Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-05


iects arc the development and promo
ton Of the financial. commercial. manu-
featuring. mining. and railway interests
OF the South. among other the Cit-
zens' Bank. Of Richmond: the Baltimore
Trust and Guarantee Company, the Nlr-
.inla and Tennessee Coal and Iron Com
pany, and the Richmond Mica Company,
and he is president OF the Georgia and
Alabama railway, an important trunk
lire extending from Montgomery. Ala,
TO Savannah, Ga. $40 miles.
THE VICE-PRESIDENT.
Mr.. w. NJ. Habliston. the vice-pres-
dent, is devoting almost his entire time
10 the work OF the traction. He Is
man OF affairs, but withal is courteous
and aifable, and a charming and inter-
osting talker, who has friends In business
and social relations all over Virginia
He was born and raised In Richmond.
He was In his youth familiar figure
in all the boat-race5 here. and won
number OF Contests He went into busi-
ness IN Petersburg when "A very young
man, and r. to-day the most successful
man in hts line OF business In the State.
He is one Of the young men rapidly max
ing the new South. lie organized
and is now the president Of the Peters
burg Crystal-Ice Company and Is one
of the organizers and Is the vice-presi-
dent of the National Bank of Peters
burg.
He Is the president Of the Roanoke
Rapids Power Company, one OF the
largest water-powers OF the South, which
enterprise wos carried successfully
through the collapse OF the boomers
and the panic OF 1898. He succeeded about
fifteen months ago IN interesting mem
bers Of the Astor families in the enter
prise, and one Of them is now the trea-
suref
Mr.. Habliston has located the two large
mills on the property. one OF which is
now IN successful operation. and the
other. mill which will consume about
SOC) bales Of cotton year. in now being
constructed. and nearly finished By Rich
mond contractors Messrs. W. \ Chester
man q Co-their contract Tor the build
Ing alone being about eeoc oo Mr.. Hablls-
ton Is also one Of the directors In tho
Citizens Bank. OF this place. He built
and erected the handsome block OF brown
stone houses on the corner OF Third and
Grace streets. in this city.
ENGINEER JOHNSTON.
Dir. A. Langstaff Johnston. the chief
engineer Of the company, has been
prominent street-railway engineer ever
since tbs practicability Of applying cleo
tricity as motive power was con-
olusvely demonstrated by its successful
operation on the line Of the Richmond
Union Passenger Railway Company, In
this city. in 1887.
Mr.. Johnston was born I'm Richmond.
and WIS graduated from the Virginia
Military Institute. Among the well-known
instructors in that institution under
whom RE studied were Captain J. VI.
Brooke, famous for making the survey
for the first Atlantic cable, and for a va
riety OF scientific inventions, and the late
Matthew Maury, whose scientific writings
are known the world over. After his
graduation Mr.. Johnston was employed
with the contractors in the construction
of the Chesapeake and Ohio railway, and
he was assigned TO important tunnel
work, and acquitted himself with credit.
In 1876 he was made city engineer OF
Manchester, Va, where he designed and
established a system of street grades,
and introduced other extensive improve
ments. From 1870 to 1850 he was engaged
as assistant engineer on river and harbor
improvements with Colonel William l..
Craighill now chief of engineers, United
States army. In 1889 he constructed the
Richmond and Seven Pines electric rail
way, and in 1890 he built the Richmond
and Southside railway, and laid out. In
connection with the railway. Woodland
Heights and Forest-Hill Park.
He has since that time constructed the
New Orleans and Carrollton railway.
twenty miles in length, the first electr-
cally-operated road in New Orleans. and
has engineered several other big ST eet
railways through. Mr.. Johnston has won
distinction by the invention OF a num-
Der Of ingenious devices which are now
well known in street-ralway practice.
IT. Johnston is a member OF the Ameri-
an Institute of Electrical Engineers, 2.
member Of the American Society OF Civil
Engineers, and a member Of the FRANKLIN
institute.
THE OTHER OFFICERS.
Mr.. Everett Waddey. the secretary, is
a man of fine business sense, and of
Of the Everett Waddey Company, and
has been connected with a number OF
large enterprises of the city. He has for
years been an active and enthusiastic
worker In behalf OF the Virginia State
Agricultural and Mechanical Society
having been on the Executive Committee
OF that organization
The treasurer OF the traction, MIR. Ro-
bert Lancaster Williams, while quite q
young man. is well known in financial
circles. He was educated AT tho Uni
versity of Pennsylvania. After bis re-
turn TO Richmond he was taken into
the banking firm OF John l.. Williams q
Sons. He il the author OF several finan-
cial publications. including graphic
chart giving a complete history of the