The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-08-28
THE OHIO EXTENSION.
An important Branch of the Norfolk and
Western Railroad

An important Branch of the Norfolk and
Western Railroad.
Spccisl Correspondence OF THE TINgs.
HOTEL, GRAHAM,
GRAHAM, Va, Aug. Is.
The Ohio extension may be said to
begin at Bluefield and Graham both.
since the eastern end of tne division is
at Bluefeld, and the junction of the
Clinch Valley branch and Ohio eKten.
eion is at Graham. three miles west,
these two branches or divisions forming
the Now River branch, this joining the
main line Of the N. &; w. at Radford,
and SO on to grand old Roanoke, solid
old Hagerstown and hospitable Norfolk
by the sea.
The near approach to completion of
the Ohio extension makes short letter
now by no means inappropriate, and
with this end in view j took a seat in
the rear OF the hindmost,car ON a west
bound train q few days ago and gave
myself over to observation.
can't begin to tell yon what l saw
on that fifty mile run to Roder3eld, the
last station to which passengers are
now taken, but can tell you This, that
l had more strenR til added TO my al
ready weil-knitted spinal column than
thoughtcould find room there. In
fact, had no idea of such tremendous
development being so near. I had heard
of the coal and coke fields. of course,
and had seen thousands of train loads
OF coal and coke go past Roanoke, but
must confess that hadn't an adequate
conception of the labor and en- ployment
n "a nit n nfa -
these vast interests.
Leaving Graham at 9:I2 a. m the
hrst mining operations are encountered
at Pocahontas, wherc the original and
pioneer coal company of the South west
Virginia Improvement Company has it's
headQ uarters. Next we stop ut Cooper
Station, where Mr.. John Cooper the
wealthy operator, has his home and
company store and also Headquarters
for his Mill Creek Coal and Coke Com
pany. Then comes the Coaldale Coal
and Coke Company, also managed by Mr..
Cooper; then the Elkhorn Goa PAW, with
Mr.. A. Barlow AS general manager;
Shamokin Company. Mr.. John Hunter,
general manager; Norfolk Company,
Mr.. 5. M. Buck, manager; Lick Branch
Company, Mr. e S. tchiuson MANAGER:
Turkey Gap Conn any, w. H. McOuail.
manager; Crozier Company, w. J. Har.
ris, manager; Houston Company. It. F..
Houston, manager; Upland Company,
Il. Is. Wilson, manager; Powhatan Com
pany, L. e. Tierney, manager; Lonch.
burg Company, l.. Z. Tierney, manager:
Algorna Company,W. Fl. Thomas, man.
oyer; Gillian Company, w. c. Brooke,
manager; Roife Company, j. Elwood
manager; Mcdowell Company, IT. Line.
weaver. Manager keystone Company,
d. ID. Hewitt, manager; Empire Com
pany. w D. Ord, manager; Tide Water
Com pany, T. l.. Henritza, manager;
Bottom Creek Company, w. Spencer.
manager . Eureka Company, NJ. S.
Lynch, manager.
Then there are the new operations,
either just opened or very soon to he.
Greenbrier Company, II. Johnson. man.
ager; Peerless Company. II. C. Zacha-
ries, manager; Pulaski Company, II. s.
Morris. manager; Shawnee Companv.
w. Graham, manager; Elk Ridge Com
pany, X. Goodrich, manager
Inc aoove-named companies operate
on the OHIO extension proper except the
Southwest Virginia Company. of Poca.
hontas, and, in addition to those named
there are some Of the most successfuI
operations on the Bramwell branch.
these are: Caswell Creek Company. len.
Klns Jones, manager; Buckeye Comp PAW.
r. Moore, manager; Booth Bowen Com.
pany, James Booth, manager; Goodwill
Company, Phillip Goodwill. manager:
Louisville Company, Justus Collins,
manager.
TO these companies, their managers
ana their miners this company owes a
debt Of gratitude which is being Justly
repaid IN the large returns yielded for
have been so profoundly impressed with
the magnitude of the work being done in
this region that l have determined to
make tour in detail among the mines
and give the readers OF TIE TIMES an
exhaustive compilation OF facts and fig.
nres relative to the operation of these
asst interests.
North OF the Ohio river to Columbus
the extension is finished; also from
south of that river to Hatfield Bend.
In this section OF the country there ia