Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-09-18
NORTH CAROLINA RAILROADS.
HISTORY or SOME or THIN.
The Relation OF Riehnsad 70 the bssssess
or North Csreliss- -Csmpisusa sf shs
Western North Carolina Resd tsthe Chsvss

IN. Relation or Riehmsad 70 the Dss,sess
or North Csreliss -Csmpistisa sf shs
Western North Carolina Resd sshe Chsrs'
kee Csuafp.
CHARLOTTE, y. O., september II. 1884,
To ne Editor Of the Dispatch:
The ultimate relations which Richmond
bears 10 the business Of North Caroifna 10
say nothing in regard 10 the fact that
socially we do not know where the Vfr.
gina line ends and the North CarcIina
lire hegins) inspires me with the idea that
the readers OF the Dispatch would Ike an
occasional article from this part Of the
country.
Charlotte was once the terminus of the
North Carolina railroad, since leased TO
and consolidated with the Richmond and
Danyilc. II was also once the
terminus Of both divisions Of the
Carolina Central and lhe Atlantic,
Tennessee and Ohio railroads. and s2oo.0oo
a our money show orr devotion to
the Atlanta and Charlotte AIRLINE. In
deed, Charlotte l. the railroad centre OF The
South Atlantic States. neNttO Atlanta. All
this leads me 10 talk of another railroad,
which. not Nirginian, IL largely controlled
by Virginia capital and managed
iv Virginia brains. | allude 10
the Western North Carolina railroad.
IL |. owned TO-DAY by the R,chmond snj
West Point Terminal Company. but who
are the stockholders in that company this
deponent hath no means OF finding out.
Let ne give the Dispatch readers little
BIT Of it, history.
North Carolina has been often called "a
strip Of land between TWO states "-Vir-
ginia on the north and South Carolina on
the south. Every community works out
IT, own destiny, and North Carolina worked
out hers. Up To 1850 her people paid
tribute to Richmond, Petersburg. and
Norfolk on the north, and Charleston,
Chester. aud Cheraw on the south.
Wilmington, her only seaport. was
crcumscribed by ifty miles OF swamps and
sand hills. and was communicated with
manly by the commerce built up on the
Cape Fear river after the invention and
use oi steam. Raliroading was begun in
North Carolina by the building of the Rl-
leigh and Castor railroad IN 1882. supple
mented IN short time by the building Of
the Seaboard and Roanoke railroad. The
first was a feeder 90 Richmond and Peters.
burg. and the latter 10 Norfolk. For three
decades prominent men fought the idea
tIdl .Nfiln 'dIpiHd ltNuhAt anu Nnfln III
rolna business should be compelled 10 seek
an outletin Virginia aud South Carolina. and
upon that theory the Atlantic and North
Carolina railroad. from Goldsboro' 10 More
head Citv. wa. built. Ans idea OF allow
ing a connection between the North Caro-
lina railroad and m outlet North ria the
Richmond and DanNilc was fought with
all the incentives that state pride could
array: lnd il VA. not until Grant, I'm 1864,
had captured the Petersburg and Weldon
railroad. and cut Tee OIL from the south,
that the Legislature OF North Caro-
lima could ever he brought to chart n
the Piedmont road between Green's
horo', y. c.. and Danyilc. W. This
road was built with Copfederate mo-
ney. sent out from Richmond BY the ten
bushel-lOXiul. and il was the end Oi the
North Carolina system. once the conneo-
tion va. made. the spell va, broken. AMI
trade fell hacl, into H. natural channels.
I hc farmers 81 toswcli. Ahmance. ana
GINN Ire bad been hauling their tobacco
10 Petersburg, ptnlil:e. and Richmond m
wagons rather than have their business
iolccd to Norfolk and Morehcad CITY.
I'm lSjj the Legislature Of North Carolina
chartered the Western North Carolina rail-
road, which trayclsed tine section of
country, and interSecied with the North
Carolina system IN salisbury. Most OF the
stock wa ubscribcd for by the state, upon
The condition that a minority u the stock
,hould he taken by private individuals.
The Var cGlnc on. Debt, he'd been con-
iractcd. individual stock was frozen OFT.
and some ten years ago the road was sold
by H. creditors and bough. IA by thr State
for Ss5o.0o0. The Legislature directed
iLc employment - the states convict labor
on II, completion, and appropriated 310,-
CCN Per au.um out Il the Siatc Treasury 10
buy iron. The building laggcd. and for
a long time was damned az against
" Mud CUT one of the Blue Ridge
mountains. Finally about four years ago
a man named ". J. Best came down from
New York, claiming 20 represent set ~
New York capitalists who had bushel, Of
money. H. offered 90 take the road and
BniSh ID. The state Legislature was con-
yeBcd and the road vas c0nditionally sold
10 him. The enterprise was hanging Ikea
milestone around the neck oi the Demo
cratic party, which happened 10 be In power
~ The time. Governor Vance, Governor
Jarvis, and other leading Democrats
were only too glad 10 unload. 1t is
said that Vance, when told there was man
who wanted 70 buy the Western North
CorollHa railroad, vas heard 10 say: " Don't
lei him get away" Everybody was re.
Ioiced. But MIR. Best turned out 10 be the
most unmlligatcd fraud of the nineteenth
century. I!c didn't have doliaI. and
Mc,,r>. ). Nelson Tappan AMI Mr. Grace.
WHOM hcrcprcscntcd ~ lis hackers, backed
out and lCit Mr.. Best with the bag TO
bold with both ends Open" lie went to the
wall. I'M before he did 80 be managed 10
borrow $4,000 from Colonel A. :. Bul0rd
and General 7. VI. logan. Of your city, and
colonel A. B. Andrews. Of North
Carolina. 10 make his dr,t payment
to tie state. About that time the
Richmond and Wo>; Point Terminal Com
Inny Was formed, and these gentlemen
were large stockholders in tie concern.
They induced the comul8y 10 undertake -
carry ont M. E',t contract. A. hi,
a>signc,s. They entered into The work
md they went M 10 via, aud they have
won. flidit. >criemhcr l2ih. was the
day SET apart lor tlc last olicia act OF the
states commits lJntr-, who were required
10 see that toe Best contract was carried
ont iu good faith y through train was
run al that time from salisbury 10 the
mouth of the Nantahala RIVER. in
swain county, and TIE whistle Oi the
iron horse wa, heard Tor the nr.t
lime in the Cherokee country oi North
Carolina, one hundred miles west 81 A,hc-
vile. Another feeder 10 the Richmond
and DanNilir system OF railways was com
pleled, and another large field was opened
10 the businessmen and business enter
prise OF Richmond The deed 10 the rail-
road is held by the Union Trust Company
In New York in escrow, and viii De de!ly-
.rcd 10 the new owners after the cOnclu-
ion Of a few legal ionnaiiies.
Al another time may write up some of
he advantage, TO accrue to Richmond from
he opening OF thi, line. but q, ms letter il
llrcady too long, iorboar for the present.
OSCAR.