Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1907-11-01
M.Gr2tv Holds Key

in the railroad world will come out
from We Virginia within the next
few days is practically certainty from
the fact that President B. +. Bush, of
the Western Maryland, : Gould in
terest. and the Hon. John L. McGraw
of this city, who owns the West Vir-
snia Midland, are at the present lime
making trip over the route CT the
nreposed extension of the latter road
nv which connection can be made
with the Chesapeake u OHIO for the
west and the latter road will have an
opening to come up into the coal fields
eff centrol West Virginia and get part
of the picking which has been had al
most exclusively by the Baltimore &
Ohio in this section until the Western
Maryland got into business.
Rumors have been flying about dur
ing the past week to the effect tisat
Col. McGraw he's al out co n pleteC Y
deal whereby ne would turn over the
West Virginia Midland to the Gould
interests as represented By the West
ern Maryland but this on the facesof IT
to those who are acquainted with the
conditions and the amount Of territory
both coal and timber, that Col.
McGraw holds, as we'll AZ the absolute
control OF the situation he has In that
section through which hi road already
runs and has been surveyed, is abso
lutely joke. Gel. McGraw OWES In
fee simple, 25 900 to 900 ecres Of coal
and timber land IN that section of the
state com uprising w ebster and the other
counties through which his line runs
and in addition has fully as many
more acres under lease, and it is point
cd out that he would have to be crazy
to think of selling unless he could
close the deal for hundreds millions OF
dollars.
The exact status of the present Trip
of inspection that is being made by
Col. McGraw and President Bush is
that an arrangement is on foot whereby.
a traffic agreement is to be consl m
mated by which the present line of the
West Virginia NJ ldland will lie mao Q
a standard guage road AMI the pi O.
posed extensions which have been
held up for some time are to be ma de
| that tho rnn9 III 10,
not only on the Baltimore IL Ohio al
Holly Junction, but also ON the Ches-
apeake 4 Ohio at a point IN Greenbrier
county 1t is also stated that an agree
Ment will be affected wherlb y The
West Virginia Midland wlll get close
10 the Coal d Coke and that The lines
Of that road, which are closely allied
with the Gould interests, in The West
err Mary land will be used Tor the ur
pose Of getting coal to t he eastern and
western markets.
Ii is positive fact That Col. Me
6raw along with his marrow guage
road and that part oft which has not
Oen constructed has almost absolute
control Of about ,009 10 10000 acres
q what is left of the famous New
RIVER vein, located down in The south
tfA END of the state and ALEC that up
Mjhis section the Coal 4 Coke, III
ans Davis Ne rcns and others VINO
"e identified with that road have large
aoldIngs of tie Pittsburg vein. The
West Virginia Midland 81 2 very vaiu-
'0ie IInN between the Coal u Co4Ae aud
NE Western Mary land, II Inc Deal can
U6oi,uu 10 the seaboarG 10y Al least gu
% miles less than over either The
Baltimore ~ OHIO aud some Of the
'1eI ioaus which nave mad an absc :
@'e monopoly Of the business in ;he
past.
Voi 3ic0raw holds the key to the
'"uauol down in the country N
'uicA ne aud President Bush are
1'Nlng the inspection at the present
4'le' In addition to the two ger tie
~'u named there are five othersin the
t"''I VINO are officials and engineers
'pq ~ Is expected before they get back
"AiAinS they will have gone over the
,-'I'e stretch of the proposed extern
~0aS Oh the West Virginia Midland as
VA as the route that Will be necessary
make the extensions and connec.
9ls'-GFafton sentinel.