The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1892-03-25
COMPETITIONS FOR THEL.2N.
supreme Court Decision In Favor OF th'
South Atiantic and Ohio Railroad.
lCourier journal.

Courier Journal.l
Big Stone Gap, Va, March ia telegram
has been received here from Richmond say
ing that the celebrated case of DR.. Bailey
against the South Atlantic and Ohio rail- |
road has been decided by the Supreme
Court favorably on every point to the rail-
road.
DR.. j. NJ. Baily came to this section OF
country few years ago from Boston wlth'
it is said, only $4,000, and took hold OF Il
narrow-gauge railroad that had ITS he
ginning at Bristol, Tenn, with cumber-
land Gap, for its objective point ana
which had been partly graded even before
the war. Then making favorable lease
from the State Of the necessary NUMBER
Of convicts (being even, it has been stated
paid for feeding and clothing them Tor 'he
first year or so and at no time paying over
fortv or fifty cents day for them), he
built and equipped forty miles OF the roao
as broad gauge at a cost not exceeding
$40 600 per mile, remarkable low hSure
considering the morntaing character OF
the country through which it passed.
TIGHT times coming on, the road fel! into
difficulties, and after a year or twos ces-
eation of work, became. the property OF the
Virginia, Tennessee and Carolina Steel
and Iron Company, composed OF such cap
;toI;ots 40 John II Inman, George S. Scott
and w. p. Clyde, Of New York, and Nat
Thayer, of Boston, and DR.. Bailey was de,
posed from the Presidency of the railroad
and Mr.. H. b. HuidekOper, of the celebra-
ted family of that name OF Philadelphia,
installed in his place.
DR.. Bailey then instituted suit against
the road for the amount claimed as uu ue
him, by some said to be as small as SIo,ooV
by others more. Mr.. Huidekoper, be!Iev,
ing the claim unjust, vigorously resisted
paymeut in the courts, when, falling SICK,
he was succeeded by Col. ohn Z. Haskell
of South Carolina, son-in-law OF Gen.
Wade Hampton, who has fought the mat
ter to the above favorable conclusion
The point involved Of most Importance
was. as is claimed, that:Dr. Bailey for this
sum Of $4,000 sought to throw into the
hands of the receiver (himself) solvent
company worth millions, then stood ready
to give bond for any amount required.
Had he succeeded these capitalists would
have felt inclined to sell their holding IN
Virginia and quit the State, seeking III
vesment where legal protection # proper
ty rights was sure.
Under Mr.. Hindekoper's and Col. Has
kell's incumbency, Messrs. lnman, Scott,
Clyde and Thayer put up $23O,O0o each
and finished the road to this point, thirty
one miles further with u track OF four
miles into the coal fields, arriving here on
April, 1890, since when nothing further III
the way of development has been at
tempted.
The injury that has been done this sec
ton by the enforced inactivity will be UNI
derstood When it is stated that Mr.. Scott
had sent here his brother, practical coal
man of Pennsylvania. to report upon the
value of coking Goals here, and backing
the favorable report he made stood ready
to put up 5000 900 to be used in develop
ing mines and building coke ovens. Also
the grade on that part of the South At
lantic and Ohio railroad first constructed
being excessively heavy, $50 feet or over
to the mile in the gorge" limiting
freight trains to six cars, had been relo-
Gated and was to have been rebuilt for
distance Of thirty-three miles, that is,
from Bristol to Moccasin Gap, at a proba-
BILE cost of 100000 to 100000, which
amount its friends were prepared to pro-
vide. This improvement would bring the
maximum grade of the road down TO - or.
IS feet to the mile, enabling it, i'll conncc-
ton with the East Tennessee Virginia and
Georgia railroad, to form through line
to the South, and giving competition, as
against the Louisville and Nashville. to
Chattanooga, Birmingham, Admission, De-
catur and other Southern furnace points
which will use the coke produced here.
This lack Of competition has tied the
lands, in turn, of the Virginia Coal and
Iron Company, {; corporation OF Pennsyl-
vania capitalists formed of such men as
Leisenrngs, Kemmerers and VENTS, OF
Mauch Chunk; Gen. Sam Thomas, Of Ca
tasaqua; Robert h. Sayre, of the great |
iron works at Bethlehem, and others who !
sold out their coking plant at Councils |
willie to Mcssrs Andrew Carnegie and II. |
G. Frick for ST., 600, 600, and located here
to operate on 10000 acres Of land which
they had previously purchased. 1t is be-
lieved that Mr.. j X. Taggart the Super
intendent, will soon begin work, expend-
ing perhaps some $4,000 month in
opening mines and building hundreds OF
coke ovens.
The Virginia, Tennessee and Carolina
Steel and Iron Comp0ny has already in
vested 5000, 600 III the ). a. and .. rail-
road and in coal, iron and timber lands |
here and elsewhere in Virginia, Tennessee
and North Carolina, and is ready to spend
more in improvements and extensions al
ready planned. One OF the possibilities
is the connection of the S. A. and o. rail-
road with the Eastern kentucky railroad
which isowned by Mr.. Thayer, thus giving
a through line to to the Ohio river. The
prospects of the starting of these great
works with gradually improving and re-
yiying business may well make the friends
Of this place everywhere feel exultant.
The people here are very jubilant over
this news and its attendant good effects.