The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-03-15
CANTON IS
INTERESTED
Big Railway Project In
voIving Local Capital.
ACROSS The STATE
New Electric Road Will Exten d
From CIevela nd to Cincin-
natl Touching Many
Towns.

New Philadelphia, March 14.-Canton
parties will be here next week Monday
to meet the county commissioners and
will ask a franchise through the roads
of the valley from near Beach City to
the west line of the county near New
comerstown. Michael Shelter, former
Stark county commissioner, was here
Friday last to confer with our COM
missioners, but in the absence of Mr..
Houk, who was detained at home by
sickness the proposition he came to
make was deferred until Monday. March
18th, at which time the entire board of
commissioners will be present. The
proposition he will make them provided
a franchise is granted will be that of
building an electric railway through the
Sugar Creek valley and down the Tus-
carawas valley to and beyond New
comerstown. This proposed line is to
connect roads already established. or
where franchises are already granted,
so that there will be continuous line
from Cleveland to Columbus and on TO
Cincinnati.
A road has already been built and
operated for several years between
Cleveland and Akron. The franchise
and right of way from Akron to Canton
have been secured and work will COM
mence on that road at once Plenty of
capital is back of it to guarantee q
speedy completion of the line. The
proposition which the Canton parties
propose, so far as it relates to this
county is to continue the building of a
line from the terminal of the Akron
and Canton electric line through Rich
Vile, Navarro, Justus, Beach City
Strasburg Canal Dover, New Philadel-
phia, Beidler Tuscarawas, Gnaden-
hutten, Port Washington, Newcomers
town, and from there to Coshocton and
Newark. At Newark it intersects a
road for which a franchise has been
granted to Columbus. AT Columbus il
will meet other lines, on which work
is progressing through Springfield, Day
ton, from Dayton to Cincin-
natl over line already es-
tablished and which has been run
most feasible and is one which can ad-
init of fast running as there are no hills
from here to point near Newark. The
route through this county, following as
it does Sugar Creek and the Tuscara.
was river, Will nave no grades TO con-
tend with. 1t is extremely doubtful il
another route could be established in
the whole state of Ohio which could pass
through such level country and at the
same time strike such populous cities
and towns. From the time it leaves
Strasburg until it passes out of oul
county at Newcomerstown it's route will
lie right in the busy hives of industry
for it will pass by the Dover and Crown
Clay works, the Goshen, Bedler and
Wainwright coal fields and the popu.
lous cities of this county. The popula.
tion of the towns alone through which
it will run in this county is 10000 not
taking into account the thickly settled
farm lands of the valleys.
The only drawback that the promo.
ters of this road may have in this coun.
ty is former franchise granted by the
commissioners for an electric road from
New Philadelphia to Strasburg, which
was granted last summer to John A
Wagner, who represented Cleveland
parties. 1t is asserted that the parties
can secure from the former franchise
holders all rights to which they art
entitled.