Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-07-15
TWO RAILROAD PROJECTS
THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
LAST EVENING.
SOME ADMISSIONS WERE MADE

SOME ADMISSIONS WERE MADE
BY Messrs. Holmes and Weaver, Ac-
| cordfng to the Members of the
j Subcommittee Who Were Present.
Eastern Terminus of the ConnelIs-
VILE Road Does Not Go Within
| Twenty Miles of the Coke Region.
Other Matters.
A subcommittee of the citizens COM
| mittee recently appointed by Chair
man ]. N. Vance. held an informal
meeting last evening for the purpose
of discussing the special election to
be held on Tuesday of this week. While
the committee was in session, 1t was
decided to invite representatives of the
projected Pittsburg, Connellsville and
Wheeling railroad to appear and ex-
plain their plans. In response to the
invitation General Manager Holmes
and Messrs Weaver and McCombs, OF
Moundsville appeared, while Chief En-
gineer Barrett represented me Union
town, Waynesburg and West Virginia
| railroad.
According to all the members Of the
| committee who were present, Mr..
| Holmes and his associates made num-
| Der of very important admissions,
! which the committee agreed furnish
| ed additional evidence that the County
| Commissioners acted wisely in sub
| hitting the ordinance for stock sub
| scription of $500 900 to a vote of the
! people, and emphasized the importance
/ of the u. W. & w. Varoad, and its
necessity for Wheeling"
| The representatives of the so called
| ConenllSville road were asked a num-
| Der of very important questions, which
they answered candidly. According to
| the members of the committee Mr..
| Holmes admitted that his road would
have Marlborough, Greene county, Pa,
| as its eastern terminus, and that 1t
was not prepared to construct the road
to Connellsville marlborough is %
| miles from the coke fields.
Mr.. Holmes is said to have further
admitted that the prime object of the
road is to haul coal from Millsborough
to Moundsville, there to be loaded by
means of tippie, upon barges and
| shipped south over the Ohio river, the
object being to avoid the shoals in the
river between Moundsville and Pitts
burg, and to float coal upon a stage
! of water that would not permit its be-
ing sent south from Pittsburg.
Mr.. Holmes said it was proposed TO
| experiment with the coal at Millsbor-
ough with a view to ascertaining its
| coking qualities Members of the
| committee laid great stress upon the
fact that there has been no develop
ment of the coal deposits on the line
of the so-called Connellsville road,
while on the other hand there are
| 5000 ovens in course Of construction
on the proposed route of the Union
town, Waynesburg and West Virginia
| road. 1t was pointed out that coke is
what Wheeling is vitality interested in,
but Mr.. Holmes contended that the
opening up and development OF the
country through which his road would
pass would be a distinct benefit to
| Wheeling.
Engineer Barrett was at first asso-
ciated with the Connellsville project,
and conducted portion of the survey,
stating that he left the employ of the
ConneIlsville people after he came to
the conclusion that there was no mon
ey behind the promoters. He regarded
the project as a Pennsylvania scheme
and showed that the Pennsylvania
Company has projected a branch from
Marlborough to connect with its pres
ent tracks. He also showed by a map
of the district the saving in mileage
from the coke regions to Wheeling via
the T., w & w. Va line demonstrate
ing the fact that Pittsburg is not on a
natural line of railroad from the Con-
nellsville region west The present
distance from Connellsville to Wheel
ing by railroad is 142 miles, and about
IA miles will be save in hauling coke
over the projected road to the Wheel
ing mills.
Mr.. Weaver was asked by gentlemen
OF the committee why the projectors
| of the Connellsville road dla not APP
pear before the Ohio County Commits
sioners while the proposition OF the
u. W. & w. Va. road was pending
He replied that he had suggested it to
Mr.. Holmes and that the latter did not
approve the idea, but suggested that
they come up TO Wheeling before the
election.
Mr.. Holmes was asked why he was
opposing the ordinance at present. and
according TO the committeeman he re-
piled that he did not want to see a
road which would rival the Connells-
! vile road constructed.
He was asked why he had called the
| road the Pittsburg, Connellsville 6,
| Wheeling railroad. when it was not
proposed to go to Connellsville, and
his reply was that any name might be
selected for the road, and that p. G. &
w. was general term.
While the meeting was in progress
a member of the committee received
a telephone message from Mr.. ]. n.
Vance. who stated that he had receiv-
ed a telegram from Hurlburt, Hatch
& Co., bankers and brokers. IL Broad
| way, New York, stating in effect that
they were arranging to finance the
| Pittsburg. Connellsville G. Wheeling
| enterprise.
AT the Trades Assembly meeting
last Sunday" said Mr.. Rinehart, OF the
committee, the representatives OF the
Connellsville Company said they had
the money TO construct the railroad.
and gave HurlDurt, Hatch G. Co.. as
their reference. 1t strikes me that
there is vast difference between hav-
ing the money and arranging to I'm
ance the enterprise.