Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-11-26

1t is a fact fairly well known that
turing the latter portion of the past
summer and autumn, extending up to
a week or ten days ago, the "Pewiky
Railroad Company, or the Panhandle
Company, for it. has had force OF
men at work on the west side OF the
freight house at the foot of Fourteenth
street, first dumping material under
the outer tracks, on the river edge OF
the platform, and later renewing the
supporting piling. A good deal OF this
work has been done after night, and
citizens suspected that the harbor lines,
as laid down by the government en-
gineers, were being infringed upon.
After a good deal of talk and some To-
cal consultations, series of letters
were written to Hon. John l.. Vance, of
The River Improvement Association,
setting forth certain facts of the gen.
eral nature outlined above, as said
facts were suspected to exist, and a
reply has been received from Col
Vance, setting forth the decisions OF
the army engineers, with their appro-
val by the Secretary of War, and very
strongly intimating that the matter will
be carefully looked into and that a
more stringent order may be expected
from the War Department if the fact
Of an infringement of the lines, since
the meeting of the special board which
convened in this city over year ago,
can be established. Yesterday, after
the arrival of Col. Vance's letter, an
other local conference OF interested
parties was held, and a reply was for
wrded to Col. Vance.
A history of the matter will not be
inappropriate at this stage of the stu
alton.
Early in 1898 the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company, desiring to extend its
facilities at the freight station and
south of the creek, requested permits
sion to be allowed to extend its plat
form. etc.. in to the river a distance
Of twenty eight feet, and at the vicin
ity of the Belmont mill to go westward
a distance of eight feet. In response to
this request special Board of Engi-
neers was ordered to proceed to this
city, it consisting of Major Charles F..
Powell, Of Pittsburg; Major w. H.
Bixby, of Cincinnati. and Captain j..
G. Warren, of Louisville. This Board
met here July %, 1898, and had a hear
ing of the matter as well as a personal
inspection Of the ground, the railway
company and the City of Wheeling
both being represented by engineers
I officers. Pending report the matter
was brought up in Council, which body
protested against the grant A report
was made to the War Department Sep
TENDER "a, 1898, endorsing the request
of the Council of this city, and recon-
mending that the request of the rail-
way company be not granted. Final
action was taken by the War Depart
metn May 10, 1899, notifying the rail-
way company that there was no OBJ
lection to the company renewing Sin
its present form" that portion of its
existing structure at the freight depot
which extends beyond the established
harbor line.
The claim now is that these instruc-
tons have been disregarded, and that
the company has encroached at the
point named by very considerable fill,
claim which the corporation may be
expected to both deny and resist.
The controversy is by no means end
ed--in fact, it appears just to be start
ing, and may become interesting.