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BZ&C Bent Zig-Zag & Crooked by Arley Byers Hard Cover
Bent Zig-Zag & Crooked by Arley Byers
Hard Cover
231 pages
Copyright 1974
CONTENTS
ILLUSTRATIONS
Standard and narrow gauge locomotives - Bellaire
(note 3rd rail)Frontispiece
One share of stock - $25 - Fred P. WeberFacing page 10
Depot at Summerfield10
Railroad Street in Caldwell10
Standing Stone Tunnel16
Bridge across Sunfish Creek26
Famous S trestle near Key44
Postal Card76
Wreck - one mile west of Woodsfield126
Depot at Woodsfield158
Hand-car at Ethel Station170
Wreck-- between Woodsfield and Kerr Station200
Depot at Lewisville204
Depot at Beallsville210
Woodsfield - May 30, 1931226
INTRODUCTION
BENT, ZIGZAG AND CROOKED
"Mud to the right of us, mud to the left of us, mud-bound and muddy" is an excellent drawn picture of a vast area in Southeastern Ohio in the mid 1870's.
This is not a work of literary art or fancy fiction but a true to life, step by step, blow by blow history of Ohio's last narrow gauge railroad as recorded in the Woodsfield weekly newspaper, The Spirit of Democracy. Many were the steps, blows, trials and tribulations.
Railroad fever began running high at the start of the year 1873 in Belmont, Monroe, Guernsey, Noble and Morgan Counties. At this time Monroe County had not one mile of railroad, telegraph line or turnpike (a cobble-stone road).
Mail and supplies were hauled into Woodsfield through mud, axle deep, from Clarington on the Ohio River and from Barnesville. Woodsfield citizens had an estimate made of the cost of a railroad from there to Barnesville to connect with the B. & O. but Barnesville refused to assist in its construction. Later Barnesville was advised to "in silence eat their crow."
In the April 6, 1875 issue of The Spirit is the announcement that books will be open for subscription to the capital stock of the Bellaire and Southwestern Railway Company, May 3rd, at various points in Belmont and Monroe Counties.
Many were the meetings held to sell the stock (later to become worthless). Committees were formed to canvass the country. The Directors made pleas and promises that later created hard feelings.
Surveys were run and disputes arose over which route to follow and of the location of the depot at Woodsfield. Nearly all right-of-way was given free. Farmers along the route supplied cross-ties and trestle timber. Finally, after more than a year and a half from the date of organization, the first spike on the B. & S. W. was driven on November 27, 1877, at Bellaire.
Just one day short of two years later, November 26, 1879, the whistle of the construction train sounded in Woodsfield and "there was a general stampede for the depot" to see the iron horse. December 2nd was set for the Formal Opening and about 12 o'clock the train came puffing in, loaded with representatives from Wheeling, Bridgeport, St. Clairsville, Bellaire and points along the line, greeted by throngs of people and the Woodsfield Silver Cornet Band. On December 5th, the Directors voted to remove the headquarters from Bellaire to Woodsfield and the Editor of The Spirit seems a bit carried away as he prints "Headquarters of a Railroad Company at Woodsfield! Don't that sound large? Whoopee!" Woodsfield had become a "broad gauge town on a narrow gauge line."
By this time railroad fever is running high in Lewisville, Summerfield, Caldwell, Stafford, Carlisle, East Union, Sarahsville, Beverly and McConnelsville. Meetings were held; subscription of stock taken; surveys made; right-of-way obtained; and the westward extension of the narrow gauge from Woodsfield begins.
In the meantime, two important events take places the first is the announcement in the May 31, 1881 issue that Zanesville capitalists had organized the Zanesville and Southeastern Railway Company to run a line from that place to Caldwell; the second is the consolidation of the Bellaire and Southwestern and the Zanesville and Southeastern on January 20, 1882, which became known as the Bellaire, Zanesville and Cincinnati with the thought of eventually connecting with the narrow gauge network in the Southwestern part of the state.
The first passenger train made a trial trip over the extension to Lewisville on May 27, 1883. On August 1st, the opening of the B.Z.&C. to Summerfield was celebrated at that place with speeches and band music. During this time work is progressing rapidly between Zanesville and Caldwell and on November 27, 1883, the last spike was driven by the Mayor of Caldwell in a downpour of rain close to Barry's Mill near Caldwell without much ceremony.
