The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-05-27
Formal Opening of the New Line Be-
tween North and South.
THESTORY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT
Beginning With the Scaboard and
Roanoke, II Railroad but Eighty
Miles Long, the Greater Sea-
board Now Embraces a SYs-
tenn Nearly Three Thou
sand in Length.

Just few minutes before O'Clock last
night Chief Engineer Seymour, of the
Richmond. Petersburg and Carolina, saw
The connection made with the Chesapeake
and Ohio tracks. Everything is now ready
for the first train from Tampa over the
Seaboard Air Line Railway
From road eighty miles in length and
extending from Portsmouth. Va, TO Wei
don. N c., has developed one OF the
greatest of modern railroad systems. The
Seatoard and Roanoke Railroad, with its
eighty miles of tr2ckage. has grown from
time TO time until to-day the SeabOard
Air Line Railway has 10 its credit trackaSe
and trackase rights which in total amount
to nearly three thousand miles.
Under the title of the Scaboard Air Line
Railway Company embraced the
eighteen individual roads which at oue
time or other during recent years we're
operated as independent lines The lines
have been gradually absorbed; he con-
trolling interest secured or leased for a
term OF years, practically perpetual. as in
the case of the Seaboard's entrance into
Savannah from Lyons.
Mr.. John Shelton Williams. president Of
the Seaboard Air Line sys-sm, sad re-
Gently: besides the various railroads
which are included in the Seaboard Air
Line system is the Baltimore Steam
Parket Company, which has for many
years operated a. line Of steamers on the
Chesapeake Bay between Norfolk, Old
Point and Baltimore"
The charter which was recently granted
by the Legislature of Virginia is in all pro-
bability the broadest, strongest and most
valuable ever granted IN this State, and,
as President Williams has put it, mot eX-
cepting those granted the Southern Rail
way and the Norfolk and Western Rail
yIh hipt, j1air p.li IGrf inns
were carried through"
THE BEGINNING.
To follow the development of the
Greater Seaboard is most interesting
study The present head of the Sea.board
Air-Line Railway. some few years ago,
conceived the idea OF establishing and ope-
rating a competing line between the North
and South. and. with that end in view,
shaped his plans. BY degrees the great
project was successfully carried out. The
Seaboard and Roanoke Railway was Sc
cured and this road may be considered the
real parent line Of the system.
The Seaboard and Roanoke, as has been
stated, IS a line eighty miles in length, and
extends from Portsmouth. Va, to Weldon,
n. c. The Virginia portion OF the road
was chartered March s, 1872. and was
built by corporation known as ttle Ports
mouth and Roanoke Railroad Company,
and the North Carolina portion by a cor
poration known as the Roanoke Railroad
Company, chartered. May TO- 1896 The
actual work OF construction was begun in
1884. AMI seventeen miles of the line, from
Portsmouth 10 Suffolk completed by the
fall of that year, The entire line being
opened for business in the spring of 1888
In 1Sa3 the North Carolina portion Of the
line was seized for debt, and in 1916 the
Virginia portion, toward which the State
had made large contributions was sold
IN accordance with q legislative enactment.
and was purchased by the Board OF Public
Works for &c., coo. Following this new cor
porations We're organized in Virginia un-
der the 1.ame OF the Scaboagd and Roa-
noke Railroad Company. chartered Feb
ruary 81, 1916, and in North Carolina un-
der the name of the Roanoke Railroad
Company. chartered January Is, 1871
Under the authority of acts of the respec-
tive legislatures these corporations con-
solidated forming the existing corpora
,Loql February %. 1919. BY this new cor
poraton the line was wholly reconstructed
and opened November TO- 1851
During 1882 control was acquired Of the
Carolina Central Railroad, and later also
secured control of the Raleigh and CASTOR
and Raleigh and Augusta AIRLINE Rail-
road and in connection operated the fleet
known as the Baltimore Steam Packet
Company.
The road under its reorganization, rap
sdly grew, and became one of the best
OF railroad properties. The Seaboard and
Roanoke with the lines controlled by it.
formed at that time what was known as
The Seaboard AIRLINE. This line may be
regsr,ded as the parent lime of the Greater
Sesboarj Airline Railway of to-day.
TIMES GAVE THE NEWS.
Tron, the conception of the idea OF a
competing short line between North and
South President Williams worked hard
for its consummation. Other properties
were secured and With them the charter
of the old Virginia and Carolina Railway.
The first news Of the new lines plans
and their effect on this city was eXclu-
sively told the people of Virginia in The
Times Of October 9Th, 1885 The state
1rents made at that time nave since oeen
carried out 10 the letter, and were in ref
erence To the new Union Station of the
Seabnar6 Air Line and the Chesapeake
and Ohio. which will soon be erected II
tits city. and the connections mere with
the Richmond. Fredericksburg and Poto-
mac Railroad thus securing an outle,
through Washington. north east and west
oyer the Pennsylvania. This mammoth
enterprise II was then stated would
mean the expenditure of millions and be
of inestimabIe benefit to Richmond. as Il
would give this city another through line
+ro,, New York to the Gulf. The charter
or the Virginia and Carolina Railroad
COMPANY empowered that corporation &c
bald a line between Richmond and Ridge
way. N. c. The business people OF Rich
mond and Petersburg had long beer
anxious to have a road 70 the North Caro-
Ina town. and Petersburg had subscribed
large amounts of stock in the road. Wori
had been started on the line some years
ago. hut had been abandoned. The char
ter. at that time. belonged principally t
Petersburg. and new company wa:
formed The name vas changed to the
Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Rail
road Company. Tie new company boIgh
IN ,he Petersburg holdings. and thus Sc
cured control of the rights and franchise:
OF the old company Mr.. Dewitt Smith