The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-03-29
LuMnRl,,SG ISrErris rs /.

| ton Answered. " Utss p.
10 ths Editor Of ne hnhiiigensr.
SIN: = In looking ovor tho March
number Of tho I.umbcrman's Ruyiow, l
notice M article headed conditions
Along tbs Limo OF tho Wcst Virginia &
Pittsburgh Railroad" purporting to
como from Duckhaunon. ". Va. Hay.
Ing carefully road tho article. | hayo
come 10 tho conclusion that tho writer
10 wholly ignorant OF tho ttuo situation
OF the conditions Of tho lulnbermon Of
this section, aud therefore 10 not 70.
spohstblo for tho erroneous position no
tnkcs, aud does not realize thu wrong no
may DO others By inducing them to In.
vest In tho lumber business along thi,
line, or IL n puid servant Of tho West
Virginia & Pittsburgh Railroad Com.
pany. know not which. but will DO
charitable enough to accord him tho
former position. In speaking OF mixed
hard woods the writer says.
ANYONE understanding tho business
ought to do we'll hore, by taking adyan.
tage Of facilities for numbering already
existing and no longer used. L confess
mono OF us can make any money out Of
this branch Of tha business, but all
through Ohio aud Indiana Inotice little
wood working establishments appar.
emily prosperous at ovory railroad june.
ton. and oil working In just the class OF
stock that wo don't look at, Il thoro
any good reason why beech, maple and
tho Ike should build up prosperous
communities mp there aud knock tho
stutling out OF every ono who touches
them down here? l ask simply for iu..
formation"
Tho writer shows by asking this ques-
ton that | have placed him In tho pro.
per position; that he Is ignorant. Ii
he had only questioned those little fel.
lows whom Ge speaks OF in another
placs In his article rs having failed. each
ono OF them could have answered tho
question readily. as can all others who
| havo tried to do business along this
road without private pull. The an.
swer ia simply this: Tho Yves. Vir.
GINA & Pittsburgh Railroad Com pauy
charges such oxorbitant freight rates
that We cannot compete with our neigh.
bors over in Ohio and Indiana, although
they pay three times rs much stumpase
as We do, but they are located'o oil roads
who give living ratea.
Further on in his article tho writer
says: "The timber ishese. and our road
gives as good rates rs. any thoughtful
man could dream OF asking" ! agree
with the gentleman that Nature has
done much for us aud that we have the
timber and that God Almighty has done
much for us in tho way OF natural adj.
vantages, but I draw tho line right
here, and take issue with tho writer as
10 what tho West Virginia 4 Pittsburgh
railroad has done ior the country aud
the lumberman. make the assertion,
without the slightest fear OF successful
contradiction. that the rates on this
road are and have been exorbitaut;
that the, management 10 OF the narrow.
est class; that every effort Is mado to
wiring tho last cent out OF the poor
shipper Especially the small ones) /;
that numerous capitalists have been
driven away from our section BIZ the
q bove cause.
The writer knows OF several instance,
OF parties coming down hero to invest,
but first finding that they had to pay
four cents per mile to travel over the
road, and on further Investigation found
that everything else was in proportion,
lett the state disguised and won't to such
sections Us Ohio and Indiana. l agree
with the writer that most Of we ''little
fellows" have ''busted" Victims OF the
greed and short-sightedness OF the Wes,
Virginia & Pittsburgh railroad), aud
will add to this that none Of the big
follows have made any money. Tho
Alexander company is still grinding
away, bu. no one would think OF saving
1t is making money. The Buck
harmon company, which had among its
managers such well known mon rs A.
II. Winchester. is worse of than We
little fellows and that grand property
now stands idle, living monument to
speak for itself OF exorbi.ant freight
rates wrung from it by this railroad,
which the Buckhannon article tells you
are all that is lovely. The Holly River
concern is still worse, but. Of course, no
one ever expected it to make money ex-
cept those New York fellows who put
up the stuff. BY the way. a. II. Win.
chester Ia now receiver for this concern,
and will gather up the fragments from
the wreck. which may reach as much US
ten cents on the dollar.
Tho Camden.on.Gauley mill is still
doing business. Tho promoters OF this
concern arc very near the railroad peo-
pie, and Of course they ship lumber
when We little fellows" are not. Cur.
tin. who buys cheaper and manuiac-
lures his lumber cheaper than any OF
them, and who, by the way, We '.little
fellows" used to think had private
pull with tho railroad com pany, is at
work, and perhaps Is tho most prosper
GUS OF all, but il he has TO pay tho samo
rates as the little fellows" it will take
many yoars for him even to pny out.
WAS about to pass by without mem
tioning the Pickens concern, which is
managed by George W. White.carvcr.
This plant 10 now idle, but for tho life
o! me cannot tell you why, ior tho last
| time wc heard OF Mr. Whitescarvor he
had piles OF orders and was getting
moro for his lumber than any operation
in America; but tako it somo change
has come about, for l SEQ that no
(backed by the West Virginia & Pitts.
bur9h railroadl is asking the taxpayers
Of Webster county to give them $500
to build road through their own lands
so they can got their timber to their
mill. which. by tho way. was built Just
when the timber run out. Oh, no, tho
Pickons' plant hai not done much bat
tor than wo "littlo feilows' aud they
will find out that it will be cold day,
indeed, whom tho Intelligent Taxpayers
OF Webster county will put on their and
thoir childrons' backs n burden thnt
will DO hard TO bear. The citizona OF