The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-01-19
VERY " ARM
But 10 THE !. !.
POINT
is THE LETTER
GIVEN BELOW
Editors west v s.nian:

Il H
The United States government hal
expended millions Of dollars of tn,
peoples money to bring to Fairmont
the commercial and industrial adyan
tages Of a nayigable river. The full
realization Of this vast public improve
ment, by the people Of this commu
nifty, without fetter or hindrance
would make an asset to the people
and to the city's position, wealth ant
commercial power which could moi
possibly be equaled by any other pub
lie enterprise. If this great water
highway is made easily accessible II
will afford facilities for transporta
ton of the resources and commerce Of
this community which could not be
given even by a competing railway
system for which our people have SC
earnestly hoped. Our people do not
seem to realize what this river i'm.
provement means to US. This may,
in part, be due to the fact that they
have seen no evidence yet of its val
ue to the community. Slack water
has been here for something like two
years but its use has been choked of
by the obstruction of the F., NJ. and
P. railroad bridge below the city.
When the dams were nearing com
pletion and when finally the locks
were closed and the. water rose in the
pool SO that It became possible for
steamers to reach our little city, the
peopIe-men, women and children
rejoiced at our good fortune. But we
were informed that we would not see
the fulallment Of all that this meant
to us until the railroad bridge could
be removed. The owners Of that
bridge were also the owners of the
only means Of transportation to and
from this city and vicinity, and its
agents went about and among even
our own people, it is said, and secured
atidavits that there was no necessity
for removing the bridge; that Fair.
mont was a small town with no
wharf, and in fact had no streets run
ming to the river, and there was no
place above the bridge where boat
could land; and that the wharf or
landing for FaIrmont should be Ioeat.
ed below the bridget To the credit Of
our people be It said that not many
such afidavits we're obtained, and
those who gave them wanted as lit.
tie notorlety about 1t as possible. This
came to the ears Of the people, how
ever, and 1t will be remembered tnat
Judge w. s. Meredith was employed
by them to go before the government
officials where these afidayits and
representations had been filed, and
there to present the true situation,
The result was, that the bridge was
ordered to be removed. The time for
moving the bridge expired and was
extended at the instance Of the rail-
road company, and at last the com
pany was given to understand taat
the bridge must be moved. After IT
had been then determined to move the
bridge, and let boats come into Fair
mont, the railroad company decided to
build a branch line up the east side
of the river through the First ward,
IL would accomplish the same object
1t had in view by keeping the bridge
across the river, by placing a band OF
steel rails around the rivers edge
from said bridge through the, entire
corporate limits on the east side, as
it had already done on the west side
OF the river. Is there any one who
doubts that one Of the purposes, II not
indeed the chief purpose, Of the rail
road company in running branch
line through the First ward and along
tho river, is to cripple, and shut OF,
IL possible, all competition which
might be afforded by navlgation7 II
So let such an one, put his thinking
cap on few minutes. Let him an
swer himself a few questions. Does
the railroad company propose to build
a passenger and freight depot in the
First ward? Would it likely do 50
when it has such depots, recently
built, at the other end Of the suspen'
sion bridge, but a few hundred feet
away? VIII any trains be run through
the First ward, and will passengers
and freight be received there for
Transportation? viii the trains to and
from Plttsburg over the F. NJ. and
P. leave and arrive in the First ward
II they will, why the necessity Of
building the bridge at Hoult2 Is the
line through the First ward needed fol
anything other than a swltch7
OF course the rights Of way through
the First ward are too expensive foE
CONTINUED or FeaFth Raaes
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