1908 - Cargoes of Rails

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Roanoke Times - March 13, 1908

CARGOES OF RAILS

Work on Virginian Road to be Rapidly Pushed to Completion

   Several ship loads of steel rails have been landed at Norfolk for 
the Virginian railroad. These rails were shipped from Sparrows Point 
and are said to be sufficient to complete the road to the two hundred 
and sixth mile post. It regard to this matter the Norfolk 
Ledger-Dispatch of yesterday contained the following:
   "Rails for the extension of the Virginian Railway to 206 Mile 
Port, 206 miles west of Norfolk, are coming down from Sparrows Point, 
Baltimore, very briskly now. The barges J. W. Saylor and J. J. 
McNally, each of which brought about 200 tons of rail to the 
company's Southern branch terminal, above the Norfolk Navy Yard, have 
almost completed discharging them.
   "This morning the barge Minerva, in tow of the tug Fortuna, 
brought down another cargo, which went up to the pier. Marine men say 
that it was said at the steel plant that another order for 4,000 tons 
of rails for the Virginian Railway has been received there. 
Vice-President and General Manager DuPuy, of the railway, is out of 
town today, and therefore this could not be confirmed.
   "The marine men say that these rails average 30 feet in length, or 
about 176 to the mile. They figure therefore, that the two barge 
loads already discharged will lay about 22 miles of rail, or 11 miles 
of single track. The Saylor brought 2,279 rails.
   "The keenest interest in the progress of the construction of Henry 
H. Rogers' great railroad is manifested in Norfolk generally, because 
of the expressed intent of its constructor in undertaking the work 
was to build up this port, which, he said is wonderfully located and 
bound to be a great city, and it is the general impression that he 
owes no allegiance to any competing port on the Atlantic."

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- Ron Davis, Roger Link