The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-06-23

With the enterprise from the start
| and who is very close to General Mil
Ter gives the following history of the
scheme:
I'm the year 1890 while Gen. Charles
Miller, in camp with his brigade of
| the National guard OF Pennsylvania at
Mount Gretna. was studying the mill
| tary map of the state, he discovered
| that a line of railway could be built
so as to bring eastern and northwest
ern Pennsylvania into closer relations
ship than any Of the lines existing. He
| therefore employed Capt. George t.
Hamilton, q civil engineer assisted by
| Emery G. Reed. to make a prelimin-
airy survey from Franklin, the ter
| minus of the Lake Shore system, to
| Clearfield on the Reading road. The
preliminary survey proved the prac-
| ticabiity and economy of such q
| route. Thereupon General Miller Or
gained company known as the New
York, Philadelphia & Chicago Railway
company. intending to bring the ma~
ter to the attention of the Lake Shore
& Michigan southern company, as
| that road had q branch line from
! AShtabula to Franklin and Oil City
which, with q newly constructed line
| OF about 105 miles from Franklin to
| Clearfield would then connect with
the New York Central interest, the
| Beech Creek railway. to Williams
port thence via the Philadelphia &
| Jersey to New York.
.,t,t ,,t,
| vey made and estimates of the cost"
continued Mr.. Smith. General Mil
| Ter tried to interest the Lake shore
| people to assist in the construction of
| the connecting line of road, but the
matter was referred to New York and
| no encouragement being given, the
Buffalo, Rochester & pittsburg rail-
way people desired to purchase the
charter and promised to build the
| railway from Franklin to Clearfield
| That was in 1892. The object of the
| Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg. peo-
| pie in getting control of the charter
was to open up a new market for
their coal. Up to that time they had
no market except Buffalo and Roch-
ester. but by building from Du Bots
|
access to the eastern manufacturing
cities.
But the Buffalo, Rochester & Pitts
burg, instead of building to Franklin,
diverted their line and built over to
| Butler, Pa.
I'm December, 1901, General Miller
again took up the matter with w Fl.
| Newman, president of the New York
/ Central system, and showed him the
possibilities of forming a through line,
as indicated. Mr.. Newman at once
saw the practicablity of the plan and
n new charter was secured under the
name of the Franklin & Clearfield
! Railway company. A survey was
made in 1904 and it was found to be
a very economical route, inasmuch as
! the grades would not exceed five
tenths per cent. eastbound and six
tenths per cent. Westbound. A right
of way was secured and a road has
| already been constructed from Frank
| lin to Brookville a distance of s.
miles, and also a branch line from
| East Sandy to Polk.
| "a recent test was made with one
| locomotive hauling 81 cars loaded
with rs tons each. Up to4this time the
| Pennsylvania railroad has been taking
out the bulk of the Ciearfield county
| coal over Il road on which it took all
| the power of one locomotive to haul
| nine cars.
"Within the last three months the
| Franklin & Clearfeld railway has been
consolidated with the jamestown &
| Franklin railway, the Central Trunk
railway and the Jackson Coal rail-
| way under the name of the James
| town. Franklin q Clearield railroad,
| of which Gen. Charles Miller is presi
| dent. 1t is expected that the line will
be open for traffic some time about
| the middle of July, the track being
| already finished as far as Brookville
and probably arrangements will be
| made with the Pennsylvania railroad
| to Du Bots and over the Buffalo,