The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1894-04-04

Point Pleasant is the oldest town
on the Ohio river. Gallipolis was
settled q short time after Marietta
was laid ont, and Point Pleasant
two years before Marietta. Point
Pleasant marks the beginning of
the Kanawha division Of the *. g.
M. Railroad. The Ohio division of
this Railroad runs from Point Pleas
ant and Gailipolis to Athens. Gall
lipolis is almost opposite Point
Pleasant. One way to get there is
to cross the ferry and then ride
westward four miles on the electric
cars The Ohio Central runs into
GaIlipoIis now on the Columbus and
Hooking Valley Railroad. Point
Pleasant has two magnificent bridg
es, one crossing the Ohio and be-
longing to the Ohio Central Rail-
road and the other crossing the
Kanawha and belonging to the Ohio
River Railroad. They are both
masterpieces of engineering skill.
steam boats run up the Kanawha as
far as Mt. Carbon atcertain seasons
of the year, a distance of seventy
seven miles; they go up the Ohio
river as far as Pittsburgh. Some
times, however, the water gets so
low that a small boy can wade
acrossit. Point Pleasant is situated
on a high elevation overlooking
both of these great rivers. The
s'point" is readily discernible. The
view from it is grand. Point Pleas
ant was organized in 1900. Geo.
Washington once surveyed this his
toric spot, when he was prospecting
for good land, and he predicted then
that some day it would be the met
ropolis of the south. Bancroft, the
great historian, says that the battle
of Point Pleasant between Gen.
Lewis, commanding the Yirginian
forces and Cornstalk the Shawnee
chief, fighting for the British, is real
Iy entitled to be ranked as the first
battle of the Revolutionary War.
This battle took place Oct 10, 1874
The descendants of Gen. Lewis are
to. day scattered over Virginia and
constitute some of the best "blood
and sinew" of the Old Dominion.
Cornstalk, the Indian brave, lies
buried at Point Pleasant.
The REGISTER was founded by Mr..
Tippett in go The Gdzette is Re-
publican paper, edited by that in
torpid woman, Miss Livia n. Simp
son. The Ohio River bridge over
the Kanawha has been completed
about four years; it is the second
cantilever bridge in the world, that
is, it was built from the ends tow
ards the center, having no false
work about it. 1t is five hundred
feet between the two piers and
ninety FIVE above water. The Ka.
nawha & Michigan bridge was COM
menced in 81 and opened Nov. 25,
'S5. ]. S. Easement & Co., of Pains
vile, had the contract for the stone
work, amounting to about $500, 900.
The Keystone Co., of Pittsburg, had
the iron work; contract price, $3.50
900. The bridge is a mile and a
halffrom one approach to the other
and is said to be the second longest
in the United States. There are
five river spans. The channel span
is four hundred and twenty feet
long. Point Pleasant gave $4,000
towards constructing this bridge.
Point Pleasant is the county seat
of Mason county and has about
5000 Inhabitants. 1t is the home of
Jas. Capehart, present Congressman,
and several other State and nation
al officers. A new railroad is the
talk there now. They contemplate
building one from the south side of
the Kanawha opposite Point Pleas
ant to run to st. Adams and Coal
river.
1 made my headquarters at the
Phenix Hotel, the courtesies of
whose managers 1 shall not soon
forget.
THE GREAT LOCK ON THE KANAwHA.
Before leaving Point Pleasant, L
must speak of the most interesting
attraction that came under my OBJ
servation. There are many locks
on the Kanawha river, but Lock
No. IL one mile above Point Pleas
ant is the most interesting not only
on account of its extraordinary size
but because of the enormous cable
suspended high above it, over which
car loads of stone from the quarries
near are rapidly transported. 1t is
pronounced the largest lock on the
Kanawha and FIVE years contract
was given for it's completion, but it
will require seven years in, all be-
fore it can be finished. The cable
is suspended ninety four feet above
the level of the water and is 1900
feet from anchor to anchor, making
it the longest in the world. Nature
has fitted this place most beautifully
for the purposes for which it is used.
Picture this with me please. On
the south side of the Kanawha is a
mountain which is richly stored
with stone and coal. On the top of
this mountain is tower forty-five
feet high. On the opposite side OF
the river is another elevation not so
high. On this is located another
tower one hundred and five feet
high. Between the tops of the tow
er is a distance of 1905 feet. The
cable afore mentioned is stretched