The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-10-12
one MILLION
DOLLARS WILL
Be SPENT HERE
BY the Baltimore and Ohio
in Making Local Improve
ments in Two Years
MR.. THOMPSON HOPES
Conference of a Friendly and
Frank Kind is Held at
Waldo Hotel.

VII U6 SpEllL
for Improvements here by the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Company
within the next two years, Il a hope
expressed by General Manager A. w.
Thompson of the company at a CON
ference with board of trade officials
and others at the Waldo hotel We'd
nesday night materializes. Mr..
Thompson assured the local men,
bers of the conference that plans
had been drawn for the umbrella
sheds at the passenger station and
that their erection at cost of Sl5,-
900 would shortly be begun. He
explained that these sheds would
extend down the platforms by which
West Virginia and Pfttsburg, Short
Line and Monongah division trains
are reached and be in line for a fine
station to be erected in the future.
Announcement was also made by
Mr.. Thompson that by next spring
the railroad company will have ex-
pended S150,00O on freight ex
tension and improvements here.
Along the line of expenditures here,
he called attention to the fact that
the company within the year had
expended almost 100000 in ex-
tending and improving its yards
here in order to meet local demands
Secretary X. V. D. King of tho
board of trade, at whose instance
the conference was held, called the
conference to order and explained
It's object as being to talk over what.
harrisburg needs and to lay before
the railway officials local conditions
as viewed by home people.
Mayor Frank r. Moore addressed
the conference and Mr.. Thompson in
particular pointing out the friendly
attitude Clarksburg has ever main
tanned toward the railroad company
in striking contrast to the antagon-
ism OF ParkersDurg and Wheeling.
which cities are always fighting for
something and getting about all the
company has to give. He dwelt par
ticularly on the inferior passenger
service on the Short Line and West
Virginia and Pittsburg divisions and
contended that Clarksburg's un-
equalled patronage in this state iuti-
fed better conditions.
General Manager Thompson in adj
dition to directing attention to the
improvements made and making
here stated that the company was
engaged in the, expenditure of So
100000 in the mountain district
east of Grafton to properly handle
freight and passenger traffic from
this territory and that Clarksburg
should take that fact into consider
alton. He also stated that the com
pany was engaged in rehabilitating
the railroad lines running to the
Parkersburg branch here and that
the service was being constantly
though gradually improved. In re-
tering to the Short Line railroad, he
stated that it's first construction in
Dictated that it was built to sell and
that it would cost $4,000 a mile
to make it a first class road. He
admitted that the passenger SER
vice was not what it should be on
the West Virginia and Pittsburg di-
vision, but he stated that the COM
pany had improved it within the
year, coaches being used in some OF
the trains there now that were used
in the best trains year ago on the
main lines, these coaches having
been supplanted with steel coaches
on the main lines.
Appreciation was expressed by
Mr.. Thompson of the great volume
of business the Clarksburg stations,
passenger and freight, give the com
pany. He emphasized this to the
extent of stating that even during
the hard times the volume kept con-
stantly growing month by month.
He expressed a desire to give
Clarksburg all the company could
afford, and then in considerable de-
tail he explained the earning powers
of the various departments of the
system. Mr.. Thompson declared that
the Baltimore and Ohio was the only
eastern railroad company now en-
gagged in making improvements. He
stated that the necessity of paying
dividends, the refusal of the inter-
state Comperce Commission to al