1907 - The Tidewater In Fine Shape

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Tue Dec 25 20:49:57 EST 2007


Roanoke Times - December 25, 1907

THE TIDEWATER IN FINE SHAPE

Nearly All the Grading of the Great Road Has Been Completed

MUCH OF THE TRACK HAS BEEN COMPLETED

Out of Four Hundred and Fifty Miles of Roadbed, Only
Forty-Five Remain to be Completed - Three Big Viaducts
Now Being Erected Near Roanoke

A gentleman, who is in position to obtain accurate information on
the subject, stated to a reporter of The Times on yesterday that the
talk that occasionally arose of the Tidewater promoters abandoning
the enterprise is perfectly ridiculous. If, he said, the enterprise
has just been commenced, there might be, in consideration of the
financial stringency, some foundation for such rumors; but with the
road almost completed, with the greater part of the expense already
incurred, it is absolutely absurd to think that the owners of this
great property would relinquish their efforts to make the road a
profitable investment.
This gentleman stated further that of the 450 miles, this being
the length of the road from its terminus in West Virginia to
tidewater at Norfolk, there remained only about 45 miles of the
grading yet to be done, and that nearly all of this lay east of
Roanoke; that of the 450 miles, track had been laid on 350, so that
when the track is laid on the remaining 100 miles, trains can be run
from one end of the system to the other.

Four Big Viaducts

The gentleman further said that the Tidewater is at present at
work building four large viaducts, all four of them being within
three miles of Roanoke. The first one is what is known as Barton's
viaduct; the second, is at Falling Creek; the third is at Beaver Dam,
and the fourth is at Kate's Creek. It is thought that one of the
reasons for the suspension of a large part of the grading and laying
of tracks was due to the fact that the promoters did not see the
necessity for expending large sums of money on this work, when the
road could not be actually opened until the viaducts are completed,
and it is very probable that when the viaducts approach completion,
active work will be resumed on the grading. It will take about six
months to complete the viaducts.
The Tidewater, as it stands today, has been practically graded all
the way from its West Virginia terminus to within a point fifteen
miles east of Roanoke, it being stated on yesterday that the contract
of Mac-Arthur Bros., which includes 108 miles west of Roanoke, will
be completed some time in the month of February, 1908. From the point
15 miles east of Roanoke, to Meherrin, there are spots that have yet
to be graded, especially in the section near Brookneal.
As a matter of fact it beings to look as if the Tidewater Railroad
will receive its last finishing touches, so far as the roadbed and
track are concerned, some time in the latter part of 1908.

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- Ron Davis, Roger Link





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