The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-10
Among the Railroads.

| city on Tuesday on business connected
| with the plans of that company, said
| to representative of the Railway
News:
"The railroad business throughout the
entire South is in very excellent con-
ditiou, while the commercial situation
throughout the South Atlantic States
| is satisfactory TO a high degree. Collec-
tious are excellent, and as matter Of
fact money is easier in many Southern
cities today than it is in New York.
AS for the Consolidated Seabyard
system. the roads which are now beng
built to connect the several divisions Ct
the system are rapidly approaching con-
pletion, although they are being delayed
here and there somewhat on account CT
the scarcity of steel, of which we are
using just NOW many thousands of
tons fer rails and, bridges, the contrac-
tors being unable to fulfill contracts
on time Some idea can be formed Of
the amount of work we are doing when
it is stated that the Seaboard has ten
new steel bridges now under construc-
ton Among the rivers across which
the Seaboard is stretching its iron high
way are the Savannah, in Georgia; the
Wateree, Congaree and Catawba, in
NlAL
and the James River at Richmond
The grading of the Richmond, Pc
tersburg and Carolina from Petersburg,
Va to Ridgeway, on the main line OF
the Seaboard, n miles, has been conn
pleted. and we expect that within the
next week or ten days the track will
be laid for the entire distance, with the
exception of the bridge across one OF
the smaller rivers, which is now APP
preaching completion.
The line from Petersburg, Va, to
Richmond, % miles, is to be finished by
the LIST Of January. To prevent the de
lay in the opening of this road the
Board OF Directors of the Seaboard ut
n meeting held last week authorized the
immediate construction Of some 1000
feet Of temporary wooden viaduct at
Richmond, which viii be replaced as
soon as the steel can be delivered by
steel structure, which was ordered
many months ago, but which the steel
company finds itself unable to deliver
in time to insure its completion by the
first of the year. This viaduct is neces-
sary to give the Seaboard it's connection
with its northern outlet, the Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
north Of the city.
THE shops of the system are all
busily engaged in the construction or
rev freight cars to meet the great
demand for rolling stock. The new
passenger equipment ordered from the
Harlan & Holingsworth Company, Of
Wilmington, will be delivered within
the next few weeks, and the four trains
which will be furnished by the Pull
man Company are to be ready in Jam
uary in time for the Florida travel
THE only limitation upon our com
pany's business at present Us the queS-
ton of rolling stock. If we had a
thousand more cars today we could give
employment to them all. Contracts are
soon to be given ont for 80 new loco
motives, which are necessary for the
cpmpany's increasing traffic"
The Atlantic Coast Line celebrated On
Thanksgiving Day the completion of
the link from Denmark to Robbins.
which gives them a direct route % An
g1lsta. a staff correspondent Of the
Columbia State, writing Of the compile.
tion Of the new link, says:
The completion Of this new line means
much for the Atlantic Coast Line. The
purchase of the Charleston ard Western
Carolina and an interest in the Column
bia, NewbeTTy and LaurenS opened up,
through Columbia, nearly all Of upper
and western South Carolina. They are
in absolute control of the ports of Port
Royal and Wilmington ana either by
direct connection or traffic arrange
ments, have ingress to every port Oh the
South Atlantic coast. 'Ihrougn the
Plant System they enter every portion
Of southern Georgia and Florida. and
now that they have entered Augusta.
the terminal of their possession, the
Charleston ard Western Carolina, are
of inestimable benfts to them. Situr
ated within block of the heart of the
business centre of the city, on the water
front, at the very doors of all the cot
tom warehouses. with trackage to the
eight large cotton factories, which com
sumo 200,000 bales of cotton annually;
with half interest in the Georgia rail-
road, which, in turn, owns a controll-
ing interest i'm the Atlanta and West
Point misunderstanding them to reach
out to Macon, Atlanta, Montgomery
and Selma-and with their close rela-
TONS with the Louisville and Nashville,
there is no reason why they should not
control a large share of western bust
ness, and thus make their line through
Georgia, the two Carolinas and Vir-
ginia the greatest trunk line for passen-
gers ard freight in the South"
The section force ON the Raleigh and