Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-03-29

During the seventies. and even before
O. railroad along the West virginia bank
of the Ohio between Wheeling and Par
kersburg. was dreamed Of and talked Of
i'm this city and az various points en- route.
and with the projection OF the Pittsburg.
Wheeling and Kentucky. and its compile
zion 90 this CITY 1t was fOndly hoped by
the citizens Of the lower counties that
the time al last was near when they
would see the realization of their desires.
Tho r. w. d Ky. was completed as far
as Benwood. and there came to a full stop.
through multiplicity Of causes not now
necessary 10 relate. 1t was then that
the people OF Parkersburg, headed by Mr..
Camden determined TO act for them
selves and with the aid of substantial and
enterprising men all along the river from
the Ohio county line to the north bank of
the Little Kanawha the Wheeling and
Parkersburg Railroad Company was
brought into being. a charter being secured
April IS 1851. Not a great deal Of progress
was made during the following year. and
in December. 1852 the Company was re-
orcanized as the Ohio River Railroad
Company. Work was at once energetical-
Is commenced. and June 10. lSSt the line
was opened TO ParkersbUrg. The difficult
ties of construction were very great, ow-
ing 20 the physical obstacles in the way
at many points but one by one the rough
places were made smooth. and The ties
and rails laid Frequently and for long
stretches. road bed could only be Sc
cured by long t-estles. ar points where the
tom M
spiles. and this added both TO the first
cost and the expense of maintenance; but
tine Company was made up of determined
men. accustomed 20 succeed in whatever
was undertaken. and the enterprise was
cousummated, to the great JOY Of the peo-
pie of Marshall Wetzel, Tyler, Peasants
and Wood
But the Company did not rest upon the
laurclS thus earned An extension Of the
line across The Little Kanawha and on
down the river 20 PIT Pleasant was at once
undertaken and was pushed with char
acteristic energy. a splendid bridge was
erect Ell at Parkersburg. right Of way was
secured and in January. 1856, this extern
sion. seventy-nine miles i'm length. was
thrown omen TO- travel and traffic. The
command was still onward, however, and
second extension TO Huntington was at once
planned and commenced. This additional
line made a great bridge necessary over
the Great Kanawha, nc a point where the
banks were very low on both sides of the
stream and TO get the required elevation
was am engineering problem Of the first
magnitude. 1t took an ample fortune to
carry the rails 10 the south bank of the
Eanawha. but they went over and the
road. the con truction of which had pro-
cressed coiucideut with the building of the
bridge was completed to a connection
with the Chesapeake and Ohio tracks at
Huntington. On April. 1855. mailing a con-
tiuuOuS line Of road 2l5 miles in length.
For several years the road was thus
operated ut it's lower end. through an ar
rangement with the Chesapeake and Ohio,
but the result was unsatisfactory to the
Ohio River Company, and as a way out
they laid a new line into Huntington,
along the river front. and purchased the
property. rights and franchises Of the
Huntington and Big Sandy Railroad Com
pauy. which gave the Ohio River Company
through line to the north bank of the
Big Sandy % distance of 223 miles from
Wheeling. A through train service was
40 once inaugurated and the new road
at once sprang into the greatest popular.
ity. under the efficient administration Of
the late George ". Thompson.
The pas .erger traffic was good from the
start. but it was reserved for the freight
facilities TO open the eyes of the people to
the immense stride which had been made.
Property which before the coming of the
road had been of very little.value at once
became available for a waiting market,
and business men found tnat their wants
and those of their customers could be
supplied in hours where it formerly took
days under the most favorable circum-
stances. The various river towns at once
bc-un a new era of prosperity, and as a
rule they also began to face about. turn
ing their backs upon the river to get in
closer touch with the new tie which was
TO henccforth bind them to the busting
world. Property in what was before the
Cuts-.irts of the towns. away from the
river. was in demand. new people came
into every community. building and i'm
provement was the order Of the day. and
business increased in all lines and by a
very considerable percentage. With in
creased population and business came
other things-bankS. more and better
newspapers, more ard better schools. and
the whole life OF the river counties was
quickened and to q considerable extent
changed. The Improvement was general.
marked and permanent. The railroad
made possible the change at Huntington.
srum q country hamlet to a progressive
city. it rejuvenated ParkersbUrE Ii pro-
NOTED the welfare of Pt. Pleasant. and
New Martiusviile and Ravenswood. and
O. score OF other towns and villages, and
it afforded an aid without which the great
oil developments Of Sistersville and
Naytrly and of lesser fields would have
been extremely difficult, If not impossible.
The road added millions TO the wealth Of
the State. ana sowed its benefits far and
wide over more than a dozen counties. on
both sides OF the river. OF verify, the
Company bui'ded better than It knew; it
brought the strongest hopes of its incor-
por.to~s and Promoters from the realms
Of seeming fancy to the status Of accom-
phshed fact. Yet better things speedily
followed the wonders accomplished by the
opening of the road. and the immediate
future holds a s,il brighter promise.
III
After tho death of Col George w.
Thompson. Mr.. George A. Burt was made
Vice President and General Manager Of
the Company. and he at once determined