Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-05-01
Staunton vindicator
FRIDAY MORNING, MAY I, 1891.
LOCAL.
BENT ON A RAILROAD.

STANTON HAD RATHER HAVE A
RAILROAD SURVEYED THAN
EAT
EXCESSIVE COAL CHARGES OF THE C. & O.
A CHANCE TO GET ANoTER COAL
ROAD-THE MONEY FOR THE BANQUET
DEVOTED TO A RAILROAD SURVEY
ENTHUSIASM AMONG THE MEMBERS.
&C.. &C.. &C.
Last Friday night, the attendance at the
called meeting of the Staunton Chamber of
Commerce was the largest ever known in
its history
President Henry Hutchinson asked if
the committee on freight rates was ready
to report.
C. & o. FREIGHT RATES ON COAL.
MI. A. c.. Gordon from the Committee
said it had no report to make save to state
the fact that on the the 9th of April some
of the officials Of the Chesapeake 81 Ohio
Ry., would be here to consult with a
committee of citizens On the subject.
MI. Reeves Gait said that Mr.. O. X.
Lapham of the Bark Extract Works had,
on the subject of freight rates, visited Nor
folk, Washington, Baltimore and the West
and discovered that facts existed that would
demand the attention of the G. q 0. The
special grievance that his tour developed
was that the Chesapeake & Ohio charged
$1.75fo coal in N orfolk while they charged
for the same coal 1926 in Staunton. That
railway bought it at the mines and hauled
it the whole length of the State to the sea-
board and then charged us in Staunton
twice as much as it charged on the sea-
coast.
SURVEY OF A RAILROAD TO MEET THE
DAVIS ROAD FROM PITTsBURG.
Mr.. Gordon said he had been told that
gentleman in Staunton who had removed
large industry to this city, said if We
could get cheap coal he would guarantee to
get enough industries here to cover all the
space which the development companies
had allotted for them. Mr.. Gordon went
ON to say that MI. Davis, President of the
West Virginia Central Railway, which
is located as far as Beverley in
Randolph county, W. Va, one hun
dred and ten miles from here, had had his
attention turned to StauntOn as point to
which to extend 1T, and to make this APPOINT
on his way to tide water. His chief engi-
neer was ready to accompany any engineer
we might appoint to go over the route from
here to Beverley, and was ready, also, to
spend as much as thirty days on the work.
The sum of 5000 to 500 raised in Staunton
would be sufficient to equip and employ an
gineer could cooperate. He thought if
this road were to come to Staunton the val
ue of real estate here would be increased
two fol- one.
THE BANQUET FUND TO BE APPROPRIA-
TED TO THE SURVEY OF THE ROUTE.
MI. Gordon rooosed that the May Dan
Duet of the Chamber of Commerce be dis
pensed with, and that the fund already rails
ed for it be applied to this railroad survey.
This was an opportunity we should not neg
lect as we did the Shenandoah Valley Rail
way, which might have been brought here if
our people had made any sort of effort.
Mr.. H. L. Hoover urged the value to
Staunton of coal carrying road such as
the West Virginia Central was. The Davis
road would bring cheap coal and an enor-
nous timber and other trade, for it would
run through a rich back country which ma
tllrally belonged to Staunton. Others were
trying to get this road. Goshen was trying
for it and so was Glasgow. Why should
it GO TO Glasgow when the coal it would
carry there would meet not only one COM
petitor, but two-that from New River by
the G. & O. and that from the Flat Top
mines by the Norfolk & Western? The
seaboard is the great market that all the
roads were trying to get to, and compared
with which the trade Of the towns along
the road is uncomfortable. There is now
one charter in existence that would give the
Davis road route to tideWater, and two
parties are after it. If the other party
gets it we shall be left twelve OF fifteen
miles South of it. We have chance at
this road now for only $3.50. How much
MI. President is there in hand for the
Chambers banquet?
President Hutchinson-There is about
S375-about $i00 Of which was paid simply
for tickets by men not members of the
Chamber.
MI. H. G. Tinsley opposed the use of the
banquet fund for the survey OF the railroad
route. He was thoroughly in favor OF the
railroad survey and believed the fund
could easily he raised in the city. AS for
his firm. they would duplicate their ban
quet subscription for the survey subscr1p-
ton, and he had no doubt others would do
the same. Staunton was not so hard up OIL
SO parsimonious as to be forced to abandon
banquet in order to raise the small sum OF
$3.50 for another purpose. The proposition to
do SO was putting the city in a light before
the rest of the State which she did not
deserve. The press all over the State had
given prominence to the fact that the ban
quet WAS to be held, and it would put Staun-
ton in ridiculous position to go back now
for the purpose of raising so small a sum
as $3.50. We ought to have both the ban
quet and the survey, and could easily get
them both. Staunton is not SO lacking in
eitt,er enterprise OF liberality as the
propos i;tion before the Chamber would
make her out to be.
MI. M. B. Hamrick took the same ground,
saying that city of this size that eouldnt
raise $3.50 without giving up banquet
ought to be fenced in. 1t was too late now
to make the change.
MI. Gordon offered resolution that, with
the consent Of the donors, the fund paid in
for the annual banquet of the Chamber OF