Evening star., 1932-11-01
RAIL WAR FOUGHT
IN OHIO RIVER AREA
Pennsy Opposes Little Mon
tour Roads Building of
13-MiIe Link.
Ry the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, November l.
Reminiscent of the days OF empire
builders. when golden spikes were driven
to complete the links to the Far West,
miniature railroad war" is being fought
In the Ohio-P Pennsylvania ravineS along
the Ohio River
ON the one hand is the Pennsylvania
Railroad and on the other is the little
Montour Railroad and its winding sec
tion of the Pittsburgh, Lisbon d Western
which goes neither to Pittsburgh nor
very far west.
The point at issue is l3-mile link OF
railroad which the Montour proposes to
build-a construction project which has
involved the laying of track at night
and the disputed abandoning OF
rickety bridge and 963 feet OF narrow,
rocky highway with hairpin turn.
Coal Company in Controversy.
Back of the controversy is the Pitts
burgh Coal Co., owner of the Montour,
which wants to send coal by barge down
the Ohio River to Smith Ferry, Pa,
thence by rail to the Youngstown steel
district.
YOUNGSTOWN is interested in the 10 or
as cents a ton that would be saved in
freight on coal 1ndustrialists in this
region figure that it would mean $780,
900 annually to them.
The Pennsylvania is interested be-
tause the Montour connects With the
Erie at Lisbon, Ohio, and it might be
possible to ship coal into the Cleveland
hrea cheaper than by the all-rail route.
youngstown interests have been urg-
ing for some time canal connecting
The Lakes and the Ohio that would
give them better position in the COM
petitive steel industry.
The Montour began piecing out Its
line by acquiring stretch OF electric
railroad dredged out coal terminal at
Smith Ferry and finally petitioned the
Interstate Commerce Commission for
authority to build the final 13-mlle link
along a right Of way in the crooked
VALLEY Of Little Beaver Creek.
Ravine Is Too Small.
But at one point there was not room
IN the narrow ravine for both the rail-
Road and a 963-foot stretch Of mountain
highway.
The Montour agreed to build a new
toad. 25 feet vide and OF easy grade,
while Ohio and PENNSYLVANIA township
officials agreed to abandon the old
highway and bridge.
But here the Pennsylvania Railroad,
Through a subsidiary. sought an lnJunc-
tlon to prevent abandonment OF tne
highway and bridge on the ground that
they were public necessities. This in
junction has been refused by the
County Court
Engineers for the Pennsylvania Rail
roads subsidiary agreed at the hearing
that they did not use the highway, but
showed that the Pennsylvania is tax
payer in the township and that the new
road would be more expensive to MAIN
tain because of couple Of wet spots
and some fire clay.
Weather-beaten hill farmers appeared
tn court and said the road was too mar
Tow for an automobile, impossible in
winter and had hairpin turn in It.
9hey were attracted by the new high
way the railroad proposed to build.
Ohio authorities said the Ohio ap-
proach to the 50-year-old bridge was
already closed, although a Pennsylvania
engineer had been engaged to count
vehicles crossing the structure.
Meanwhile. the MOl.our he'd stolen
a march BY sending oft crews one night
and laying new tr9ck over Ccur or five
highways which cross the right of way.
Miles OF hills and rGv.ne intcrpose be-
tween the 40-foot stretches CT new
RAILROAD
While the Judge was considering the
injunction petition, the Pittsburgh Coal
Co. went ahead building the new high
way it had promised on its own prop
erty.