The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-01-29

~ A'AStA'HOiiN 4("oE'NtCN' VI o 4IOOlil
date published the following letter from
r. s.. Turk. Esq. of Huntersville, w.
Va, son of Col. r. Turk of this county,
which will prove interesting to many of
our readers. Mr. Turk knows what he is
talking about
HUNTERSVILLE, w. VA,
December 22d, 1884.
10 the Editor OF the Dispatch:
The embarrassed condition of the Richmond
and Allegheny railroad must be source of
great regret to the people of your city as well
as to those along its line and those who live in
the portions of Virginia and West Virginia
Where if pushed beyond Clifton Forge, it might
strike. know nothing of the plans of projec.
tors. nor the purposes of those in whose hands
IL now is, but look with intense interest to-
Wafd lts further movement, believing as do
That occupy section of country where that
needed improvement might penetrate If ever
pushed beyond Its present terminus
i've at Huntersyille, Pocahontas county,
w. va, which is the county seat. am thor
oughly familiar with every foot of ground no.
tween the heads of the Elk or the Gaulev
rivers, in this county, and Clifton Forge. and
know that it is not only possible for a railroad
to be built from Clifton Forge to the heads of
either of these rivers, but that the route TO
either is easy and the cost comparatively LIGHT
For instance, the first thirty miles of the way
would lie along Jackson's river to the month of
BACK creek, thence up that creek to the mouth of
Little Back creek, thence to the foot of the Allie
ghany mountains at Riders Gap. None of this
Is any heavier than the work already done by
mat company along the James. In fact, lighter
work could scarcely be found. 1t might take
mi lpS of
Allegheny at Riders Gap (not more). This
is slde-h1ll cutting and need not be heavy or
costly. When the summit of the Allegheny is
reached at Riders the country falls away gen.
thy down Cochran's creek to Knapp's creek and
down Knapps creek by Huntersville to Mar
Inns Bottom. on the Greenbrier river. The dis.
lance from the summit to Martins Bottom 10
exactly fourteen miles, and the work incredi-
Oily light. From the mouth of Knapp's creek.
at Martins Bottom, to the head of Elk river, at
the head of Clover-Lick creek, any grade can
be procured the Company May desire. The dis
lance is arout eighteen miles. and the eleva-
tlon to be overcome is about 900 feet When
this summit is reached there is but one small
divide between that point and Parkersburg,
W. Va, which divide is at the head of the Lit
tie Kanawha, and separates the waters of the
Little Kanawha from those of the Elk river. T
do not know this divide, but men in whom T
have perfect confidence tell me it is light: and
q recent railroad survey over it, am told. was
made easily at grade of fifty-three feet. The
most expensive part of the road would possibly
be from Martins Bottom to the head of Elk or
Greenbrier mountain. CIT is sometimes called
by the latter name.) Yet 1 have no reason to
believe this can be called heavy, and would
never seem so were it not that the rest of the
line IS SO unusually light. 1t has been the pol
cy of engineers surveying routes across the
mountains OF Elk and the Allegheny at the
points have indicated to put a tunnel of about
five hundred yards in length in each. Here.
them is proposition for the people of Rich
mond to contemplate. By pushing the Rich
mond and Allegheny railroad sixty or
sixty-ilve miles further west the finest coking
and camel coal is obtained, equal to that now
brought to your city by the Chesapeake and
OHIO railway; the West Virginia coal-fields are
pierced in their CENTRE coal is nearer Clifton
Forge by sixty miles this way than by the Ches-
apeake and Ohio; and can be hauled from the
mead OF Elk to Richmond by this route 50per cent.
cheaper than over the Chesapeake and Ohio.
"A line OF road has been recently surveyed by
some enterprising citizens of West Virginia.
chartered under the name of the Chicago, Par
kerspurg and Norfolk Railway Company. The
line begins at Parkersburg, w. Va The line
runs up the Little Kanawha to the head of Salt
creek, thence over to Hally, and down it to the
Elk river near the county seat of Webster,
thence down Glover creek to Greenbrier river.
down 1t to the mouth of Knapp's creek to Coch-
rams creek, up it to the top of the Alleghany
thence down to Covington by way of Jackson IS
river The line, supposing it could effect a
junction with the Richmond and Allegheny at
kersburg. AT this point the charter of the Bal
timore and Ohio is such that other roads can
cross the Ohio river ON its bridge, and junction
can be effected with a broken-down road or two
giving direct communication from Chicago.
The Norfolk and Western found it profitable To
build a branch to coal of nearly seventy miles
in length, but the extension of the Richmond
and Allegheny would be not branch but that
many miles added to it's trunk line or main
stem. There is no question but that the finest
coal exists all along the line of the road T have
marked out in the greatest profnsion and a
work of this character would he one that ,,ust
prove profitable to it's owners so long as coal
continues to be an article OF commerce. The
advantage in hauling coal from mines on ELI
river by the way have indicated is one that M
other Railroad in the Union possesses. A grade
up Elk to the top of Elk mountain can he easily
procured not exceeding So feet per MILE Then
a train runs to Martins Bottom. The grade
from that point to the summit of the Alleebanv
at Riders. unless it be the last mile, would no.
where reach So feet. When the summit at
Riders is reached train runs to Richmond
Now, if an engine over this line can bring to
Clifton Forge thirty loaded coal-cars. and an en-
CINE of the same power can bring over the
Chesapeake and Ohio to the same point thirty
lod d.
can deliver to its Richmond customer for near.
ly one half less than the Chesapeake and Ohio,
because at Clifton Forge the trains over tho
line are cut in two, whereas if so many COWS
be put in one train, those over the Richmond g.
Allegheny might be doubled. What an i'm
mense' saving, then, would it be to the MANN
facturers OF your city if this great enterprise
could be pushed to coal. We feel confident that
aroad oullt on the line we have indicated
would not have grade going east exceeding
nfty-1lve feet TO the mile.