N&W in 1911--The president and the pump

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
April 9, 1911

THE GRAHAM DAILY NEWS
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PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S LETTER
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Convincing Argument in Favor of Bonds--Great Campaign in Tazewell
    The bond issue advocates are out with their argument replying to the pamphlet sent out by the "pay-as-you-go" people some time ago.  The answer is convincing and complete and knocks the trotters from under the anti-bond reasoning.  A copy has been mailed out to every voter in the county.  In addition to this document all of the county papers have their columns full of road articles this week, both for and against the bond issue.  The editors found it necessary to give up almost their entire space to the road people, so pressing were the demands upon them for the publication of their communications.
    President L. E. Johnson, of the Norfolk and Western, has a lengthy communication in the Tazewell paper this week giving his views about the matter of improving the highways through the bond issue.  He writes a strong letter favoring the bond issue, quoting many figures and engaging in a line of reasoning that cannot successfully be met, showing why the $625,000 bond issue should prevail at the polls on the 18th.  Mr. Johnson says he represents the largest taxpayer in the county and closes with an earnest appeal to the voters of the county to vote the bond issue and go ahead and fix up the highways of the county.  Mr. Johnson's latter is receiving much favorable comment.
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[A bond issue provides money up front so that roads can be completed quicker.  Maybe Johnson favored the bond issue because it would somehow cost the N&W less in taxes.  Or, maybe Johnson just favored farm to market roads as a means of feeding more goods and people to the railroad.  Either way, he could not have foreseen the eventual eroding of railroad business because of competing roads.]

TO INSTALL NEW PUMP
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Norfolk and Western Will Expend $16,000 on Improvements
    The Norfolk and Western Railway Company will commence within the next few days improvements to its pumping station here.  A powerful new and modern pump with a capacity equal to the three pumps now in use will be installed.  The power house will be enlarged to accommodate the new machinery.  The estimated cost is $16,000.  The work will be done under the supervision of J. R. Anderson and W. I. Short, of Graham.  It is probably that the mason work will be in charge of A. H. Gilardt, also of Graham.  The new pump will have a capacity of two hundred and eighty million gallons of water to a twenty-four hour day and it is believed should meet the demands of the railroad company for many years.  The source of the water supply for the engines and other purposes at Bluefield come from Bluestone River here.  The pumping station being located in the "Y" between the junction point of the Pocahontas and Clinch Valley divisions of the road.
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[Some of the names and initials in the article immediately above were indistinct on the microfilm, so the best interpretations are shown.]

Gordon Hamilton
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