Virginian in 1907 -- Plans

[NW Mailing List]

[This is another posting that is out of chronological order with my other postings because of the need to double check some items on the microfilm of the newspaper article.]

Plans of the New Virginian Railway
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Interesting Facts Gleaned by Representative of the Daily Telegraph in Interview with President
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ROGERS SIMPLY AN AGENT OF AN ENGLISH COMPANY
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    In a special interview with W. N. Page, president of the Virginia [sic] Railway and Dr. J. O. Green, of New York, president of the Deepwater corporation, and son of the late Norvin Green [president of Western Union], the Telegraph representative gleaned the following facts concerning the new Virginia Railway, about whose plans so much secrecy has been observed:
    The new road has been spending $1,000,000 a month for the past 20 months.  Up to the present time over $25,000,000 has been expended. All the rights of way and material for the road have been bought and paid for. The ultimate terminal of the road is the Great Lakes.  The right of way for a line to the Lakes from a point on the Ohio River, has been bought and paid for.  The same conditions apply to the docking rights on the Lakes.  [Did Page really give the reporter this Great Lakes information, or rather misinformation?]
    The road will ultimately reach Huntington.
    Elmore, W. Va., is to be one of the most important points on the Deepwater division.  It will be the greatest assembling point in West Virginia and will have tracks to accommodate almost 1,000 cars.  The road will extend up the Guyandotte [sic] and reach all its forks at the headwaters.  A one percent down grade will carry the coal to Mullens, where it will go to Elmore yards.
    All the western and northern trains will be made up at Princeton.  Princeton will be to the Virginian [sic] what Bluefield is to the Norfolk and Western.
    Five trains per day, each consisting of 80 cars will leave Princeton for Norfolk.  One engine will be all that will be needed to haul these 80 cars, except at one point where a pusher will be used over six miles of the line.  This point is near Christiansburg.
    The Virginian expects to be able to haul from five to seven millions of tons of coal to Tidewater annually, or as much as the Chesapeake and Ohio and the Norfolk and Western handled last year.
    The highest point on the line is at Clark's Gap.  The elevation in 2,550 feet here.  At Page it is 1,110.  There a number of viaducts on the line, each over 125 feet.  The highest one is 168 feet.  The American Bridge Company claims that the steel structures or viaducts are the heaviest ever made for bridges.  The longest bridge on the line is at Narrows and is a little over a half mile in length.  The rolling stock on the Deepwater Division consists of six engines, 1500 freight , coal and coke cars, two passenger coaches and a combination mail and baggage car.
    The Adams Express Company will probably carry the express on the new road.
    Mr. Page is authority for the statement that the road will be in operation from Deepwater, W. Va., to Norfolk by January 1st, 1908.  Barring unforeseen accidents, this will be done.
    While it cannot be stated on the authority of the president, the Telegraph representative is certain that the road is being built by an English company.  Mr. H. H. Rogers is simply acting as their agent.  [Wow!  Where did the reporter get this?] He, however, owns a large interest in the concern.  
    Later on this will all come out, and a stupendous deal will be completed which will startle the financial and railroad world.
    The Deepwater corporation will remain in existence and  Dr. J. O. Green, of New York, will be retained  as president.  He thinks that he signed his last check before he left New York on Monday.  This check was for $700,000.
    Trains will be operated between Deepwater and Matoaka by the 15th of May.
    The chief of the railway mail service, H. G. Watts, of Grafton, accompanied by the Telegraph representation, went over the line from Deepwater to Matoaka on Thursday and Friday.  Mr. Watts went over the road in order to establish a route and locate postoffices on the line of the Virginia [sic] railway.
    This route will be established in a short time and will reach a number of postoffices which are now on the star routes.  The new road will only touch three or four points which are touched by other railroad lines.
    The Virginian [sic] Railway goes through one of the richest coal fields in West Virginia.  The road has bought and paid for rights of way up every creek and will be able to carry coal to their main line on a one per  cent down grade.
    Going to Deepwater over the road, the Kanawha coals lie on one side nearly all of the way while the Pocahontas and New River lie on the other.
    The new road lies between these measures and can reach either or both on an easy grade.  The main line is rock ballasted and one of the best made roads in the country.

[Some figures in this article were blurred, but the best interpretation is shown.]

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
May 3, 1907

[As information for those who might want to research it on their own, an article titled, "Over the Virginian With Officials of the Road -- Representative of the Daily Telegraph Makes Trip From Matoaka to Deepwater," appeared in the April 28, 1907, issue of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, but at more than four full-page-length columns it was deemed too lengthy to transcribe for posting here.  The article posted here appears to be based on that same trip.]

Gordon Hamilton
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