Coshocton County, Ohio - Chapter 29: Railroads, 1881

FOLLOWING the canal came that great civilizer, the ra!ilroad, as a means of transportation. Prior to either canal or railroad, steamboats and small boats and scows were used in business operations on the river. Steamboats occasionally came up to Coshocton. The original proprietors of the town 'designated certain lots on the river bank as " warehouse lots," looking to shipments by river. By act of the legislature, the Muskingum, Walhonding, and Tuscarawas rivers, and Killbuck, Mohican, and Wills creeks, within Coshocton county, have been declared " navigable streams."

from the narrow neck, or section, of West Virginia extending up and along the Ohio river, across which the Pittsburgh and Stubenville road (being a part of this line) passes. The road runs in an eastwar'dly direction from Columbus to Pittsburgh, one hundred and ninety-three miles, and is the shortest and most direct line between these two cities. That part of the road lying in Ohio is one hundred and fifty miles long, from Stubenvillet

The Steubenville and Indiana Railroad Company was chartered February 24, 1848; and under its charter and amendments thereto, commenced work in November, 1851, on the eastern division, opening the road for traffic from Steubenville to Newark, via Coshocton, in April, 1855. This line, with a branch frpm the main line to Cadiz, eight miles in length, constituted the road of the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad Company.

The delay in building the road from Steubenville to Pittsburgh, the want of proper connections east or west, and the unfinished and poorlyequipped condition of the road, gave insufficient earnings to pay interest and current expenses; the company became greatly embarrassed and fell in arrears to laborers, and for supplies, and was annoyed and perplexed with suits and judgments which it was unable to fund or pay, and finally proceedings were commenced in the Court of Common Pleas, of Harrison county, Ohio, for the foreclosure of mortgages and sale of the road, and Thomas L. Jewett was appointed receiver, on the second day of September, 1859. On the first day of October, 1864, the receiver, on behalf of the company, purchased an undivided half of that part of the Central Ohio between Newark and Columbus, for seven hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, thus giving the company an independent outlet and direct communication with railroads running west from Columbus.

Meantime the work on the Steubenville and Pittsburgh road was rapidly pushed forward to completion, and on the first of October, 1865, the receiver concluded an arrangement with the lessees of that road for opening the whole line from Columbus to Pittsburgh. The road received the name of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis, and December 28, 1867, it was reorganized under the name of Pan Handle. Upon completion, it was leased to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, by which it is now operated. The construction and equipment of this road cost, in round numbers, twenty million dollars.

" The road was originally planned to go from Coshocton up the Walhonding valley, taking much the same direction as was once proposed for the Walhonding canal, and striking for Northern Indiana and Chicago; but the movement of another company anticipated part of this plan, and the road was built to Newark. A few individual subscriptions of stock were made, but most of the stock, afterward in the possession of individuals, came through the contractors to whom it had been given for work, or was given to the holders of it for the right of way, etc. . "The county, in 1850, took $100,000 of the stock of the company, and the townships along the line of the road (except Oxford), $80,000 more, viz: Lafayette, $20,000; Tuscarawas, $30,- 000; Franklin, $15,000, and Virginia, $15,000, for all of which bonds were issued. Subsequently, in the processes of consolidation and extension, nearly one-half of this stock was relinquished, leaving the remainder in possession of the county and townships. No dividend has ever been paid on it, and it is all regarded as practically lost. The road paid into the county treasury, as taxes for 1875, the sum of $5,578.68.

The citizens now readily recalled as having contracts for building the road are Samuel Brown (since removed to Illinois), John Few, J. W. Rue, John Ninian and George Ross. Neither these nor any other citizens specially connected with the building of the road, reaped much benefit from it, but many have gained imnrensely, and the general adva,ncement of the county through it, has in amount exceeded many times over all that was ever invested in it. Until comparatively recent years, one of the board of directors was taken from Coshocton county. Wm. K. Johnson served in that capacity from the inception of the road until his death, and was succeeded by his brother, Joseph K. Johnson, now of New York city.

In 1872, a railroad was located (as a branch of the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon and Columbus Railroad) through Clark, Bethlehem, Jefferson, Bedford and Washington townships, and some work was done on it. But "the panic "of 1873 prevented any further progress for some three years. At this writing fresh efforts are being made to complete the work

The Massillon and Coshocton Railroad, branching from the Cleveland, Tuscarawas Valley and Wheeling Railroad near Massillon (Beach city), and running to Coshocton, was located in 1875, and by the hearty assistenee of parties along the line, under the direction of R. B. Dennis, W. L. Holden, and others interested in the C , T. V. & W. R. R., and also in coal-fields near Coshocton, is at this writing being rapidly constructed. A. H. Slay ton, J. C. Fisher,^ E. T. Spangler.and J. C. Pomrene, of Coshocton* have been actively and officially connected with this enterprise. Several other railroads have been projected, notably one from Liberty, in Guernsey county to Coshocton, and thence up the Walhonding valley (a part substantially of T. S. Humriokhouse's projected "Lake Michigan and Tidewater" Railroad); but - up to this writing no effective measures have been taken in relation to them.

Hill, where it ended and remains unfinished. The immense coal fields of the county require, and -will ultimately have, additional transportation.

Messrs. E. B. DeSinis and W. L. Holden, of the Canton, Coshocton and Straitsville Railwav (Connotton Valley), and Messrs. D. B. Linn and J. P. Egan, returned to the city Thursday from a tour of observation to Otsego and Coshocton, in the interests of the above named railw^ay company. The party passed over the entire route and minutely examined the country, with a view to determining the feasibility of extending the railroad from Otsego to Zanesville.

It should be observed that Mr. Dennis came here by direction of the directors of the Cleveland, Canton, Coshocton and Straitsville Knilway Company, to examine the rou.te personally, and to report his observation to the board at their next meeting, to be held in Canton next week. Both of the visiting gentlemen are now satisfied, as we are informed, that the^route is not only feasible, but that the territory lying between the Pan Handle on the north, 'and the B. & O. Bailway on the south, can be divided about the center by the proposed new narrow gauge, and that the country through which the road would pass will furnish a large amount of local traffic.

The gap between the head waters of Salt creek and the White Eyes branch of Wills creek is not a formidable obstacle, and can easily be traversed. It is fair to infer from all the circumstances connected with the inspection, that the report of Messrs. Dennis and Holden will be favorable to the construction of the road.

The line is already under contract as far south as Coshocton, and gentlemen who have opportunities of knowing whereof they affirm, seem to be confident that the extension to Zanesville will be made this summer.