The Republican., 1897-07-08
A PROSPEROUS TOWN.
How Friendsville, Garrett County, Has
Grown and the Cause of It.

a special, published in the Balti-
more Sun of Friday last, speaking of
the prosperity of Friendsville, this
county, says:
"Friendsville is located in Garrett
county, on the Youghiogheny river,
some twenty-fOur miles below Oak
land. There is no section of Garrett
county which has developed and
improved more rapidly in the past
few years than FriendsviIle and its
vicinity. This rapid growth is attrib-
utable, perhaps, to at least two
causes. In the first place a great
work has been done in cutting down
the forests and converting the wilder
ness into farming lands. A few wears
ago the stretch of country between
JohnstOwn and Fricndsville was an
unbroken wilderness. Now nearly
all this land has been cleared out and
fine farms covered with magnificent
wheat fields, dotted with comfortable
farmhouses, lie on either side of the
road.
1.-The great change which has been
wrought in 50 short time strikes the
visitor with amazement. Lands in
this locality which a few years ago
could have been purchased at So per
acre cannot now be had for S25 per
acre. 1t is not, however, the advance.
in the price of land and the increase
in farming lands alone which have
improved this section so wonderfully.
The second cause which has materi-
ally contributed to the prosperity
referred to is the Confluence and
Oakland railroad, which extends from
Confluence on the Pittsburg and Con-
nellsville railroad, up Youghioghenv
river to krug, two miles above
Friendsville.
when this road was constructed a
few years ago the village of Friends
vile contained only two or three
houses. Now there is quite a large
town, with fine hotels ard large mer-
camille houses doing an immense
business. With the completion of
the road to this point and the growth
of the town came the establishment
of manufacturing plants, which gave
employment to labor and distributed
large sums of money to wage-earners
every month. One of the first manu-
featuring firms to locate here, and
one which has largely contributed
to the general growth of the commu-
nifty was knabb & Co. This firm.
soon after the completion of the rail
road, purchased a large tract of
timber and coal land called "Yough
Manor, containing 1000 acres. Upon
this tract they established their mills
and built the town of krug, which is
the terminus of the Confluence and
Oakland road, and two miles distant
from Friendsville.
The company is engaged in the
manufacture of dressed white oak
slaves for the Standard Oil Company
which they ship to Philadelphia.
The capacity Of the mills is 10000
slaves per day, and they ship seventy
carloads per month. They give EN-
plOyment to about two hundred men
and distribute in wages about $1,000
per month. This company has about
seventeen miles of narrow gauge
railroad and has extended it's tracks
from the terminus of the Confluence
and Oakland road to point within
nine miles Of Oakland. The company
has also within q few days past open
ed seven-fOOt vein of coal, which
will further add to the business of
this thriving section of the county.
In 1895 a company was chartered
for the purpose of constructing the
connecting link OF railroad between
Oakland and the terminus of the
Confluence and Oakland road. Should
this company build the proposed CON
Meeting road it would not only open
up the rich timber and mineral lands
of the Yough valley between Friends
vile and Oakland, but will make
short route to Allegheny and Pitts
burg and bring these cities within
few hours ride of Oakland, Mountain
Lake Park and Deer Park.
The building of this short line
would fill every summer resort on this
mountain top from Pittsburg and
Allegheny cities alone. 1t is sincerely
hoped that the company will soon
complete the connecting link, as it
will undoubtedly bring additional
prosperity to this whole section.
q H.