The news & observer., 1897-08-18

| Actual work has at last begun on the
Richmond, Petersburg. and Carolina Rail
road. - ---- &&.@
The proposed short line from Ridge
way, n c., to Richmond, Va, is fast be
coming a reality.
a large force of men, with horses,
wagons and Wheel-barrows are already
grading the Ridgeway end of the line,
ties are being bought and the iron has
| cen contracted for.
This is good news for Raleigh The
building of this road means the moving
of this city more than an hour nearer to
! Richmond, Washington, Baltimore and
| New York, 1t. is now 81 miles from Raj
eigh-to Neldon,. and 81 miles from Wei
don to Richmond. The proposed road to
Ridgeway viii. shorten this distance %
miles making it 81 miles from Raleigh to
Ridgeway, - miles from Ridgeway to
Petersburg and IS miles from Petersburg
/ to Richmond.
| But the matter Of connections and
through trains will amount to as much
! the saving Of time as will the shorten
/ ing of fire diStaucc The Scah0ard's fast
rains for Richmond and Washington. ass
i soon as they strike the, Atlantic Coast
I
! rains. For this reason some railroad mon
contend that the new line will result in
saving of two hours time between here
and Washington
Last week the company organized by
electing De Witt Smith. of New York,
president; Gen. James Il. Negley, of
Pittsburg, Pa, yieepresident. and the
following gentlemen, in addition to the
! E,~r- II
I Johnson, of Raleigh; Robert J. Mooney.
of New York; w. r. McKenney. of Pc
| tersburg, MacRae and day Of Raleigh are
tcounsel for the company in the State of
North Carolina.
| Gen. Negley was here yesterday. He
came to consult with the attorneys of
the road in regard to certain legal qucs-
tions touching its charter and right of
way. He left for Ridgeway on the II :26
train.
"You may say" he told a News and
! Observer man, chat work has COM
menced and will not stop until the road is
complete. The company has faith in the
enterprise and money to back its faith.
Within afew days a great force of hands
will be set to work Northern capitalists
are investing in the road because they
believe it will be a paying piece of prop
erty. Southern men are taking stock be-
cause they believe it will do much to de-
velop this part Of the country
called Gen. aNegley's attention to the
fact that Dir. Peter Arlund, of Peters
burg, had charter for a road along
practically the same route, and asked
how this would affect the Richmond, Pc
tersburg and Carolina road.
ooh, it will not materially affect us at
ALL DR. Arlund can embarrass us little
perhaps, if he tries nothing more. 1t is
said that he got his charter simply for
the purpose of trying to force us to buy
it up But we'll not do so. The COuncil:in
his own town, Petersburg, were against
him and gave us the right of way. This
speaks volumes We mean business and
We are going att in a legitimate business
way"
Gen. Negley's gray imperial beard and
erect carriage give him distinguished
appearance, but his every feature marks
i'm as the shrewd, up-to-date man. He is
an ex-member of Congress, wealthy and
experienced in financial matters. He has
been engaged in several railroad enter
prises He represented the Hostetters
in some large railway deals in Pennsyl-
5ania at the time of the South Penn en-
terprise His associate Mr.. De Witt
Smith, of Baltimore, is also a man of
great wealth. He is one of the heirs of
the Tappan estate of Connecticut and
stands high with railroad men in New
York.
There has been much discussion as to
what roads are backing this enterprise
and what the effect the building of this
line will be on the railroad situation of
the South. A gentleman from New York
tells me that he has it upon the best au-
thority that both the Seaboard and the
Atlantic Coast Line are favorable to this
enterprise and that the Pennsylvania
railroad is also anxious to have it built,
in order that it may, should occasion re-
uuire, strike blow at the Southern.
''The idea," said my informant, "that
there is any hostility on the part of the
Atlantic Coast Line to this enterprise,
because it is affiliated with the Sea
board, is erroneous. The Coast Line is
anxious to see the road built in order
to have competing lines between Peters |
urg and Richmond to choose from. AS to |
he Ridgeway- Petersburg branch it cares
nothing.
s"There is a general misapprehension as
TO the relations between the Atlantic |
Coast Line and the Southern Railway. |
They have no alliance, offensive or de-
ensive. The Atlantic Coast Line receives
the traffic which gives it its being from
the Pennsylvania Railroad and its de-
And while the Pennsylvania |
road is now maintaining a mastery in
activity, so far as interfering in the rail
road situation in the South, it can be said
upon no less authority than the late
George B. Roberts that If the aggres
sions of Mr.. j. p. Morgan and his asso-
,iates continue and they persist in COM
Dlicating the anthracite coal situation by
dominating and acquiring such proper
iws as the Lehigh Valley, the New
fofk, Susquehanna and Western, and by
cJppling the independence of the Della
uare, Lackawanna and Western and in.
aiding the Pennsylvania territory, that
viii strike back, and its arm
win be long and strong. Naturally, the
first property to feel the weight of this
blow will be the weakest of Mr.. Nor
gan's acquisitions and the one in which
his banking house is most directly in
terested, to-wit: The Southern Railway.
''It would not require very many OF
the coup d'etats for which Pennsylvania
n - L