Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-02-27
A New Trunk Line IL. X.

A New Trunk Line IL. *.
The Culpeper Exponent of las,
week brings out many interesting
facts, in reference to the great project
of railroad from West Va. coal
fields, via Strasburg, Front Royal,
and Culpepper to tide water near the
mouth of Aqua Creek. We can give
room only for few extracts contain
ing the main points and gist of the
article. We hadn't MOTTO ed. till We
read this article in the Exponent, that
there was a point on the Potamac
tide watet 80 miles below Alexandria
that was nearer to US than that an
cient city. The direction of this point
would take us near Culpepper Court
House and also to Fredericksburg.
The Legislature Of Virginia on 21st
of February, 1882, chartered the Vir-
glnia and West Virginia Railroad
Company to build a road from the
West Virginia line where it touches
the line Of the county Of Shenandoah
or Frederick to the Potomac at some
point not below Alexandria. The
Hon. II. G. Davis and his brother
John B. Davis are named as two Of
the iucorporators. Whenever it is
found necessary this charter will be
amended so as to authorize the road
to be built to any point on the Poto-
mac. From the top of the Eastern
Front Ridge, the beginning of the
Coal fields, to Moorefcld is 25 miles.
The distance from Morefeld to Stras-
burg is something less than so miles.
From Strasburg to Front Royal it is
10 miles; tfrOm Front Royal to Sper-
ryvllle, grading the Blue Ridge noun
tains, 20 miles; from Sperryville via
WOodville to Culpeper 30 miles; from
Culpepper to the Rappahannock river
at or near Kelly's mill II miles; from
KellY's mill 10 deep water on the POI
tomac at some point between the
mouths Quaniico aud Aqua creeks,
30 miles. To what point between
the mouths of said creeks the road
will 60 depends upon the opportunity
afforded the Hon. H. g. Davis and |
his associates of purchasing land as a |
site for the future Newport News of
the Potomac.
The counties OF Grant and Hardy |
have each subscribed $4,000 TO the
making of said road to the Eastward |
from the Fairfax stone. The l4-foot |
VEN eff coal is found on a large p ortion |
of the lands Of Hon. II. G Davis and |
ass ciates.
The distance from Stony river in
Grant county, the centre of the coal
field of the upper Potomac, to deep
water on said river is only III miles
as against 207 miles on the Baltimore |
and Ohio railroad from Piedmont in |
Mineral county, the beginning of the
coal fields; and against upwards of
400 miles from the Kanawha coal
fields to Newport News on the James.
Moreover, from the prospective New.
port News of the Potomac 10 the |
mouth CT Chesapeake Bay is a much
shorter distance by water than it is
from Baltimore: Besides the coil on
the North Branch and Stony rivers,
and on their tributaries, there is an
immense quantity Of the finest timber,
growing IN table lands of the greatest
fertility on top of the mountains. How
far westward beyond the Fairfax
stone both the coal and timber extends
we cannot state with accuracy, but
certainly they extend for many miles.
The Hon. Henry G. Davis, Ex~U
5. Senator from West Virginia, is the
MASTER spirit Of this enterprise. With /
lin are associated the Hon. James
J. Blaine, Mr.. Window, late Secrc-
airy of the Treasury, and other large
Ind shrewd capitalists. Is
This mighty trunk line from the s
Vest and Northwest, through the
orl fields and timber regions of the /
PIPER Potomac, the rich valley Of the !
'outh Branch, the fertile and extern /
i've valley of the Shenandoah, and l.
ne fine Piedmont region of Virginia
deep water on the Potomac, where 7
y reason of its depth and width it 4
lay be regarded as an arm of Chesa-
cake Bey, was conceived by the =
enlus of the Hon. II. G. DAVIS, and a
being executed by bis energy. The ?
reject is no visionary shemo on paper r
ut is practical plan actually 10 pro- 81
ress of execution. .,. 81