The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-11-16
PLANS ARE ALL COMPLETE
About Twelve Miles of it Ready For
the Track to be Laid.
SURVEYORS TO Be HERE lNAFiw DAYS
From Snow Hill the Road viii be Extended in
Almost Direct Line to Deep Water
Harbor and Also From North
ern Rail Connection.

Little has been said about it in the
newspapers. but for several months a
new railroad has been crawling toward
Raleigh
1t is road that means much for this
city but more for eastern North Carolina.
1t will take our commerce in almost
straight line to the sea, and will gather
up and bring back the products of the
fisheries, farms and forests of the eastern
counties.
Already twelve miles of the road have
been graded and civil engineers are on
their way here with the survey. Work
will not cease until the trains are run
ming.
1t is Of the Great Eastern Railway that
/ speak. More than year ago the gen.
eral route was determined upon and
plans for construction of the line were
made. During the past summer work be-
gan. II started at Snow Hill in Greene
county and the surveyors and graders
worked toward Fremont That point has
long been reached by the surveyors, and
the graders are almost there. The sur
veyors started from there Monday and are
now on their way to Raleigh. The graders
will follow them, followed in turn by the
track layers from Snow Hill.
The distance from Snow Hill to Ere
mont is 18 miles; from Fremont to Raj
eigh is 40 miles, making SIS miles in all
TO be built. If you will look at your map
you will find that straight rule laic
down on it from Raleigh to Snow Hill
will pass through the towns of Fremont
Kenly, Archer Lodge, Eureka and Bull
Head. You will also find that the road
passes through the most fertile parts
of three counties.
But why does this road go to Snow
Hill? Is that to be a permanent termi
nus?
Not at all Its stop there will be tenn
porary, if indeed it stops at all after
its completion to Raleigh. Take your
map again. Trace a direct line from
Snow Hill to Greenvlle; thence down Tar
River to Washington, and from there to
Pantego, on the Norfolk and Southern
Railroad, at the head of Pungo Sound
thence through Hyde county, south Of
Mattamuskeet Lake, to Engelhard. There
you strike deep water and fine harbor
The connection with the Norfolk an6
Southern is, however the main point
for the owners of that line are the build
System owns the Norfolk and Southern
and it is the Vanderbilt System that is
building the new road.
The plan was at first to extend the
Norfolk and Southern from Edenton t.
Newborn. by way of Washington--a dis
lance of so miles. At Newbern connec
ton was to be made with the Wilmington
and Newbern Railroad, branch of the
Atlantic Coast Line which is eighty
eight miles long. Thence the line was
to run to Georgetown. s. c., distanc'
of about one hundred and twenty-five
miles. From Georgetown an extension
was to be run to Columbia and another
branch. to Charleston.
This was not a new proposition, but il
is the first time the Vanderbilt system
has been connected with the building Of
line from Norfolk to Columbia. About
six years ago some Philadelphia parties
obtained charter for such a line. The
line, or parts of it, was surveyed and
some money was spent in the venture,
but it never amounted to anything.
Now it has failed again, partially on
account Of the marshy nature of the coun-
try through which the proposed line was
TO run, and the expense of bridging the
many water courses. Also it was found