Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-03-27
RAILROAD GOSSIP
Talk of the Seaboard Air Line Go
ing to Chattanooga,
Decreased Earnings of the Chesapeake X
Ohio-A Suit Against the Southern In
South Carolina Atlantic coas, Line Re-
duccs Rates Notes.

Inere is tatk OIL Il COMBINATION be-
| tween the Seaboard and the Chat
| tanooga, Rome and Southern, or the
absorption of the latter. which, with
the building of II few miles of addition
al line, would enable the Seaboard to
get into Chattanooga over its own rails
and become a formidable rival OF the
Southern, which now controls traffic
at that point. At present the Seaboard
is dependent upon Il working arrange
with the Nashville. Chattanooga and
st. Louis. Ii has been supposed that
the Chattanooga and Augusta would
be used, that the road was backed by
| the Seaboard.
The Seaboard syndicate has been re-
| ported to derive its financial strength
largely from rural New York capital
lists, but whether they are country men
| or city people they have money and
nerve. The purchase of the Seaboard
| and the Florida. Central and Peuinsu-
| lar, the construction of the Chcraw
| and Ridgeway extensions with the
| terminal and the connection at Savan-
nah, have cost millions. Now the Sea-
board can push on from Richmond to
Washington If it sees fit 1t is assured
of line from the national capital to
Tampa and from Savannah TO Mont
Eomery. The Seaboard system will
touch the capitals of five States. the
chief ports of three Atlantic States
and the principal gulf port of another.
With 200 miles. it will be the fourth
largest system in the South.
There are various signs indicating
that the Scaboard's management eX-
poets TO complete the physical and pos
sibly the financial consolidate mt an
early date. y Encouragement of the
official families of the different com
panies is expected. but If IT has been
decided on, the secret has been well
kept.
Suit has been filed in Aiken county.
south Carolina, against the Southern
Railway for $30.500 The suit was
brought under the statue OF 1897 which
prohibits one railroad from buying or
leasing competing line. In this case,
II is charged that the purchase of the
South Carolina and Georgia by the
Southern Railway was in violation of
the law. The penalty is S100 for every
day the road is operated in violation
OF the law. The suit was filed by
Roykin Wright Of Augusta one of tn
OLDEST lawyers in the South. and
primiscs to be decidedly Interesting
An effort was made to have the last
South Carolina Legislature revoke the
South Carolina and Georgia's charter
on the ground that II had been bought
by competing road, but the assembly
would not revoke.
Recent decreases in the earnings of
the Chesapeake x Ohio Railway, are
explained to be due to the terrible ex-
plosion at Red Ash mine near Mont
| Somery, w. Va. few weeks ago,
Forty-odd miners lost their lives i'm
the disaster. One or two Of the bodice,
have not yet been recovered Work
| at practically all the mines in the Ka-
nawha District had to shut down ms
result of the accident, and several
in the New River District had TO close
also. me miners would not work.
| Nor Will they return to work until all
the bodies have been recovered. There
Is said to be prevailing superstition
among them against doing so. 1t looks
like Il hcalthful one. ut any rate The
result Of the general suspension is that
the railroad company has not had as
much coal To move as usual. with the
futhcr result that earnings have been
reduced.
The coal carrying trade of tho Ches-
apeakc and Ohio is n large por-
ton of lis traffic between the West
| Virginia fields and Newport News on
the east. and Cincinnati and Louisville
| on the west. There was n conference
between West Virginia coal operators
| and President Stevens and traffic Of
| ficials of the Chesapeake & Ohio In
| Richmond Wednesday, regarding rates
| 1t was stated that a satisfactory un-
| dcrstandng was reached.
The Atlantic Coast Line has reduced
! its rate on Strawberries to Northern
| points. The reduction amounts to
twelve cents per hundred pounds from
Charleston to Washington Baltimore.
Philadelphia and New York. and
| twenty cents to Boston and Providence.
The freight by carload. loo crates
minimum, is about 4 cents per quart.
| Augusta to New York. The cost of
| refrigeration is extra and has to be paid
by the shipper.
Col Albert r. Boone, one of the pro-
motors Of the Black Diamond Railroad.
| chartered in this State. was accused
some time ago of having purloined
papers from the desk OF the president
of the company, Col Kirkwood An
| effort was made TO have Col. Boone
| indicted. but the grand jury has vindi-
Gated him, deciding that there was
| nothing in the charges.
The Norfolk and Western Is cutting
| tunnel three-quarteis of a mile long
near Radford City, Va. The line is
being shortener and the new con-
struction work Is 10 be finished this
year.
The Atlantic and North Carolina rail-
road its building new warehouse on the
Neusc river at New Bern.
The American shops of the Georgia
and Alabama railway are building 100
flat cars for the Seaboard Air Line
The engines and cars of the South
ern Railway are valued at s75, 600, 600 or
Sl2. 900 per mile.
Orders were placed during the second
or FOL l,,,f