The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-03-14
COL. JOHNSON STIRRED UP.
His Recent " Interview" Disquieted his
Nerves-What he Says About the
Three C's Road.
Especial to News and Courier. |

OpSCldl W News duu OOullcT.
COLUMBIA, March 3.-Colonel r. A.
Johnson, general manager Of the Three
C's Road, is still at the Grand Central
Hotel. He has been in conference for
a couple of days, with DR.. Black, of
Blacksburg, Major Hart, Of Yorkvil!e,
and other gentlemen interested in the
railroad.
On receiving to-day his regular visit
from the Columbia representative of
the News and Courier, with the regular
request for news, Col. Johnson, who
was apparently very much annoyed by
Charleston versions of his recent re-
marks on the railroad situation, unbur-
dened his mind as follows:
II am sick and tired of writing and
talking with newspaper reporters. Il
don't mean you,) who do not care
enough about what I say, or do not
know enough about the subject, to re-
port me correctly. To oill1strate: was
made to say in the Charleston papers
the other day that it would require $50
600 to put the South Carolina, Railway
in good condition.
"What I did say was that it would
require at least s75O,O0O to put the
track in good order, properly equip the
road and improve sufficiently the ter
minal facilities. In the same interview
it is stated the the Charleston, Cincin-
natl and Chicago Railroad crosses the
East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia
Railroad at Minneapolis, Va, while
every child in the graded schools in
Columbia probably knows that the East
Tennessee. Virginia and Georgia Rail
road. does not touch Virginia soil. These
things show carelessness and lack of
appreciation Of the value of accuracy
in such matters; besides, such reckless
reporting makes my statements appear
ridiculous.
'sWhile I have no desire personally
to appear in print, yet I have always
felt willing for the public to know of
the progress of the railroad enterprise to
which 1 have given so much of my
time and thought, and in which the
public generally has taken SO much in
tcrest. But when reporter asks for
news I claim the right to be reported
correctly or not at all. The interviews
as generally published consist of a mess
of stuff [ never said, or so abridged as
not to convey my meaning, that when
you have been engaged in building
road from the Atlantic to the Ohio,
and have one hundred and fifty miles
in operation and two hundred and fifty
miles more under contract, it is rather
discouraging to have leading daily pa
per at one end of the line say that the
railroad crosses the East Tennessee,
Virginia and Georgia Railroad in Viz
ginia.
minneapolis, Va, is new city, pro-
jected on the Ciinch River, the point of
junction of the Charleston, Cincinnati
and Chicago Railroad and the Cincn
Valley extension of the Norfolk and
Western Railroad. While we are push
ing matters along our whole line, the
first section to be built by Mcdonald,
Shea & Co., our contractors, will be the
section from Minneapolis to the point
where we cross the East Tennessee,
Virginia and Georgia Railroad in Ten
nessee. This will enable US to reach
the coal mines and bring coal down to
the East Tennessee Road, and thence
over that road to the Western North
Carolina Railroad to Marion, n. c.,
where we reach our own road again.
So you see that we will be able to furn-
ish coal to Charleston and all points
along our line in one year from now.
Minneapolis is one hundred miles from
White House, Kentucky, from which
point the Charleston, Cincinnati, and
Chicago Railroad have already in opera
ton ten miles of road connecting this
point with the Southern terminus of
the Chatteroi Road" NC. G.