Virginian in 1908 -- Nears completion

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
September 22, 1908

WORK NEARS COMPLETION ON VIRGINIAN
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Ends of Track Building From Both East and West Only Fifteen Miles Apart
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WILL HAVE TONNAGE AS SOON AS READY FOR TRAFFIC
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Prominent Man Connected With Construction Expresses Belief That Road Will Ultimately Fall Into Hands of the Gould's
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LEVER TO PRY OPEN A WAY INTO NEW YORK
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    Work on the Virginian Railway is rapidly nearing completion.  The bridge force on the East River bridge is working on the construction of the bridge and have finished the first span.  Under ordinary conditions the work should be finished in a month.  The East River bridge will be a very large one, but the piers will not be near as high as the New River bridge, which has the largest concrete piers of any bridge in the world.  The railroad could be operated now from Roanoke to Pearisburg, although the track is not all ballasted.
    At the present time the ends of the tracks are but fifteen miles apart and all of the work will be finished so that the tracks will meet on both sides of the New River bridge as soon as the tracks can be laid over East River iron trestle.  In a month's time practically all of the work that will have to be done to allow the running of trains will be the completion of the New River bridge.  The bridge at Princeton is practically finished and at Matoaka the new depot is nearing completion although it was commenced but a short time ago.  Work on some new operations at the head of the Guyandotte river, it is said, has been commenced so that the new road will have tonnage to haul as traffic is commenced.  At the Deepwater end of the road there are a number of mines, all of which are capable of producing a heavy tonnage.  A prominent man who has been connected with construction work for some years said that in his opinion the new road will ultimately fall into the hands of the Goulds and will be used to force the Pennsylvania and other roads to allow the Gould lines to enter New York City.  This man said that the Virginian could haul a greater amount of tonnage at a less rate than any of the great coal hauling roads as its grades on all of the lines is such that an excellent approach is given to tidewater.  On this account, he said, it was his opinion that should the line fall into the hands of the Goulds, as he thought it would because of the enmity which exists between the Rockefeller interests and the Pennsylvania interests.  It would be possible to make a cut of a mill per mile on each mile with the ultimate result that the other roads could not compete with the rate and would be forced to give the Goulds an entrance to New York through some traffic arrangement, and furthermore the Western Union Telegraph Company would be allowed to replace its poles along the Pennsylvania railway.
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Gordon Hamilton
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