The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-04-08

over 200 900 miles of railway, being about
one-half the mileage of the world. In
North Carolina there are 1861 miles.
The first official record we have of the
building of a railroad in the United
States was in 1927 and the first steam
passenger railroad in 1928. In 1880 there
were only Al miles of railroad in the
United States; in 1881 short lines were
lowed in the year 1888 by the construc-
ton of what is now known as the Pc
tersburg Railroad to CASTOR, n. c., and
the Grecnville and Roanoke road from
the Virginia line, now the Seaboard and
Roanoke. In this year the Legislature
granted a charter to the Wilmington and
Raleigh Railroad, (name afterwards
changed to Wilmington and Weldon Rail-
road, authorizing the company to run
it's main line road from some point
within the town of Wilmington to the
city of Raleigh or to some point at or
near the Roanoke River with view of
connecting the Petersburg and Norfolk
railroads
charter to the Raleigh and CASTOR Rail-
road Company for the purpose of effect
ing communication by railroad from
Raleigh to the termination of the Green
vile and Roanoke Railroad at or near
CASTOR OH the Roanoke River, this latter
railroad referred to having been char
tered by the Legislature in the year
1898, and authorized to unite with the
the main line of both these roads was
completed-the Wilmington and Weldon,
from Weldon to Wilmington, and the
Raleigh and CASTOR, from CASTOR TO
Raleigh.
In the year 1S49 the General Assembly
granted a charter to the North Carolina
Railroad. This road was chartered for
the purpose of effecting railroad COM
munication between the Wilmington and
Weldon Railroad where same passes
over Neuse River in Wayne county and
the town of Charlotte. The line of road
was to run by Raleigh and thence via
Salisbury to Charlotte. The Act pro-
vided that whenever one third of the
capital stock of $4,000, 900 was subscribed
for and taken by other parties, the State
should subscribe for and take the re-
manning two-thirds. The road was COM
pleted ard in operation to Charlotte, a
distance of 222 miles, in January, 1856
The road has been leased to the South
ern Railway for a term Of 80 years from
January /. 1896, at an annual rental af-
ter December, 1901, of $2S6,000 per an
num- and, in addition thereto, the rail-
way company to pay the taxes imposed.
The Atlantic and North Carolina Rail-
road. another road which the State built
and owned controlling interest, was
chartered in 1852 and opened in 1858. The
purpose of this Act of incorporation was
to effect railroad communication from the
Atlantic through the center of the State
to meet the Tennessee line from the
most eligible point on the harbor OF
Beaufort; thence, via New Bern, Tren-
ton and Kinston, so as to strike the Will
mington and Weldon Railroad and to con-
meet with the North Carolina Railroad
at GoldsbOro In order to further this
purpose, the same Act incorporated the
North Carolina and Western Railroad
Company to commence on the North
Carolina Railroad at or near Salisbury;
thence the most practical route across
the Blue Ridge to the Tennessee line,
and provided when these two companies
should be formed in compliance with the
conditions Of the Act, they should have
corporate existence for the term of 80
years. The charter was amended in 1855
and name changed to Western North
Carolina Railroad Company with the
further purpose of effccting communi-
cation between North Carolina and the
Mississippi Valley.
Another railroad built by the State was
the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Rail
way which was one of the first roads in
the State to be granted a charter. 1t
was chartered and the ground broken for
the building of the Cape Fear and Pee
Dee Railroad in 1888 but. it being re-
garded as a doubtful experiment the
work was abandoned and nothing done
until the year 1852, when the Western
Railroad Company was chartered and the
road built from Fayetteville to Egypt, a
distance of As miles. In 1871 the charter
was amended and changed TO the Mount
Airy Railroad Company, and in 1879 the
Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway
was chartered and a consolidation was
made with the Mount Airy Railroad
The Raleigh and Augusta Railroad
Company was chartered in 1855 as the
Chatham Railroad Compary The pur
pose of the charter of this road rs the
Erecting Of railroad commr"'' tn be-
tween Deep River, ut or near the coal
fields in Cha than county. and the city Of
Raleigh. The road was comole'ed to
Sanford in 1871: to Hamlet a distance Of
- miles. in 1871 and to Gibson, 10
miles farther in 1884.
CAROLINA CENTRAL RAILROAD co.
Charter first granted as Wilmington
and Charlotte Railroad Company in 1855
Road completed from Wilmington to
Shelby in 1875; to Rutherfordton. dis
lance of 266 miles from Wilmington in
1887. These constituted the principal
once independent long lines in the State.
it will be seen from the table below
that there Is an increase of 4SS miles of
road in the past ten years However.
there have been about 500 miles actually
built, as there have been 100 miles of
lumber roads taken up and abandoned
which have been deducted, leaving net
increase of 4SS as above.
The longest railroad built in this State
in the last decade, l believe, is the