Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1903-07-23
News of the Railroads.

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Cumberland, was let Tuesday. The
fret section, from, Cherry Run to Side
ling Hill, % miles, was awarded to
the Begnon-Mc Lean Contracting Com
pany, of New York. The contract
for the second section, from SideliDg
Hill to Cumberland, was awarded to
Macarthur Broq. & Co., and Kilpat-
rick Bros & Collins, both of Chicago,
Jointly. The work is to be begun on
or before August l. In eighteen
months it is expected the entire work
will be completed The work will be
very heavy, and it is estimated that 1t
will cost 81 100000 to build the line,
though the figures have not yet been
given out. The large expenditure is
made necessary because of the decis-
ion to secure as low a grade and as
straight line as possible. There will
be FIVE tunnels on the whole line and
% bridges. 1t crosses the Potomac
river nine times, the Chesapeake and
Ohio canal seven times and the Baltl-
more and Ohio Railroad three times.
The maximum grade will be three
tenths of one per cent, or less than 10
feet to the mile, and the curvature
will not exceed six degrees. The con-
tractors have arrived at Hancock with
men and materials, and are getting
ready to begin active operations. a
very large force Of men will be put to
work. The Wabash people have CIV
en- instructions to the legal department
to institute proceedings for the con-
demnation of the necessary right-ot-
way where the same has not been Sc
cured. 1t is reported that the Wa
bash will hurry the line through to
Baltimore as speedily as possible, and
then wait and watch for chance to
get the Chesapeake & Ohio canal for
an entrance into Washington.
Passenger Train No. on the Nor
folk & Western Railway was in Pc
culiar accident last Friday. The
Bluefeld division is being double
tracked, and the contractors who are
employed in the work of improving
the railway had large quantity Of
dynamite and giant powder stored in
small building beside the track.
Just as the train was passing, this ex-
ploded, and two men who were nearby
were blown to atoms. Nearly every
window in the train was broken and
hundred persons were cut by flying
glass and injured by other missiles.
Mrs. John H. Show, Of Shepherdstown,
was passenger on the train, but es-
capped injury, though she was scared
almost to death.
James Bailey and Thomas Kennedy
were arrested last Monday night by
Baldwin detectives near Greenville,
Augusta county, Va, charged with
wreckiug Norfolk and Western train
and killing Engineer Wesley Bailey
last December, and were sent on to
the grand jury. They are now in
Staunton Jail. Bailey lives near
Greenville and Kennedy in Shenan-
doah. They are charged with muir
der. In sworn confession, it is al
legged, they say they planned with a
North Carolina woman, relative of
one of the prisoners, to kill any pas
sengers who might escape death in
the wreck. Only the engineer was
killed, and the plan for wholesale
murder was abandoned. The woman
will be arrested later.
The office headquarters Of W. /.
Sisson, resident engineer Of the B. q
O. Railroad, which has been in Mar
tinsburg for the past two years, has
been removed to Morgantown, this
State. Mr.. Sisson's men did most Of
the engineering work between Cherry
Run and Harpers Ferry on the Shep-
herdstown cutoff. They will locate
a new line of the B. & o. along the
Monongahela river, and expect to be
there for several months.
Notice has been posted in the ma
chine shops of the Norfolk & Western
Railway at Roanoke abolishing the
night force. This was followed three
hours later by a notice that the entire
force Of 1000 men would be put on 8
hours time instead of 10, which time
had prevailed for a number Of years.
1t is also learned that there will be a
considerable reduction in the force for
the remainder of the summer.
Business lie brisk on the Shenandoah
Valley division of the Norfolk &
Western Railway. One of the freight
engineers made over 5000 last month,
and his fireman over 800. Owing to
recent discharges a number Of promo
tons have been made among the men
in the freight service, aud four new
conductors are happy over good luck
that comes to them.
There is a rumor that the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad will erect a
large and handsome terminal depot at
Brunswick. Nd. Passengers hereto
fore changing cars at Harper's Ferry
for Martinsburg and at Weverton for
Hagerstown,wil change at Brunswick.
The terminus of the Shenandoah Valley
division will be at Brunswick.
President F. Kimball, of the n. q
W. Railway, was operated upon sever
al days ago for appendicitis at his home
at THAN, near Bryn Mawr, Pa. Last
reports state he was resting comforta-
blv and bis family and friands were