The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1897-08-19
THE 0. R. & c. EXTENSION.
Northern Capitalists Invest 5000,
900 Developing This Road.
To be Extended From Marion, N. c., to Min.

| hO AOAAOWAuB IuS
extension of the Ohio River & Charles.
ton railroad appeared in the Baltimore
Sun of recent date.
A party of northern capitalists passed
through Baltimore yesterday on their
way to Charleston, s. @. They repre-
sent nubmer of leading financial in
stitutions and bankers who are about
to invest 100000 in making several
extensions to the old Three C's railroad
iu South Carolina.
The Investment Company, of Phila-
delphia, and the Finance Company, of
Pennsylvania, Q. D., Barney & Com
pany and Dick Brothers & Company,
also of Philadelphia, are the concerns
actively intefested in the enterprise and
represented in the party. In railroad
and financial circles much Importance
is attached to the plans of the syndi-
cate.
| The Three C's railroad was originally
started with the purpose of securing an
air line from the Atlantic coast at
Charleston to the Ohio river. Such a
road would be the closing link in new
line from the west and northwest to the
South Atlantic seaboard. Considerable
work was done, but in 1890 the enter
prise went into a receivership.
The road was reorganized in 1894 un-
der the present name, Ohio River &
Charleston, in place of the old title of
Charleston, Cincinnati & Chicago Rail
road. Since that time strong efforts
have been made to increase capital to
complete the road. The concerns which
have now taken hold of it propose to
put it in shape for handling the through
business tor which it was planned.
DR.. Dick, who was one of the party
in Baltimore yesterday, said to a re-
porter of the Sun that the work decided
upon had already been commenced and
would be carried forward at lively
rate until it is finished. This includes
the extention of the road from Blacks
burg to Spartanburg, forty miles. The
first ten miles of this line will be put in
operation on September 1st. Spartan
burg is the third largest town in the
state and has within radious of thirty
miles, more cotton spindles than are to
be found elsewhere in the southern
states. The extension passes through
the cotton mill towns of Cherokee
Falls, Clifton, Glendale, Gaffney City
and Pacolet to Spartanburg.
Another extension which is to be
made is from Camden to Sumter, thir-
ty-two miles. At Sumter connection
| will be secured with the Atlantic Coast
Line for Wilmington and Charleston.
Camden is the southeastern terminus
OF the road as now built. It's north
western terminus is at Marion, N. c.,
and third extension is proposed from
Marion to Minneapolis, Va. This
would afford an important connection
| with the Louisville & Nashville system
| by crossing the South Atlantic & Ohio
at Estillville, Va, and would meet the
| Norfolk & Western and Minneapolis,
thus getting into the Big Stone Gap
coal region.
Charleston people are moving in O
scheme to build line from that city to
Sumter to meet the new road and bring
it into Charleston independent of the
Coast Line. The railroads, the Charles
ton people claim have their city bottled
up now and it is not to the interest ol
these lines to bring business to that
city, as longer haul is secured by TAX
} ing traffic to northern ports. This, il
is contended, has resulted in the de-
velopment of ports to the north, like
Norfolk and Western news, on business
! taken by Charleston, which should b.
its natural outlet. On such traffic thu
. rail hanlage via Charleston, it is con
! tended, can be reduced to third of th,
! present distance over the new road.
A supplementary PROJECT to the rail
road is the establishment of line o
steamers from Charleston to handle th,
: export trade. The tonnage obtainabl
E from the cotton mills alone, which will
8 be reached by the line of the Obi,
e River & Charleston, will, it is said
: furnish business that will make tin
n steamship line success.
n Shorter rail haul and longer waite
8 haul obtainable with such combina
r tion, would, it is believed, make tn
k freight rate so advantageous as to di
% vert thstway most of the business whic
}; now goes from Charleston territory I
II northern ports.
/ The railroad will also have anothe
IL important bearing upon that. At pres
J. ent the coal supply comes chiefly fror
Z the Alabama regions. With the me-
z road completed to the Big Stone Ga
y region, which is only about half as ia
o, away as the Alabama region, the Goa.
B. of coal will be lessened by reason of th
'r shorter haulage. This is calculated
have a stimulating influence upO
manufacturing in the section col
cerned.
y, Money to construct the extensio
IS will be furnished by the issuance
.. d: 5000, 900 Of bonds, which the syndicai