The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1890-06-26
The Richmond and Danvllle.
AWHILE tVa.) Register. June nth.

NV w hOV hHOWi bub We u6lltNG, hs
many others do, that it is a step to.
wards a road to the west from Danville.
In the first place, there was evidently
some urgent reason for compromising
Danville's claim, for had the Rich.
mond and Danville simply wanted to
operate the Danville and New River
as a narrow guage, it could just as well
have done SO with the road in the
hands OF a receiver. A few people who
have looked well into the matter real
ly believe that Danville would have
won her suit in the United States
Supreme Court. Unless, therefore, the
Richmond and Danville people are far
more liberal than thej are reputed TO
be, they had, we repeat, some urgent
reason for getting the Danville and
New River out OF the hands Of re-
ceiSer-in short this looks very like
the Richmond aud Danville people
want to broaden the guage OF the road
and utilize it in giving them western
line. The fact that the road will be
bonded at $4,000 mile, and that the
interest on these bonds is guaranteed
by the Richmond and Danville, is an,
other indication that the guage will
be broadened, rs we have already OBJ.
served.
But again, there is abundant reason
why the Richmond and Danville
should have road from Danville to
Bristol.
Look, ii you please, at a map OF Vir-
ginia and North Carolina. You will
find that the East Tennessee, Virginia
and Georgia Railroad, one OF the finest
roads of the South, terminates at Bris.
tol. This road is owned by the Rich.
mond and Danville, butIhaving no out.
let, except by way of Asheville, N. c.,
it is forced to dump its immense busi-
ness into the lap of the Norfolk and
Western, Il rival and antagonistic cor
poration More than that, the Rich
mond and Danvile has no coal OF any
consequence on its entire system Of
road, and this road to Bristol would
put the Richmond and Danville in the
coal fields and give an outlet for the
East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia
The road would pass through coun-
try which is rich in minerals, timbers
and agricultural products, and Mr..
James B. Pace told the writer two
years ago that such line would, in
his opinion, be the best paying rail-
road property in the South.
Now look at your map. The Rich.
mOnd and Danville has practically
completed It's line from Winston to
Wilkesboro, N. c., and the distance
from WilkesborO to Bristol is only
about sixty miles A new line has al
ready been surveyed from Danville to
Winston and the Danville and New
River to Cascade, and the line from
that point to Leaksville will put the
Richmond and Danville far on its way
to Winston, so that in order to get a
line from Danville to Bristol, the Rich
mond and Danville has only to build
from Leaksvile to Winston and from
Wikesboro to Bristol. When this line
is completed, the guage OF the Dan
vile and New River could be boaden-
ed to Mariinsville, where it would con-
meet with the Roanoke and Southern,
and the line from Martinsville to Stu
art could be operated at small cost as
feeder to the main line.
This seems to be the inevitable plan
OF the Richmond and Danville, and it
is plain that such a line would be Of
great advantage tie Danyille. 1t would
not merely give the western road for
which she has so long prayed, but
would make Dhnville, in all probabil-
ity, the coaling station OF the Rich
mond and Danville and one OF the
most important centres OF its great
system of roads.
Two years ago, in referring to this
matter, we remarked that such line
as we have now described would be b
God send to Danville, and were severe
ly criticised for expressing an opinion
favorable to the Richmond and Dan
Vile line, but we now believe that The
line will be built, and we also believe
as we believed then, that its construc'
ton will be the beginning Of new Cri
OF prosperity for the thrifty and grow
ing city of Danvillle.