The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-11-22
Plans of Western Maryland.

That the Western Maryland Railroad
proposes utilizing the Georges Greek and
Cumberland Railroad when it builds its
line to Pittsburg and the West to link up
the road with the Wabash is made plain in
the recent annual report of the company.
The Georges Creek and Cumberland road
is little more than 80 miles in length,
and was bought early this year by the
Company at a cost of over 81 800, 600.
The road has the only available outlet
through the Cumberland Narrows, and at
the time the purchase was made the sup
position was that the line would be used in
connection with the Pittsburg link, but
the report contains the first official an
nouncement of the fact President B. f.
Bush, in referring to the road, says
''This railroad, 80 50 miles long, ex-
tends from the city of Cumberland through
the Cumberland Narrows, dividing into two
lines, one running north to the Pennsyl-
vania State line and the other traversing
the coal territory known as the Georges
Creek region The property is more than
self-supporting; its surplus earnings from
existing traffic Capable, it is believed, of
large extension in its operation as part OF
the Western Maryland system much more
than cover interest on the cost of purchase,
and it contributes large and profitable
volume of new traffic to this Company
main line The terminal facilities of this
property at Cumberland supplement those
of this Company, and its line affords the
only available outlet through the Cumber-
land Narrows for the shortest and best con-
nection of the Western Maryland system
with Pittsburg and the West. .
The main connection with the Wabash
is to be at Wheeling, the line being about
$50 miles in length and running through
Uniontown, Pa. From the latter place
it is intended to build to connection with
the Wabash just outside of Pittsburg, so
as to give the Western Maryland direct
line to the Smoky City from Baltimore.
1t is announced that the connection will
be built just as soon as the money market
improves sufficiently to permit of new
financing by the Company The original
intention of the Goulds was to comp lete
the connection between the Wabash and
Western Maryland about the same time
that the Western Pacific is finished, but
this idea has now been sidetracked. The
work on the Western Pacific is going
ahead rapidly, and may be completed next
year. When the latter is finished and the
Wabash Western Maryland link is built
the Goulds will have system of railroads
extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
with Baltimore and San Francisco as the
Eastern and Western terminals, respective
ly.
Not only is the monetary stringency re-
sponsible for delaying the construction of
the Western connection of the Western
Maryland, but is also holding up some
plans of the Company for improvements in
Baltimore. The Company has been looking
into some of its old franchises, and it is not
too much to suppose that it may make use
of at least one-that giving the company
route from Hillen to Canton 1t may be
that the Company plans to build yard
there, with transfer bridges so that freight
may be sent over to its terminals to Port
Covington and then over own line. In
this way the Company would avoid sending
freight through the Pennsylvania tunnels,
for which charge of So cents ton is
made.