N&W in 1911--Water supply

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
March 11, 1911

NORFOLK AND WESTERN PROVIDES WATER SUPPLY
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Building Great Dam Across River at Breeden, on the Twelve Pole Division
    The Norfolk and Western is making an improvement at Breeden, a little station on the Twelve Pole division of the line, that will be of considerable importance to the company and will dissipate a difficulty it has had to contend with during the periods of great drought.  Ever since the road was built great difficulty has been experienced in procuring the necessary water supply for locomotives along that line.  The tanks of the engines are insufficient to carry an adequate water supply from Naugatuck to run them to Kenova or to points a little higher up the line where the Twelve Pole river affords a good water supply the year round.  From Dunlow to Naugatuck there is quite a distance where during periods of drought good water could not be gotten and in order to remedy matters the company is now constructing a dam across the Twelve Pole river at Breeden that will hold a sufficient water supply during the periods of scarcity of water.  The dam is 150 feet long and has a twelve foot base, is eight feet in height, being four feet thick at the top.  It is being constructed of solid concrete and when done will be a splendid piece of work.
    J. J. Boxley has the contract for the work, that is well under way and will be done in time to gather a full supply of water during the late spring or early summer, so that here after there will be no difficulty in getting a good supply of water.
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[Even though the low-grade Big Sandy line was opened in December 1904, it was single track so the Twelve-Pole Line continued in service, but mainly for eastbound freight trains.  After double track on the Big Sandy Line was completed in 1925, most of the Twelve-Pole Line was abandoned in 1933.  I wonder if the Breeden dam is still in existence.  Also, J. J. Boxley was a Roanoke-based construction company.]

Gordon Hamilton
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