
AT any rate, these gentlemen want
ed an outlet badly to the North, es-
pecially to the Pittsburg and lake
markets. Hitherto they have been
shipping their coal, coke and other
traffic to Baltimore, but ia the future
all that freight will come this way.
This it is, that what is Baltimore s
loss will be Pittsburg's gain. To
show what an important feeder the
Morgantown branch will be, the Bal
timore d Ohio people expect to re-
ceive daily as soon as the road is
operated 200 cars of coal, coke and
other traffic. The local business is
sure to be excellent. In few years
the officials predict that the ship
ments from the line will reach 500
cars per diem and more. The pros
poets for constant increase are
first class. AT present the mines
along the branch between Morgan
town and Fairmont produce 100 cars
of coal per day for the B. d o. These
shipments are taken to Fairmont and
over the old Main Line, but hereaf-
ter this freight will be sent via Pitts
burg. This 100 cars is included in
the estimate of immediate prospect
i've business anticipated from the
new railroad.
An examination of a map will
show that Cumberland, Wheeling.
Fairmont and Pittsburg are the four
corners Of a parallelogram, and the
Baltimore d Ohio railroad is a dag
onal line through it as well as form
ing the sides. This illustration will
give people an idea how direct the
new railroad will be into West Vir-
ginia In addition the chances are
it won't be long before the Pennsyl-
vania road will extend its line either
from Fairchance or Brownsville to
Morgantown. The inducements for
the Pennsylvania are not so good as
for the Baltimore & Ohio. The
Pennsylvania will likely begin grad
ing this summer Those south of
Fairchance claim the Pennsylvania
will PARALLEL the Baltimore d Ohio
and cross the Monongahela river
near PIT Marion. The route most
commonly discussed is the extension
along the Monongahela from Browns
vile. The Pennsylvania now has a
corps of engineers at work surveying
along Georges creek, south of Smith
field The Pennsy is looking into
the merits Ct both routes with view
of selecting the most advantageous.
They own right-of way south of
Fairchance that was brought for a
song about 80 years ago.
BEGINNING at Smithfield the
stations in order on the new line will
be Morgan Summit, near the tunnel !;
Cans; Cheat Haven, where the first
view of the black waters Of the Cheat
river are obtained; PIT. Marion, the
center of an extensive lumber trade !,
Lock No 9, Van Voorhis, new town
to be built; Randall and Morgan
town, the seat of the West Virginia
University.
The people south of Uniontown
think that the movement of the coke
industry is gradually in their direc-
ton, and that in time the center will
be transferred from Connellsville to
Uniontown and then TO the Monon-
gahela river. The coke operators do
not take kindly to this sort of talk,
and they reply that the West Vir-
ginia coal is too hard for coking pur-
poses; that there is little coking coal
south of Fairchance, and further the
coal is not even under the farms as
through the Connellsyille region, but
is found irregularly here and there
at the top of knobs and low hills
Whatever the merits of the conten-
ton may be this rivalry will do no
harm. The indications are that the
men who buy coal land along the
State line road will sooner or later
realize handsome profit from it.
AT Morgan the tunnel runs through
Ia foot vein of coal The big vein
is exposed, and can be seen from the
car windows. Engineer Lee says the
coal is very soft, and when tested
made very fine coke.
Mr.. Van Voorhis, who owns the
town of Van Voorhis, ships annually
to Pittsburg about 200 cars of cattle.
For the accommodation of this bust
ness the Baltimore and Ohio road
will establish cattle yards at Cans
and Van Voorhis. This will undoubt
edly stimulate the business, and the
shipments of West Virginia cattle to
Pittsburg and the North will largely