Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1899-10-24

at. he replied s3,5oO,-ope thousand
down and the balance in one and two
years. I told him would think it
over. To give the notes was an easy
matter, but the Que thousand was not
SO handyF 1 figured it out, however,
and went back in about a month to
close it, and was told that the price
was then $4,000. That rather para.
lyzed me; but in about another month
l went back 10 close it at $4,000, aud
the answer was that the price was then
S4, 800. and unless l closed that day he
had no doubt that the price next time
would be $4,000. l did not close aud
to-day that square is worth about
S250,OO0-a clear case of wasted OPP
portunities. Later on / was offered ii
at $4,000, but sill did not see it.
It may be stated in general way,
following the line OF personal reminis-
cences, that Parkersburg's first sGmu.
lus was the oil wells at Burning
Springs, in 1860. but that development
was short-lived and of comparatively
small magnitude; but it produced the
slack watering of the Liule Kanawha
for about 80 miles and the building of
oil reineries at Parkersburg. When
the oil supply failed at Burning Springs
great quantities of oil was boated from
Pittsburg To be manufactured and
shipped from here, the Camden oil
works alone employing from 800 10
500 men from about 1870 TO the pres
ent day.
Next came the building of the Ohio
River Rad, which, in my judgment,
has done more than any one thing,
leaving out the b. q o., for the per
manent prosperity Of Parkersburg, by
bringing it into easy and SPEEDY COM
municalion with all the neighboring
towns on The Ohio river from Wheel.
ing to Huntington, and establishing an
interchange of business aud banking
facilities that did not exist, and could
not exist under the slow methods of
transportation prior to that time, which
kept most of the river towns strangers
to each other.
remember that in getting up the
syndicate TO join me in building the
Ohio River road, chartered little
boat TO carry party from Wheeling
to Point Pleasant to look over the line
from the river staudpoint,-amongst
the party was my old friend and col.
league, Senator Fair, of Nevada. The
river towns certainly did at that day
present rather ragged and dilapida,
ted appearance. Fair remarked, from
the deck of the little boat, in front of
a then struggling, seedy-Iooking little
town, which is now one of the bright
est, busiest towns on the river: Cam
den, you may be all right. and the
country may be all right, but the
towns are very bad you must put on
new shingles, and paint the boards. -
But Fair put his million dollars in the
enterprise, all the same, and every
cent of his securities has been held as
an investment by him and by his es-
tate to this day and what is remark
able, of the men who joined in furnish
ing the money to build that road, very
few have parted wilh~any of their
holdings, Every time go up or down
the road since, involuntarily mark
the great contrast between then and
now. The handsomest succession of
towns on the Ohio river is to be found
10 day along the line of the Ohio River
Railroad.
The great oil development of the
past few years has had its influence on
Parkersburg's growth; and last, but
not least. Parkersburg's splendid street
railway has done more TO advertise the
fact that she has passed from town to