Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-01-28
Shenandoah Valley Railroad.

Shenandoah Valley Railroad.
Tho active demand for iron aud iron orc has
given tho Shenandoah Valley Il. r. "boom'
which is carrying it rapidly forward to c,m.
| pletiop. 1t travcrses region exceedingly rioh
In mineral deposits, and from the Potomac IV-
or southwark 10 itB present terminus on thc
luo CT the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.
thero is scarcely an Interval Of ten miles at
which a mine ol iron ore could not be opened
and proftsby worked. Four companies, or.
eani%2d for the purpose OF mining iron orc and
| manufacturing iron, have applied to tho Fir'
gina Legislature iOr charters, and Mt least thIco
| OF them intend locating on the Inc of the She;
sudoah Valley Railroad
This roRd ned tho ncw cGtyrpii ga which arc
| hastenIug lta construction sro attracting moro
attention 10 Philadelphia Than ia Balt;-
| moro. ! he Pennsylvania Railroad Company
and the Cumberland Railroad Company arc
both quietly assisting tho Shenandoah Com
| pany, not 20 much by actual contributions ci
| capita as by substantial promises The road ia
bong bull by corporation oalside OF The rail
road comnaoy, called the Shenandoah Valley
| Railroad Construction Company. which has its
hce}q oarters uL %3 South Ih!rd street, Phi!a-
delphia. Tho moDoy ls raised there, and all tho
operations Of tho company are directed from
this point, hlthonph the President, Hon. VIM.
Mines. IT,, resides OF tLc Shenandoah Iron
Works, Page county, Va.
llaeerstowu IS the anrihrin tcrmious of the
| road. Ii rnrs south through Washington
cpuNty, uenriy parallel with the Sharpsburg
turnpike, lakes Tho Vllagc Of EaiFplay in its
line. cuts acrCss the western border Of the bat
tia field CT hntioianl to SharpSbutg. and thcrc,
TO Shcphtrdstown, on The Potomac, four miles
distant. The division north CT the Potomac
| will DO about sixteen miles Ia length. Four
miles south OF SaephetdsloHn it crosses tho
main stem Of tho Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
| and nt CharlestoWn IL crosses the valley branch
Of Ihe B,ltimoro and Ohio. The scacral courso
is southwark, through Clarke Warren and
Pagc counliCs keeping from Giocn TO twenty.
live mllos cast Of the Valley Railroad with tho
Mass1nuttcn TANGO Ct mountains batwscu.
1t crosses tho Manassas Gap Rllroad two miles
from Front loyal, aud at this point is its pro
sent tcrmlnuS-that is, trains 60 no further
south. although tho building of tho road is be.
i1g actively pushed forward, WaYnosboro', on
tho Chcsapcaka and Ohio Road, some twelve
| miles cas- Of Stounou, being The objective
point.
From Shcpcrds!owD. on the Potomac, TO
EiVcrton. on tho Shenandoah. two milos from
Front R9yal,) tho road Is completed and 10
| activo operation. This completed division is
forty two miles 10 length. At River ton bridge
is b;lrg built across tho SheUandtah near the
forks, aud from this point tho road takes tho
south fork, following it's course TO tho Shcnan-
doah Iron Works, in Page county. Tho north.
ern division (frcm Shcphcrdstown to Ilagc.s
| town. IL under contract, aud will bo completed
during tho coming summer. Tho division cX-
teuding from RiVerton to tho Shenandoah Iron
Works (about fifty two mlcsl is now bciog
graded, and. 10 tact, for somc distance south Of
ths ShenaEdOah tho track has been laid and q
| construction traio is b:irg used, although tho
| regular trains aro obliged to stop OF RVcrton.
| on account OF tho bridge not boirg completed.
Tho company hos purchased 1000 tons oil
iron aud steel rails 10 Europe-S 600 tons from
Eoallsh manufacturers and 5 900 from krupp's
celebrated works at llesseD, Prussia. OF tho
| lioGlsh rails, about 5000 tons havo already
bcGu delivered at Baltimore, and used in laying
tho track between Shepherdstown and the
| forks OF tho Shenandoah. Zach milo of track
rrq1ircs IS tots of Iails Scme of thn Eoglish
rails havo also been delivered at New York. 1t
ia probable that the remainder Of tho English
and all the German rails will be delivered at
Baltimore.
1t is more than probable that tho projectors
Of tho Shenandoah Valley road eontem plate
junction with the Atlaotc and Missis.ippi road
| lMahone's Consolidated linc) at Salem, some
SO miles southWes! Of Stanton. either nv So
| curing the unfinished extenilon of tho Valley
road or by building parallel road; but ncthiog
| is said about tapping tho main outlet Of tho
southern system OF railroads at present, tho
purpose being to reach tho iron beds on the
south loIk OF the Shenandoah at the earliest
day possible, and upon this object oil the re-
| sources o! tho company arc concentrated. Mr..
| Milucs, tlc prcedent of the company, has been
manu- featuring iron at tho Shenandoah works,
ever siucn the cloae ot tho war, snd such are the
iacilics for risking charcoal iron in this region
and 30 txe;llent is the quality Of the oEe, that
ho wss abiy to keep his lIroec:s in blast during
the long period vi business depression, when
the iron Industry OF other parts OF lbe country
was utery raralyzsd. When tho water Was
~ low that the iron could not bo fi1ated down
The river 10 tc:ws it WAS hauled twelve milo
in wagons 10 the Valley railroad, at cost Ct S.
a tor, and still there must have been small
,n:rsio OF proii:, although the rr:c; OF iton Wes
80 low that nearly alt the flrDaces in Pannsy!-
yaLla went oul OF blast, because il cost more to
| inske ton lhau II :foud bring 10 market.
The money used in building this road Is de-
rivercd iroru two SOURCES; namely. from sub
scipticns to the capital stock mado by the
counties through which it runs, and from the
sale cf bonds secured by first mortgage on the
road, aud bearing seven Fer cent. interest. The
aggregate subscription Ct the c!uoties wss
SG25 900, for whiah bonds were issued, and
sod from time To time, as The money Vas need
cd. From 1870 to 1879 The progress Of tht
road was slow. and tic counties were not called
90 to pay uD except as the road was graded
within their respective boundaries.
The company is authorized d to issue bonds t
the amount Cf $3.50. 900 ISIS. 600 per mile Of
] 50 miles OF road, and mortgage 10 sseur
the asms has been executed. and is recorded il
each OF tho counties through which tho roa
passes. from the rapidity with which the roa
is being built thero would soem to bc no lac
'of money. Three fine locomotives aro 20,