The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1899-03-15

. All Over But The Shouting in
The Movement For a
Free Bridge.


Twenty Four Thousand Five Hun
dred paid for it-Cempromise Reached
After long s,eIiberation-ghe papers
are now being drawn np-The Bridge
will be Turned oven on the First Of
April and no tolls will be Charged
After that Date-A Matter FOR Uni
versal Congratuation.
The county court has taken the
step. They did this after long delay
and tiresome negotiations but that
they did 1t gives them all the credit
in the world. The bridge has been
bought and it will not be long before
the structure viii be free. April first
the citizens of the county and any one
else who may want to use it may 60
across it without having TO pay
tribute.
The details of the sale have not yet
been consummated. The price that
is to be paid is twenty-four Thousand
five hundred dollars. This is to be
paid to the company in cash and the
banks Of the town will furnish what
the court needs in order to have the
cash to give the company. This will
be given them at the rate of four and
half per cent.
The final hitch occurred on We'd
nesday afternoon and it was nearly
five O'Clock before the court had
bought the structure that has been
the boDe of contention for so long.
They had had price fixed on it fol
a long time. Mr.. Sturgiss on be-
half of the company had offered the
property to the county for twenty-five
Thousand.
This had seemed an enormous sum tc
the members for long time and they
had refused to consider it. But after
campaign of education and the fact
becoming SO apparent that the people
Of the county would be satisfied with
nothing else they finally decided tc
buy it.
Then came the dickering and at one
time it seemed that for one thousand
dollars the deal would fail. The
court offered twenty-four thousand
the bridge people wanted twenty-five
At the last moment the difference
was split and the sum agreed upor
was twenty-four five hundred.
The papers are being drawn up now
and before very long all that will bt
necessary to take the property from
the hands of the company and place
it in the hands of the people, will
have been finished.
Nothing has been heard but the ex.
pressions of the most profound salts.
faction and everyone feels that the
very best days work ever done for the
town and county has been accomplish.
ed. No one has any thing but praise
for those who have worked toward the
great end and for the court in acting
as it finally did.
The town and county will feel the
results for years to come. There is
no single industry here that will re-
suit in bringing so much money into
the town. The old feeling of enmity
will be obliterated and the two parts
lof the county will be no longer
separated.
An era of the greatest prosperity is
about to set in here. Morgantown
will this summer grow as she has
never grown. Not the smallest factor
in this will be the free bridge.
The fact that the company did not
get a great big price for their property
will be seen when the future is looked
at. The railroad on the west side OF
the river and the consequent develop
ment will make it still more valuable.
A gentleman who is conversant with
the situation told US in this connec-
ton this morning that in one year
the road would be open for traffic.
This is startling news but he stated
that he had no doubt but that it was
correct.
The announcement of the purchase
has been received very well in the
county as far as heard from and ex-
pressiOns of the greatest commenda-
tion have been received from all near
by towns on the result which has been
achieved after such long and harass-
ing work.
The members of the court who have
been enlisted in the cause will find
that they have done the best days
work for themselves and the county
that they have ever done. They de-
serve great credit for their recognition
of the Justice of the purchase and the
rights of the people. While they
seemingly acted slowly it is becoming
public servants to be careful of what
they do and how they do it so that
no discredit can be cast on their ac-
tions> What they did was from the
best OF motives and the result shows
that they were moving in the right
direction all the time.
The county court has entered the
order in the purchase of the bridge.
The money has been paid the bridge
company, the deeds made and record
ed. The banks have received the
twenty four thousand five hundred
dollars in orders which was paid for
the bridge.
Sheriff Garrison on Saturday morn
ing paid over one thousand dollars of
the purchase money to the bank and
has more to pay over as soon as some
outstanding bonds are called in.
These are owned by some parties in
Ohio and it has been impossible to
get them before.
The order entered in the case is as
follows:
This day came the "West Morgan
town Bridge Company" a corporation
by its attorney, and filed with the court
a proposition to sell and convey to it all
the property real, personal and mixed,
etc., of the said Bridge company, upon
the terms and conditions set forth in.
the deed of conveyance filed with the
which deed of conveyance
is duly executed and acknowledged for
record. and is in the words and figures
following: that is to say:
"This deed made the 10th day of
March A. D. 1899 by and between the
West Morgantown Bridge Company, a
ETC., and it appearing to the
court that it is necessary and the proper
for the court to acquire the title to the
said property upon the terms and con-
ditions set forth in said deed for the pur-
pose Of public high way and bridge.
And on motion it was specially or
dered that the said proposition be &C.
;epted, and that the purchase of said
be authorized and made by the
court, and that the said deed be accepted
and ordered recorded by the clerk.
And on motion it was specially order
I'd that there be appropriated for the
purpose of the payment of the consider
alton named in said deed, the sum OF
rwenty-four Thousand, Five hundred |
dollars 24,500) and that (33) several
orders be drawn, payable to said Bridge |