Thus Bellaire and Zanesville were connected by our little narrow gauge line, 112 miles long and a yard wide (standard gauge is 4 feet 8f inches wide). Winding in and out of valleys, over and around hills, over trestles of dizzy heights, it soon became known as the "Bent, Zigzag and Crooked."
Its winding was a conveniences more people were accommodated. And too, if you missed your train at one station, strike out over the hill on foot and wait a few moments for its arrival at the next. Want to go fishing? It would drop you off at your favorite fishing hole. And it would pick you up anywhere along the line; just flag it down.
There were 14 grades with a rise of 132 feet to the mile. On the long grades, when the train was heavily loaded, passengers sometimes got off and walked along side, even pushed on some occasions.
All together, the railroad had a total of slightly more than six miles of trestles, "a stilt walking line." Several were built in the form of a curve; one was 500 feet long and shaped like the letter S to fit the contour of the hill which it rounded. Trains frequently toppled off the trestles.
There were three tunnels on the lines the St. Clair in Muskingum County, Perryopolis in Noble and Standing Stone in Monroe. The Standing Stone tunnel, two and a half miles east of Woodsfield, was the shortest, slightly less than 200 feet and like so much of the line, a curve.
For many years from the beginning, the Official Schedule speed was 16 miles per hour, and seldom on schedule. On one occasion, a lady passenger complained to the Conductor, "Can't you go any faster?" To this he promptly replied, "Lady, I could go faster, but I must stay with the train." A horse and buggy left Lewisville at the same time as the train and beat the train to Woodsfield by a fair margin, the distance between the two points being seven miles.
Derailments were quite frequent. It has been often stated the train was off the track more time than it was on. Wheels bumping over the ties was a signal for trainmen to jump "and some big jumping they did. It is claimed a Baggage Master jumped over the telegraph wires."
Wrecks were numerous. Three trains were wrecked in one afternoon, one toppling into a stream and two in a collision. Model "T" Fords would get in the way. On one occassion, the driver "just got out and let her crash."
Many were the law suits, the Company sewing the Stockholders for non-payment on their subscriptions and for right-of-way, trainmen and passengers suing for injuries, farmers along the line for burning of their rail fences and hay stacks caused by the sparks from the locomotives and the killing of livestock.
In the August 14, 1902, issue, The Spirit makes the announcement that the Stockholders decided to change the name of the B.L.&C. Railroad to the Ohio River and Western Railroad, later to be dubbed "Old Rusty and Wobbly." Let us skip lightly and quickly over that name as it was never appreciated.
The April 25, 1912, issue states that officials of the Pennsylvania Lines passed over the O. R. & W. by special train for the purpose of making inspection of the line. The narrow gauge had become the property of the Pennsylvania Ry Co.
In 1880, "almost anything from a quarter of beef to a raccoon skin" went into Bellaire and could be purchased at the depot. Much tobacco, wool, walnut and oak logs were shipped to Bellaire, the oak logs going overseas to be used in ship building. Drilling equipment and oil well supplies were hauled in from Bellaire during the oil boom of the 1890's and early 1900's. The last few years before abandonment, slag was hauled in for road building.
There were many occasions for excursions: Cornerstone layings, political rallys, building dedications, county fairs, lodge conventions and picnics, base ball games, opera house shows and circuses. Many of these required Special train service and reduced passenger rates were given.
That portion of the narrow gauge between Woodsfield and Zanesville was discontinued without ceremony in 1928, the last day of running being May 1st.
Three years later, the run between Noodsfield and Bellaire was also discontinued. Automobiles and busses had taken over the passenger trade, while trucking firms carried the freight.
On Saturday forenoon, May 30, 1931, Monroe Post No. 87 of the American Legion and the Woodsfield High School band paid tribute to our soldier boys. In the afternoon, the same groups sang songs, played music and sounded taps for our little railroad, a very sad Memorial Day in Woodsfield.
Today Woodsfield, sitting high on a hill in the center of "Dark Monroe," is without a telegraph line, railroad or bus service. But thanks to the narrow gauge for hauling slag, we have good highways.
Sycamore Valley, Ohio Arley Byers
March, 1974.
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