The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-01-18

OPENSA Way TO A
TERRA INCOGNl !.
Interesting Facts About virginia's
Newest Railroads.
SOME ERRORS CORRECTED.
a magnificent Modern Line Into q
Virgin Territory With a Masnifi-
cent Bird sc Across the Ho'ston
Some Attendant Enterprises.
(spacIal Dispatch to The Timcs.)


ABINGDON, VA, January 17.-At the
meeting of the Directors of the Virginia
Carolina Railway held Tuesday IN
the offices of the company mere
they reelected all the present
officers for the ensuing year as foiloWs:
Wilton E. Mngea, late of Roanoke, presl-
dent and general manager; George +.
Craig, Of Philadelphia, vice-president'
and treasurer; f. e. Hurt, of Abingdon,
secretary; George T. HERSHEY, auditor.
The President reported satisfactory pro-
gress notwithstanding unavoidable de-
lays in procuring rails and material Tor
the great Iron bridge across the Holston.
This latter has been the key to all pro-
gresS beyond that point. NOW that 1t is
finished it is simply a. work of art by that
old bridge builder, Captain 1ngles. who
built the large curved railway bridge
across New River at Radford. The cur
Nature of this one across the Holston is
greater than that across New River. 1t
stands 30 feet above the water, is 425 feet
long and is one of the finest specimens of
bridge architecture in Virginia.
THE FIRST TRIP.
The principal stockholders and some of
the directors were furnished by Presi-
dent Mingea an excursion over the line
as far as tinshed-within one and three
fourth miles of Damascus-the gate to
rich and almost fabulous fields of timber
and ores that have caused the road to be
built,
1t is not true, as sent out by cores
pondents that a week or moro ago the
road was completed to Damascus and had
been. by published schedule, thrown open
to travel and business. The road Will
have been finished to Damascus by the
close of the week, but it VIII not be
thrown upon to pubic use, with trains
running on schedule for more than a
month, and probably not before the open
ing of the spring season. TO do otherwise
in the middle of a soft winter, before the
settling of miles OF newly constructed
track, would not be in consonace with it's
present practical management.
Meantime the graded road bed beyond
Damascus Will. with all practical rapidly,
be supplied with its ties and rails, so
that it is safe to say the opening of the
spring will witness the beginning of d
marvellous development of this hereto
fore terra incognita. Among the dis
tnguished gentlemen who were present on
the excursion were Mr.. w. l.. Sheafer, of
Pottsvile, Pa, representing fifty thou
sand acres of the Shady Valley timber
lands, Mr.. w. J. Beecher, of Boston, whG
is now preparing to erect at Damascus a
lumber mill of daily capacity of $4,000 feet
and large extract mills for the production
OF tanin. He had to accompany him, fully
equipped for BUSINESS, Mr.. Robert Gray
an expert civil engineer, for locating and
describing the foundations of these
plants.
ON THE LAUREL.
Damascus is on the Laurel. a. beautiful
and dashing stream of unfailng strength,
which rises in the North Carolina and
Tennessee mountains and runs north
ward through the mountain pass at Da-
mascus to empty at right angles into the
HolStcn Its main tributary from the
west is Beaver Creek, rich in ore beds of
iron and manganese which the Empire
Lumber Company, with Mr.. J. T. Craig
as manager, is preparing to mine. y
large pulp mill and a large tannery are
likely to be erected at Damascus at an
early day. The public little dream of the
rich sources of wealth that lie beyond the
Damascus gap and that are now about to
break the long night in which they have
been obscured since the birth of time.
In the new and elegant passenger coach
to be placed at the use of the officials and
capitalists invited. the fourteen miles of
track already made, through mountain
passes and defles, was coverd in sixty
three minutes.