Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-07
OLD SOUTH PENN
LINE SUGGESTED
FOR WAR USES
Easy For Government to Ac-
complish Task and Re-
lieve Congestion

Somerset, Pa, Jan. Under war
time strain, the carrying capacity of
the railroads has been found made
quate. The national government has
taken over the management of the
roads to speed up the flow of war
supplies and necessities of life, but
the need of additional rail facilities
is becoming more and more appar-
ent
Lying across the southern counties
OF Pennsylvania is the nearly COM
pleted roadbed of the South Penn
the projected Vanderbilt line, aban-
doned through a crime of railroad
manipulation in the eighties, and
available now for government pur-
poses. The big end of the construc-
ton of the South Penn was put
through years ago, when the rofdbed
was prepared. The government, with
its almost unlimited power, can
transform the South Penn from
monument into a real railroad, II II
will.
Mountain Barrier Overcome
The course of the South Penn is
from Harrisburg through Cumber-
land, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford,
Somerset and Fayette counties 10
Pittsburgh. In east and west railroad
building the greatest obstacle TINS
side of the Rockies is the Alleghe-
MES. The Allegheny barrier was met
and overcome when the South Penn
roadbed was laid and by a route
shorter by fifty miles than the Penn
sylvania road between the two term
inal cities.
Completed and in operation, the
South Penn would carry vast guam
titles of bituminous coal from the
southwestern counties of PennsylNa,
MIA to the east. 1t would carry steer
products from the great mills in the
Pittsburgh district on toward the
coast, and form an important link In
the transportation of foodstuffs and
general freight from the west.
At Harrisburg, the South Penn
could connect with the Philadelphia
and Reading road, or an entirely new
extension over how grades couid pe
constructed to tidewater. 1t cold De
extended to the west from Pitts
burgh, likewise, if necessary, in the
making of a new line to the far
west. For such a line the greatest
construction difficulty was overcome
when the South Penn roadbed was
put through the mountains.
Immense cuts and fills in the
mountain section remain to-day
much as they were left thirty-three
brought back into shape for railroad
use. Some of the masonry, eVen'
might be saved. The work of restor-
ing and completing the roadbed ana
laying the tracks would be great, put
nothing like that involved in the
building of an entirely new road
through the mountain country.
Killed of by Monopoly
The PENNSYLVANIA company to pre-
serve monopoly, killed off the South
Penn project when it was far de-
Neloped. Since then the Pennsylvania
and the Baltimore and Ohio have
worked together to prevent It's re
Vival. At times there has been talk
of the reclamation of the right OF
way by the state, but the influence
of the railroad combine at HARRISBURG
has been sufficient to head Off any
thing of that kind.
on several occasions efforts have
been made by railroad serving leg
islators to extend the time limit on
the old South Penn franchise, now
said to be held by the Baltimore ana
Ohio, in order to prevent any out
side interests from getting possession
of the roadbed and proceeding with
construction, but those subtle moves
have been exposed and defeated.
Much of the right of way seems to
have passed back into possession OF
the original owners. 1t could be ac-
quired again easily for railroad pur-
poses should the government take
hold of the South Penn. With Sec
retary McAdoo in command of all
the railroads, and backed by the
sentiment of the nation, the manip-
ulators of the old railroad COM
panies would hardly dare to renew
their obstructive tactics.