Virginian in 1909--Buys railroad

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
February 9, 1909

VIRGINIAN BUYS WHITE OAK AND PINEY CREEK
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Two Branch Lines Will Furnish Heavy Tonnage to H. H. Rogers' New Road

    A man prominent in contracting circles is authority for the story that the Virginian Railway has purchased the White Oak Railroad from the Adam* Dixon interests and that contracts have been closed with the operators along the White Oak Railroad whereby their tonnage will be thrown to the Virginian Railway instead of over the Chesapeake and Ohio, as has been done in the past.  It is further learned by the Daily Telegraph that the Virginian has purchased the Piney Creek branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio and has secured contracts with that line whereby their tonnage will go over the new railroad,  Neither of those stories could be officially verified last night, but it was leaned that contracts were signed in Norfolk nearly sixty days ago whereby the coal from along these lines would go over the Virginian.
    If these stories are true, and there is every reason to believe that they are, it means that the reports from New York that there would be plenty of tonnage for the Virginian Railway when it was finished have been verified and made true.  The immense tonnage from these two lines, in addition to the tonnage that will be in sight in another year when the Winding Gulf route is finished, will help the road to float all the bonds it needs for the completions of its lines into Mingo and Logan counties and perhaps the line down the Guyandotte if it is found that it is necessary to build that extension from Elmore in the near future.
    It has been well known among coal interests in this city for some time that Sax Dixon has been taking orders for coal in Roanoke and at other points along the Virginian Railway.  It was hard to see how he could make it pay and ship over the Chesapeake and Ohio but now that the White Oak Railroad deal has been made and the property transferred to the Virginian Railway it will be a matter of much moment to the operators in the Pocahontas field who have had the business practically to themselves.
    The new railroad will have through freight trains in operation along its own line in a few days, and although there are still nearly 40,000 bolts to be riveted in the New River bridge, the work is being pushed rapidly with every hope of completion in two weeks.  This will bring the road to practical completion by the first of March, at which time it is planned to commence running passenger trains from Charleston to Roanoke and from there to Norfolk where it is expected that the new road will make use of Lamberts Point in case their own pier at Sevells Point is not completed.
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[*Initial letter indistinct.  I think that the Piney Creek branch remained part of the C&O.  I wonder how the crew and passengers on the first mixed train over the bridge on Feb.3rd must have felt if they knew the bridge was held together with temporary bolts!]

Gordon Hamilton
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