Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1902-06-06
TWO CENTS
WABASH STILL WORRIED.
Seeking a Direct Connection
with Western Maryland

Under Existing Plans its Route from
Pittsburg to Cumberland Is OBJ
Miles, and by Way of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad 1t is Only $50
May Buy Cheat River Line Fran
chise.
Notwithstanding that the Pitts
burg, Carnegie and Western railroad
otherwise the Wabash railroad, is
proceeding with the erection OF the
line west OF Pittsburg, the company
is more ANXIOUS about its connection
east of Pittsburg than of that west.
w bile the Wabash people have Sc
cured control of the Western Mary
land road, this does not bring them
anywhere near Pittsburg from the
east, as the Western Maryland ex-
tends west only as far as Cherry Run,
Md, distance of 2l5 miles from
Pittsburg.
Between Cherry Run and Cum
berland the Wabash has as yet no
connection of any kind, though from
Cumberland west it has the West
Virginia Central and Plttsburg line
as far as Belington. From Beling
ton to very near Parkersburg it has
the prospective extension OF the
Little Kanawha railroad, the latter
having been purchased by the Wa
bash interests about one year ago.
From this point it is proposed to
reach Pittshurg by line northward
through GAINESVILLE, and from there
to Mingo junction by way of the
Wheeling and Lake Erie railroad.
TO do this the line must be travers
ed northward to Navarro, O., and
then southwark b. the way OF jew
EFT.
From Mingo junction PittsDurg
will be reached by way of the Pitts
burg, Carnegie and Western rail-
road At the present time Cumber
land, via the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, is $50 miles from Pitts
burg. BY way of the proposed
route of the Wabash system it will
be about 537 miles between the two
points While the Wabash has
plenty of Western connections, it
has no direct one east of Pittsburg
to connect with the Western Mary
land.
That the Wabash appreciates this
situation is manifested by the tact
that lis surveyors are quietly work
ing in Greene and Washington coun-
ties, through which it can only Sc
cure direct route east For sever
al weeks il has been known that Wa
bash surveyors have been engaged
in making surveys south Of Pitts.
burg, but it has also been known
that these surveyors have been meet.
ing with more or less trouble, be
cause a great deal of this section
will be covered by the line of the
proposed Cheat River railroad.
This road was chartered some yea
ago. 1t is TO run south from Pitts
burg, following closely the course Of
the Cheat river. II the Wabash Sc
cures this road, and some negotiations
with that object in view have been
made, then direct route east from
| Pittsburg would be secured, though
in addition to this there would still
remain to be bnilt IS miles between
the terminus OF the West Virginia
Central and Pittsburg road at Cum
berland and the western Maryland
road at Cherry Run. Here the Wa
bash, because OF the mountains,
would be compelled to follow the
course of the Potomac river, and the
construction would be most difficult
because the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road occupies all the available terri
tory along the river
/ When the subject OF the Wabash
entry into Pttsburg was first spoken
OF the freight tratfic out Of Pittsburg
was mentioned as being the prime
object for the construction Of the road
but without a direct eastern outlet
the freight traffic eastwardly will be
very light from Pittsburg, from which
point the Wabash undoubtedly ex-
poets to secure great amount. In
cidentally, the Wabash is also making
great preparations TO open West Vir-
ginia coal territory in anticipation OF
finding market for large quantity
Of it IN Pittsburg. Unless some other
route than the circuitous one men,
toned is secured the chances for find-
ing this market seem rather remote.
as the charges for haulage by way OF
Parkersburg. GAINESVILLE, Navarro and
Mingo will be almost large enough
TO eat up the cost OF coal. In connec-
ton with the proposed route it
might also be mentioned that
through Eastern West Virginia and
Western Maryland the road will have
to cross half dozen or more moun-
tains where the grades are terrific and
where travel VIII be necessarily slow.
According to existing plans, 1t is the
purpose Of the Wabash to bring its
Western freight by this route, which
will take from one to two days longer
than is now taken to cover the same
distance by the Pennsylvania and
Baltimore and Ohio roads.