The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-10
Short Line to the South.

great scheme TO bring The n0ftn anu south
closer together by means Of gigantic rail
road enterprises
The contract for building the New York I
Norfolk and Charleston railroad, and for !
the entire equipment. including rolling
stock, has been let to the Carolina Con- /
struction Company. This company has
sublet the contracts for building road-bed. |
grading. bridging, stations, roundhouses
and workshops to the American Contract |
ing Company Of New Y ork for the sum OF
So ,101 III in bonds and stock OF the rail-
road company.
The New Y ork Norfolk and Charleston
Railway Company is chartered by the
States OF Virginia. North Carolina and
South Carolina for building line com
OF Portsmouth in Virginia. and extending
Southwark. through the States OF Virginia,
North Carolina and South Carolina, 10
Charleston, distance OF $50 miles. The
line will be part of a through line from
Boston and New York by way of Philadel-
phia. Wilmington and the Delaware Pen
insula road. The Delaware road is now
being extended Southwark by the Penn
sylvania company to q point opposite the
Northern terminus of the New Y ork Nor
folk and Charleston Line, and the two will
Roads and Norfolk harbor. The $50 miles
of air line from Norfolk to Charleston, by
cutting out the existing triangular and cir
cuitous lines. will effect a saving OF lS0
miles and seven hours in time between
Boston, New Y DIRK and Philadelphiaint the
North. and Charleston. Savannah, New
Orleans and Mobile, in the South. 1t is
claimed for the new route, therefore, that
it will command the bulk of through pas
senger and freight traffic between the
North and South.
Connections at Charleston with the
Charleston and Savannah railroad give it
the most directroute for all Florida points.
At Yauassee it will have connections with
the Georgia Central to Shreveport, La,
and by the Texas Pacific through to San
Francisco. The surveyed and located line
is said to show the lowest maximum grade
of any railroad in the United States. The
curves will be few, and high rate OF
speed can therefore be combined with low
cost of running. Fuel and water abound
along the entire line In Virginia the line
passes through the rich agricultural coun-
try where market produce is raised, and
the produce for Northern markets de-
ivered at any station on the line before
evening of one day will reach the markets
of Philadelphia and New York before day
light of the next day.
In North Carolina the line taps the best
timber lands Of the State, and contracts
for transportation now agreed upon, it is
claimed, ensure for the next twenty years
earning sufficient to pay interest on bonds
secured on 800 miles of road and dividends
on stock to same amount. The line also
runs through the best cotton-producing
counties in the State.
The rivers crossed by the line, and which
will prove important feeders, are the
Chowan, Roanoke, Tar, Cape Fear and
Peedee. On these streams large quanti-
ties of cotton, tobacco, lumber and naval
stores are annually shipped. The railroads
already constructed and bisected by the
line of the New York, Norfolk and
Charleston are the Albemarle and Raleigh,
the Wilmington and Weldon, Midland
North Carolina. the Wilmington, Colum-
bia and Augusta running from Whining
ton, N. c., to Columbia, S. c., and Au-
gusta, Ga. All of the rivers and roads
crossed drain large territory, and must
prove important feeders to the direct line
crossing them and afford a direct outlet
for their freight and passenger traffic.
Gen. Gordon's Defeat.
On 10th instant General Gordon made d
sortie from Khartoum with 5000 men. two
guns and squadron of Bashi-BaZouk cav
airy, accompanied by three steamers on
the river. The rebels were encountered
near Hulfugh. Sixty of the enemy's cav
airy charged the Bashi-bazouks' and put
them to flight, causing a panic among the
infantry, who also fled in great disorder.
On nearing the rebels General Gordon
drew his troops up in the form of a
square, in which they were kept until at
turned and fled. Two hundred OF them
were slaughtered, and three guns were
lost.
The capture of KhartOum, the largest
interior city of Africa, the key of the Sou
dan-the underlined Land of the Blacks y
and the historic stronghold of the slave
trade, is the most signal triumph which
Ell Mahdi has achieved since he raised the
sacred standard near his obscure prin-
ciipality on the lower Nile and summoned mon (
allsgOOd MOSlemS to his support on July s.,
1881. The defeat of the noted Chinese
Gordon by the new prophet seems most
likely to rally to his allegiance the preda-
tory slave-hunting chieftains who, years
ago, learned to dread Gordon's will and
unfiinching hostility to the traffic in hui
man beings. The Importance of the SIM
ultaneous seizure of Khartoum and Cor
don cannot be oyer-estimated.
Khartoum was the capital of the PROV
ince called Soudan, alleged to have been
ouuJCOtCu W OLO ISypol eeiiOSle&i W
the war-like Ismael, the present Khedive IS
predecessor. but always in reality debate
able land. Khartoum's population of
from thirty to thirty-fiye thousand.
Well-built streets, and situation at the
junction of the Blue and White Niles.
mark it as the strategic point, towards
which have gravitated the anglo-Egyptian
trouble, which arose from the dismissal of
the Nubar- Wilson Egyptian ministry on
February 20. 1879, into which the ques-
tion of Arab nationality was injected by
Arabi's military riot at Cairo on February
l, 1881, and which were infiamed by the
bombardment Of Alexandria by the Eng
fish feet under Admiral Seymour, on July
IL, 1882. Since that time a succession of
apparent crises have arisen. On September
10, of that year, Hnobe was defeated at
Tel Ell Kebir, but on November 5. 1000
Egyptians were slaughtered by the Mahdi
in their attempt to reinforce Bara. in the
Soudan which, fell to his arms on January
5. 1888 on January Is Of that year RI
Mahdi conquered and took up his resi-
dence at Ell Obeid. the barbaric capital Of
Kordofan, vainly claimed as tributary by
ISmads
On March a. 1888, General Hicks took
command at Khart0um, and on November
3, A. and 5, was defeated with 700 Egyp-
tians by the Mahdis Blacks, a succession
of rebel triumphs followed, and on. Janu-
airy 18, 1888. General Chinese Gordon
was despatched to Egypt, reaching the
city of Khartoum, in which he is now said
to be.imprisoned. on February II. In the
meantime, on February 2, Baker Pasha
was utterly routed by Osman Digna's
forces, losing 1000 men, near Tokar, which
surrendered on the Dist of that month.
Then came, on the 29th. the first decisive
defeat of the rebels by General Graham,
General Graham's second bloody victory
followed on March II and II near Zerabi.
1000 rebels being killed and 5000 wounded.