The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-07-24

ufacturing centefB, are compelled 70
30 south via Washington Tar 70 the
east, OF Cincinnati a. FAR % the west.
both indirect and expensive routes
which place q handicap. IN freights es-
peciRiiy. from the cities named. POS
sibly there Is nothing yet beyond me
stage Of inclpIency or at most nothing
beyond the stage OF early negotiations
but the fact remains that capitalists
are turning their attention from east
and west trunk line enterprises, be-
cause the country Is already 80 wei
covered with such lines. and are turn.
ing 70 projects intended to connect
with double bands Of eighty-pound
steel the north and the south, once at
war politically and commercially, and
now happily united in the former ana
having community Of interests IN
commerce that Is becoming more gen
orally recognized
And. apparently. there Is no neld 50
promising for a road from the Great
Lakes on the north to the Atlantic or
the Gulf on the south as the route Just
outlined, IN which West Virginia de
rectly and Wheeling indirectly would
be vitality interested. From possible
ity the Nicaragua canal scheme has
passed into the range Of extreme prob
ability, and when It Is assured there
will undoubtedly be many a north and
south railroad scheme, for the reason
that the south Atlantic or Gulf ports
are obviously the points from which
American manufacturers will begin
their long salt water journey to the
markets Of the Far East, It VIII be
seen, therefore. that a possible anal.
gamation Of interests and properties
by the Wheeling & Lake Erie CleVe-
land, Canton & Southern; GAINESVILLE &
Ohio River. and Little KRnAwha rail-
roads would be no visionary project, as
Colonel Boone's BLACK Diamond"
scheme was so often termed. The day
may come when Colonel BoOne'B sup
posed ''wild-eyed and hair-brained"
scheme will be dubbed the master pro-
feet Of a man who was ahead OF his
times. Stranger things have happened.
But this isn't telling of the Wheeling
& Lake Erie proper and the Press
Builders trip to Put-in-Bay. To re-
sumo along the line Of the former, the
wheeling & Lake Erie people. from
Trahic Manager Booth down TO the
tender Of TANK Five" on the main
line. unite in giving to Bobby Blick-
ensderfer the lions share OF the road
kUE QuAklu VA AAAhAA[tE4
poverlshment, managerial inaolllty ana
general backwRrdneAs,
Blickensderfer came out Of the west
only two or three years ago, an un-
known quantity, and, with Myrop I.
Herrick, the Cleveland friend OF Hanna
and Mckinley, was made Joint receiver
Of the Wheeling & Lake Erie. Her
rick took care Of the finances, with
headquarters at his Cleveland ottice,
Chat is he took care OF what finances
remained when the receivership became
necessary, and Blickensderter went TO
Toledo to manage the operation OF the
road. He hadn't been in Toledo a week
until there was change most wonder
full in particulars many and various
His enthusiasm was reflected upon
his subordInates, and his marked exec
utiye ability was the admiration OF all
with whom he came in contact. Wheel
ing & Lake Erie men. whom despon-
dency and indifference had claimed for
their victims, began TO see future for
the road, Blickensderfer's injection OF
ginger" had been just what was need
ed. Well, "Blick," as he Is called by
his admlring subordinRtes, has been
working the ginger" racket ever since,
and the result Is a progressive. conn
dent and energetl; set of railroad
men as can be found anywhere in a
country where so many Of its men OF
enefgJ drift into railroading.
''Blick'B" policy in the conduct OF the
road has bought increased freight and
passenger traffic, and these have
brought confidence in the line to the
men of finance who must be interested
before greaS schemes Of railroad i'm
proyement and extension can be float
ed. Result, q rise in the Wheeling
credit in the financial market, which
has made It possible for the receivers
TO secure the large sums needed to put
into execution the improvement ideas
OF the management. These improve
ments are well known and need not be
enumerated. They are still IN pro.
gress and the lower end OF the road Will
receive some OF them, including the
double-tracking Of the line between
Steubenville and Martins Ferry. Other
contemplated improvements are Just
now sub-rosa but will become public
shortly. Heavier steel rails south OF
Massillon Is one Of them.
AS is well known, the record made
under the Blickenderfer regime has
been largely responsible for the success
that attended the efforts to take the
Wheeling out OF the receivers hands
and reoTganize It. Needless to state.
Blickensderfer remains, having been
mad. general manager, and his are tbs
brain and hand that direct its present
progressive policy.
The wheeling & Lake Erie formerly
carried three times as much coal as 1t
did Of all other classes of freight. Now,
although coal is the big item. other
freIghts are competing with it for su-
premacy. In addition to ores for the
/ Wheeling furnaces, always a large
item, the Scio oil development has crea-
ted a tremendous freight business for
the road, and Il is claimed II handles 40
per cent Of the tonnage in and out Ot
the Scio district, although so important
a trunk line as the Pennsylvania is its
competitor In another way. the
wheeling has benefited by the oil de-
velopment at Scio; between thirty and
forty producing oil wells are located on
Its right Of way. and one-eighth of the
output comes TO the company. Most OF
these wells are owned by employees OF
the company, who leased the right OF
way for the oil. So the Wheeling &
Lake Erie gets 'em comm and goin'.
North of Masslllon the landscape
changes its style; instead of the rugged
and coal laden hills 10 the south, there
comes the gently rolling region OF CEN
trail and northern Ohio that is some
times called Gods country from the
agricultural point Of view. Cities and
towns follow each other in rapid sue
cession, hut the cities are quiet and the
smaller towns extremely dull. There is
mn absence of the hustle and industrial