The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-03-08
GOOD ROUND
FIGURE PAID
BY the B. & O. For the C..
L. & w. Railroad.
A PAYING ADDITION
VIII be the New Acquisition
Not q Charitable DeaI--
Line No Longer .
Coal Road.


in the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling
railroad, 1t was not making self-pro-
tective movement, such as has been the
case with the purchase of many roads;
neither was it indulging In a bargain
sale---taking poor road off the hands
of its hackers actuated by charitable
motives. No one knows yet what the
price was, but the conditions being
known, II is safe assertion that a
good round figure was paid, for the
hackers of the property knew its value,
and would not part with 1t at sacri-
fee figure. The former owners and the
Baltimore & Ohio Officials knew when
the sale was made that the O., L. & w.
will not only make convenient outlet
for the B. & o. In certain places, but
will presently be paying addition to
that growing system, says the Cleve-
land Leader.
The critics point to the road, and say
that 1t has not been paying dividends,
and ask wherein lay it's value, while
the prophets or experts point to the re-
sources and recent achievements, and
fnd there more than an answer for the
question. The road has passed through
its vicissitudes, but 1t has come out of
the trial more than conqueror. Eight
years ago the line was essentially coal
road, therefore subject to the conditions
of the coal market and the amiability
of the coal miners for its success. Then
a new policy was introduced with the
advent of the present management, and
the progress of the property has been
most marked. Whereas, formerly the
receipts from general merchandise con-
stituted only % per cent, in seven years
the miscellaneous business has so de-
veloped that now these receipts form 81
per cent of the gross earning. This,
too, has been accomplished without
detriment to the coal traffic, which has
increased steadily as the coal trade has
grown. This result is directly attri-
buted to the policy of Mr.. Woodford to
encourage the location of Industrial
concerns along the line of that road.
The business resources Of the road
have been most attractive to the in
vestors, and some time ago convinced
Blair & Co. and others of the value of
the property. Some of these resources
might be mentioned as follows: The
Lorain shipyard of the American Ship
building company, the Lorain Steel
plant, and other big concerns located
there; the Massillon coal field. directly
tributary to the line; the furnaces and
steel rolling mills at Massillon, with
numerous other big plants; then the
second coal fields near Canal Dover,
where also the sewer pipe and fire brick
works are located, with the blast fur
naces also in that section. The last re-
source of note is the coal fields in the
southern part of the state, where is OBJ
tanned the famous No.8 South Pitts
burg coal which is largely used in lake
shipping. Aside from these the entire
territory adjacent to the road is agricul-
tural lands, producing rich harvests.
Had the road been less conscien-
tiously governed in the last few. years,
or had been possessed by greedy
spirit. the stockholders might have
been rewarded in a material way for
their trust in the company. The road
has been earning plenty of money, but
the management knew Of betterments
demanded that results might be in
crcasingly good, and 80 applied the
earning very generally to improve
ments. From these the results have not
been lacking. The reports of the re-
suits in heavier train loads will speak
more fiuently later. The management
found that the grades were too heavy
to permit large loads, that the equip
ment had to be improved, and that. the
old bridges had to be replaced before
the road could be managed economi-
cally. Mr.. Woodford set about to re-
pair these conditions at once. The road
has been laid for one hundred miles ol
its entire length of 1872 and fraction
miles, in cighty-pound steel rails, which
is the standard Of some of the biggest
roads in the country All Of these arc
new, and but recently placed. The line
has been generally reballasted, and the
remainder OF 1t is laid in sixty five
pound rails, which are about six years
old. Six OF seven of the old pile bridges
have but recently been replaced by
plate girder bridges of the most sub
stantiai sort, and as fast us the wsrh
can be done all of the old infirm struc.
lures arc being taken out of the wa,
and new ones put In. In a number Of
places grades that ranged about fifty
feet to the milo, have been cut down Il
. twenty-six foot grade, and the re-
suits wero Immediately discernible IL
the achievements OF the equipment. Il
was soon found that the engines coult
haul about one-third more than the,
had been doing, and this has sine,
been required of them. During the las
year new ore hoists have been placed, a
Lorain, new coaling plant has been
put along the line of the road, and the
equipment has been overhauled, so tina
II is said the road is In as good physica
condition as 1t could we'll be.Ei Thii
statement answers the query often pro
pounded as to whether the B. & o
would not have task to rebuild tina
line. Tho C., L. & w. is said 20 be on,
of the most modern lines In this sectior
of the country. In spite of all OF thes'
improvements. which cost $500, 900 owe