West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-10-23

The Facts Of The Case In Regard To
Col McGraw's Railroad Develop
ment.
A Statement From Mon. william g.
Brown.

OF facts that occurred in the last
issue of the Journal. The Journal
is newspaper very careful in its
statements of facts and / cannot see
how friend Whetsell, who is an
honest and truthful gentleman could
have been misled into publishing as
true statement SO erroneous.
This statement was substantially as
follows: That Judge Nathan Golf
of the United States court upon a
bill fled by McGraw and Post solicit
tors for the Greenbrier, Mononga-
hela and Pittsburg R. r. Co., had
granted an injunction against the
Cheat River railroad restraining il
from building its railroad over the
route surveyed and located by the
Greenbrier Monongahela and Pitts.
burg R. r. from the town of Durbin
in Pocohontas county w. Va.
through the counties Of Tucker,
Preston and Monongalia to the town
OF Point Marion, in Pennsylvania,
and in this way Mr.. McGraw is
preventing the development Of
Preston County. obstructing the
building OF railroads etc. Until the
Baltimore and Ohio was absorbed
by the Pennsylvania, Mr.. McGraw
had been for many years its attorney
aud in close touch with its develop
ment and management in this state.
Several years ago Mr.. McGraw be.
came largely interested in coal and
timber lands in the interior of this
state, and with the encouragement
of the b. & o. he undertook to
build all small detached roads into
his coal and timber for the purpose
OF developing them. These roads,
which at first were intended for
freight roads, as the country through
which they ran became developed,
gradually became factors in the com.
merce of the interior OF the state.
When the Pennsylvania system
bought out and absorbed the B. &
o., the new management undertook
to squeeze Col. McGraw and to
antagonize his plans, and it was then
that along with Senator Elkins and
other large property owners of this
state, to seek relief started to build
to the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail
Road. In this they we're checkmat-
ed for the Pennsylvania system see
ing the rich commerce of this section
of the state getting an outlet through
a competitive line bought out and
absorbed the c. & o. as they had
done the B. & o. Again the carry
ing trade of this state was in the
hands OF the combined railroad
management without competition
under the dictation of the Penn
sylvania system, and again it was
necessary for those engaged in
developing the resources of this
state, and the shipment OF coal and
lumber to market to find a line to
compete with the PENNSYLVANIA
system, in which the d. 81 O. and
G. & o. are included, and Col.
McGraw with Senator Elkin, and
Davis, Hon. George c. Sturgiss and
other gentlemen prominent in the
development Of this part of the
state induced the Wabash system to
undertake the building Of system
of railroads to compete with the
Pennsylvania for our rich carrying
traffic. Then it was that the B
& 0. demanded of Mr.. McGraw tina,
he turn over his railroad interests in
this state to them. For personal
reasons and because his holdings
had been committed to the Wabash
interests he declined to accede to
this demand and for this reason his
resignation as attorney was demand
ed and he was summarily dismissed
from the railroad service and his
place filed by Hon. Ira +. Robin.
son. Mr.. McGraw is interested in
the cement plant near Rowlesbure
and has been endeavoring to reach
the Wabash system formerly the
West Va. Central, at Parsons with
the railroad up Cheat River, and
these were among the franchises
that he was called upon to surrender
to the b. & o. in order that they
might retard the extension of the
Wabash down Cheat River. Itwas
my privilege some weeks ago to read
the correspondence between the
officers Of the j. & o. and Mr..
McGraw, and the only charge
against him was that he was encour.
aging railroad interests unfriendly
to the b. & o.,
Col. McGraw is making an effort
to connect his Holly River road
with the Dry Fork road which con-
meets with the West Va. Central a,
Hendricks and extend il on down
Chest pfyex -, ID ,,