Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-08-09
IMPROVEMENTS
BY THE B. & 0.
Grade is Eliminated and Biggest un.
dertaking for Some Time is
Well Under Way.

leading financial magazine published
an article in recent issue which
described the improvements when
have been made to the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad during the last three
years IN order to enable the road to
handle its growing traffic efficiently
and economically providing at ne
sane time the highest standard OF
service for the communities rsached
by its lines. In reviewing the pro.
gram Of Improvements the publica.
tion annalyzed the betterments with
respect 70 the economy IN the cost OF
handling tonnage which has been Ell
fected by so large an expenditure Of
capital.
The writer compared the science
OF railroading today with the trans.
portation problems of past times and
traced the evolution of the American
railroads by the changes which have
come about on the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad during the various epochs OF
its operation.
YWhen you see $4,000 worth OF
live. growing motive power pick mp
loo tons of West Virginia soft coal
in $4,000 worth of modern steel
equipment says The Annalist, wig
gle 1t to the summit of the Alleg-
henies and roll it over the top to-
ward the Atlantic seaboard you begin
to perceive how largely mans work
consists in moving things from where
they are to where he needs them
Ee reeds his coal at Baltimore. Ma
ture left 1t in the mountains. There
for you see the great Baltimore K
Ohio locomotive toiling with it mp
day and night. without end or rest
at is impressive. 1t gives you a
sensation of pride in the mechanical
and engineering skill Of your coun-
try. RaiIroading. you say, is won.
derful business. You feel, without
thinking, that It mnst have been
going or like this for very long
time. because il seems so well es-
tai .isheC and that the means are nov
aigl.s perfected.
Continuing, The Annalist said in
part: 1T is not so much a question
OF putting coal down 10 seaboard at
lower cost as a question of putting
1t there at all in the quantities re-
quired. When Daniel Willard be-
came President OF the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad a committee of West
Virginia coal producers interviewed
him. There was no limit to the
amount of coal they could produce,
neither was there any limit TO the
ultimate demand for coal in the East
But the limit OF the facilities o. the
Baltimore & Ohio for lifting il over
the top of the Allegheniesj and roll
ing it down to seaboard have been
reached and something would have
to be done Mr. Willard promised to
increase the coal hauling capacity Of
the railroad so per cent He is doing
it, In three years, to increase the /
capacity of the b. & o. to move things
from where they are to where they
ounght to be, he had spent 500 100000 /
When Thomas Swami, as presi-
dent OF the Baltimore & Ohio that
ran only from Baltimore to Cumber- /
Land, promised his shareholders that
he would carry their road to the OHIO /
river It seemed a tremendous thing
TO promise. He did it. That was he
roic. Later John w. Garrett prom
Used to take IL to Chicago and did.
and he IS famous Neither spent one
third as much as $50 100000 in three
years. To say that one built the road
from Cumberland to the Ohio river
and that the other built it to Chica-
go is to allot to each an achieve !
ment in physical proportions that
everyone knows, But to be able to
say that between Little Cacapon and
Orleans Road Daniel Willard elmin-
ated per cent. helper grade. es-
tablished a continuous eastbound
grade of only OIL per cent. and put
four tracks where there were but two
before-that does not appeal irresti- 1
bly, to the imagination. Only an engi-
neer can fully appreciate it. That is
now the biggest piece OF improve I
ment work doing on the Baltimore &
Ohio. 1t is known as the Magnolia
cutoff and will cost $6,O0OO0O 1t
extends over a distance of II miles
In two years it viii be finished, 4
it will have cost S6.OOo,o0o and the
ruling grade between Little Cacapon
and Orleans Road viii average east