The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-06

Roanoke Railway and Construction
Company, the men of energy and push
who are at the bottom of the scheme
have by no means been idle, and. al
though THE TIMES is not in position
to lay bare all the plans and inner
workings Of the enterprise, it is in pos
session of facts that warrant the state
ment that the skies Of the new compel.
tive trunk line were never brighter.
While large majority OF the CAPT
talists and land owners of Roanoke we're
lying dormant, work was being done by
the construction company and progress
was being made at the other end of the
line. And it can furthermore be stated
that within one weeks time tho whole
plan for bringing this great system of
railroads into tho city will be fully ex-
planned in the columns of THE TIMES
There seems now to be but little doubt
that the road will be built, and that
doubt would soon vanish If the property
owners of the city would at once como
forward aud do their whole duty by con.
tributing to the capital stock OF the
construc lion company.
A representative of The TIMES held
conversation with the president of the
company. Col R FL. Woodrum, and with
several of tho directors yesterday and
found them more sanguine over the
ultimate success of the enterprise than
they have been since it's incipiency.
They were loaded to the brim with
facts, but they are facts that cannot be
given to the public for few days.
The only drawback" said they, 'is the
lethargy OF the people Of this city, who
now have it in their power to bring the
Baltimore and Ohio or the Chesapeake
and Ohio, or perhaps both lines, into
the city. With their CO. operation and
support The new line would be in opera
ton before the close OF the year"
1t Is believed that Vice President
King and Chief Engineer Manning, of
the Baltimore and Ohio, will go over the
proposed line this week and that they
will be in the city in few days.
The Roanoke Mineral Belt Railway.
The bill providing for charter for
the Roanoke Mineral Belt Railroad
Company passed tho House of delegates
last Saturday and is now in the hands of
the Senate committee. The promoters
of the scheme in this city confidently
expect its passage, although s )me little
opposition will be manifested in the
senate
G W. Crumpecker, tho attorney for
the road, has just returned from trip
over the route. and he has already Sc
cured the right Of way for fifteen miles,
which is half the distance. He will re-
turn this week and secure the right of
way for the rem ainder of the distance
The board of directors for this com
pany have not yet been appointed, but
thu Y will be as soon as the charter has
h0
that only part of the promoters are
Roanoke people, and the greater part of
the money which will be required to
build the road will be furnished by
Pittsburg. Pa, capitalists. The esti-
mated cost of the road is between $780,
600 and $4,000 which is in sight and
will not have to be raised in the coun-
ties through which the road passes or
by subscription.
There is in the office of the attorney
numerous specimens of the mineral
wealth along the line. Magnetic iron
ore, such as Bessemer steel is made
from, exists in great abundance and is
said to be the finest in the State. There
is also gold in working quantities in
Bedford county, on the proposed route,
and silver. anthony, manganese. ashes
tos, mica and the finest soapstone, per.
haps. in the whole country. The coun-
try along the proposed road Is rich in
it's forest growth. A great deal of it is
very fertile and especially adapted to
the growth of tobacco and wheat.
The whole country is picturesquly
beautiful and in travelling along the
route one Is confronted continuously by
rapid succession of the most beautiful
scenes in nature like lovely panorama
The roadbed Is almost marked out and
this seems to be the only practical
route through the Blue Ridge in this
section and seems especially designed
by nature for this purpose
Within very short time the organiza-
ton will be complete and all the plans
OF the new company will be made
public.
The Old Charter to bs Changed.
President Allemong, president of the
Salem Improvement Company, informed
the correspondent yesterday that at the
Valley branch of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad Senator Watts has in
troduced bill into the State senate for
the adjustment of the subscriptions OF
Roanoke county and city and the town
OF Salem to the capital stock of the
Valley railroad. 1t will be rememb ered
that nearly quarter of a century ago
tho county of Roanoke voted a gu bscrip-
ton of $780, 600 to the Valley railroad as
soon as trains should be running over
the proposed extension from Lexington
to Salem, aud Salem voted subscrip
ton OF $50, 900 to the same company to
be paid under the same conditions, pro-
vided the shops of the road were located
in Salem.
Mr.. Allemong states that the proposed
adjustment would place 500, 900 on the