Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-12-23
IMPORTANT RAILROAD
ROUTE.

-ShO ASoChs tAAhc. - - thC OOCg hot
ural route in middle Pennsylvania t,
connect with the through westward
bound trunk lines, the Baltimore 1
Ohio and the Penusylvania Centrs
Railroad. 1t is the best natura
route through Central Pennsylvani,
from the New England States to Vir
ginia and southwark A railroad rul
by this route would open new field
of profitable work and prove itsel
the connecting link between import
ant distant business centers. 1t is &
route OF easy grades, shallow cuti
and Short bridges, and what is oI
great Importance on this route is the
fact that about midway from the
Susquehanna and Potomac, twenty.
seven miles of railroad has been built
and is in running order doing a nice
business between Port Royal and
Blair's Mills Tho construction OF
this stretch of railroad is the work OF
one man.. Thomas s. Noorehead
conceived and executed the work sim
gle handed. He has had the FORE
sight to see the importance of this
route, and he has had the business
ability to execute ths work, and ther g
is no wasered stock in the enterprise.
II the possibilities of this route were
understood or appreciated, it would
not be long till the road would be ex-
tended to the SusqueLanna and the
Potomac. 1t will require only a
lateral extension of 5 miles to
reach the BroId Top ssmi-bitumin.
GUS coal field. With extensions east
and west the anthracite coal can be
brought west and the semi bitumin.
GUS coal sent east. When opened
from the Susquehanna to the Poto
mac, it would lose its local character
istics and become a great highway
between the richer eastern states and
the rapidly developing southern
states Locally considered it passes
through beautiful and fertile and
thickly populated valley the railroad
traffic of which itself will be of i'm
portance on either or both sides of
the valley all along the line of the
route are fossiliferous and hematite
iron ores. The possibilities in these
particulars have been overlooked by
men, who heve hand in the mining
of such ores.
"Prof. Lesley, the chief of the New
Geological Survey Of Pennsylvania in
his excellent volume "The Iron Man.
ufacturer's Guide" on page 621, in
quoting from Prof. Rogers valuable
report on Geology of Penrsylvania,
says:-Assuming the average thick
ness of the lower bed of the Fossilif-
erous ore to bs from sixteen to eigh-
teen inches, each square yard of the
stratum will contain one ton; and If
the average width of the breast of
soft ore be taken at thirty five Yards,
then one mile of The contin uous cut
crop must furnish the amount of six.
ty-one thousand and six hundred
tons"
A more recsnt writer than Rogers
and LESLEY says of this route in the
heart of which Colonel Moorehead
has already constructed 27 miles Of
railroad, doing Lively business every
day. The inducements to carry the
railroad from the Juniata further
south to the Baltimore & Ohio rail-
road on the Potomac is very great
1t will furnish an avenue of Western
communication between the chief
rivers near southern and central
Pennsylvania, the Potomac, Juniata
and SusQuehanna, connecting with
IN iron band over which can be e1-
changed the various products of the
several sections of the country, an
thracite and bituminous coal, lumber.
grain, merchandise and more espec
islly the large areas of fossil and
hernatIte iron ores which are laid
down proftably near to the route, re
quiring only mans skill and energy
to unite them in economic develop
mont" But that is not all. I'm.
portant as are the things above en-
umera.ed, there has within the past
eighteen months been discovered
along the route along the Moore
head road, that which from other
districts commands an annual trade
of between five and six million dol
lars in Pennsylvania alone. 1t is the
phosphate trade The phosphate
business in Pennsylvania annually
amounts to between five and six mil
lion dollars, and the phosphlte is
brought from outside the state
Great deposits of phosphsts hav.
been found along the Moorehead
road. Phosphate enough to supply
the Pennsylvania demand and phos
phate enough to supply the growing
demand IN other states where the i'm
portaDt material has not been depOs
tied by the hand of nature. With
an outlet to the eastern states by way
of the Susquehanna Valley and the
Schuvlkill Valley, and an outlet te
the west by way of the Pennsylvania
and the Baltimore & Ohio routes
what great possibilities are in stor,
for the enterprising people who vii
turn helping hand and purse to
ward tbs completion of the road tha
Aoorehead has in successful opera
ton in the heart of this undevelopet
valuable region OF country. As stat
ed IN the opening OF this article, thi
is the opporture time
Moorehead is practical man; OIL
engineer, geologist, and has opene,
the phosphate deposits in Tuscaror
Valley and IS mining tie valuabl
material. His developments are
surprise. The most searching ant
scientific tests have been applied an,
are satisfactory as to quantity an,
quality. There is no higher scien
titic authority in this Commonwealth
than that emanatipg from the Penn