The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-09-21
Route 70 Kes
Gotten BY =. 60

Great Lakes - manifest q at Elauce.t
and securing for itself a tre-i
mendous advantage should road
building race ensue with the Ches- /
apeake and Ohio railroad. another
contender for the heavy coal and
timber trafic of southern West Vir-
ginia.
1t is even rumored, and these ru-l
7nors drift remarkably straight from
authentic sources, that the BaItl-i
more and Ohio has silently placed
agents and representatives IN the
deld, who are quietly buying up un-
der many and varied excuses the
proposed new right-of-Way and Sc
curing options on all available land
at the several points along the route.
where, in the event of the road be-
ing built, would be most suitably To-
Gated stations. sidetracks. spurs,
yards, terminals and other holdings
necessary to the operation Of the
short line.
The Baltimore and Ohio must have
short line connection between the
Ohio river and the c. H. & D. to
handle with any degree of profit their
agreed tonnage in the acquisition OF
the ETkhorn road in the, Consolidation
Coal fields OF northeastern Kentucky.
Three million tons of coal must come
out of these recently opened coal
fields over the Elk Horn road each
year. according to the purchase con-
tract. This immense tonnage will
come over the Big Sandy division of
the Chesapeake and Ohio to Catletts-
burg and, unless the Huntington
Northern is built. must be handled
over the Chesapeake and Ohio main
line to a deIiverance to the c. H. & d.
at Cincinnati.
Thus is short line between Hunt
ington and Jackson on the c. H. & D.
absolutely necessary to the Baltimore
and Ohio. Unless it Is built, the Elk
Horn road almost buried away on in
the mountins hundreds of miles from
the nearest possible Baltimore and
Ohio lake connection. is a foolish ex-
pendfture, a bad Investment, almost
an utter loss.
AS rule the Baltimore and Ohio
doesn't foolishIy bury its money in
the hills and this occasion will prove
no exception. There was plenty of
foresight In the purchase of the Elk
horn and just what must be accom-
pIIshed afterwards was known before
that purchase was made. The an
nouncement or the secret consumma-
ton of that deal caused n panic in the
ranks of several other roads. who
were themselves dlckerinE for the
, EIkhoru, but with no knowledge of
the Baltimore and Ohio's Intentions in
that direction until the Juicy prize
was gone. While CONSERVATION still
reIgned and the other roads were re-
covering from the shock. the BaIti-
more and Ohio went right ahead with
their original well laid plans and be-
gan the preliminary work OF building
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. short line.
This work is now practically COM
pleted and something Is due to hap
pen. Additional shivers have been
sent along the spInes OF the other
roads. but so far no signals of an at
tempt on their part to checkmate the
Baltimore and Ohio have been ex-
hfbited by signs of an open fight. 1t
seems as though the other roads were
asleep, stunned as 1t might be by the
quickness and directness of the Bal
tfmore and Ohio, straight-from- the
shoulder strike. and present Indica-
tons favor a Baltimore and Ohio
Tram at the ITSI 10 cross the OhlO at
this point.
Many months ago the c, H. & D.
quietly secured options on the ter
mipal right-of-way at Jackson and
for several miles out OF that city.
This was followed by the opening of
offices by their engineers in jackson
and a rough survey OF the route
through to the river. Also several
other proposed routes were surveyed.
According to the engineers. the
symmes Creek valley to Huntington
was the most practicable. The BaltI-
more and Ohio engineers came to
Jackson and opened offices under the
leadership of the chief engineer of the
entire system. Working in conjunc-
ton with the C. H. & D. engineers,
they sent out numerous crews into
the Symmes Creek valley.
Several weeks later Assistant Chief
Engineer Richard Mather came into
Huntington. unannounced even to To-
cal railway employees. He quietly
opened offices in the NTH floor OF the
Emmons apartment house at the cor
ner of Third avenue and Twelfth
street. where an office OF this kind is
not expected and where he could not
be easily found, except by those whom
he wanted to see. He has scarcely
been seen or heard OF since and but
few have seen the inside of those Of
fees.