The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-04
.LATES
RAILROADS.
Chesapeake Westernto Cross
State from West to East.
TAPS COAL AND / RON FIELDS.
Advantages of New Territory Said to
Exceed Those of Birmingham
District Other Rail-
roads Items.

roads Items.
The Pittsburg Gazette prints the 1ol-
lowing, which is of peculiar Interest mere,
q, throwing light on Tic new trans-Vir-
ginia railway:
In the midst of the present intense III
terest over new seaboard outlet from
Pittsburg,t the Gazette is able to furIlshS
a full statement of the plans ana pur-
poses Of one of the most interesting as
well as tie most mysterious of these pro-
5jects. This is in connection with the
Chesapeake and Western Railway, the
managers of which have been strenu-
ously working for the past year IN par
ticular in Virginia and West Virginia TO
link up the bituminous coal country ana
the steel region with the seaboard at
Gloucester Point, York Harbor, Va
The statement comes from Joseph w.
.Reinhart, formerly president OF the AT
Gibson, Topeka and santa re, anu
native of this city. MIR. Reinhart IS at
the head of the syndicate which is fur
thering this project.
TERMINUS AT #PARKERSBURG.
It is of much significance that the west
ern terminus Of this project is at Par
kersburg, w. Va, to which city Inc
is now being built by the Goulus from
a connection with the Wheeling and Lake
Erie at GAINESVILLE. It is also significant
that George J. Gould, the head of the
Gould raiIroad interests, spent a week
at Gloucester Point last summer. and is
thoroughly in touch with the whole stu
alton.
,pf
only the present move, but gives most
comprehensive survey of the railroad
situation from Pittsburg to the sea-
board. 1t follows:
It is not generally known, but it is
fact, that before the Pennsylvania 1sail-
road Company secured control of the
Tidewater traffic through tho purchase
of the Baltimore and Ohio, Norfolk and
Western and Chesapeake and Ohio, a
number of far-seeins and experienced
railroad men quietly took up the pro
ject for the construction Of line Of
railway from the Ohio river through the
northern West Virginia coal fields and
Virginia to the Atlantic Coat
This enterprise, begun several Years
before the purchase by the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company Of all of the roads
to the coast mentioned has been carried
forward intelligently and conservatively,
anu has llOW SuEu d. lOulludtlOu upoh
which the whole structure will shortly
be erected.
KNOWN AS CHESAPEAKE WESTERN
This project is known as the Chesa-
peakc Western Railway. 1t begins at
Gloucester Point on York Uartor, Vir-
ginia, where large acreage OF land for
Tidewater terminal has been bought. The
line Of road runs ENTHUSIASTICALLY and
westwardly, taking in the Chesapeake
and Western Railroad, 1twenty-seven miles
built and in operation, in the Shenandoah
valley, Virginia. which is owned by the
syndicate, through 100 miles OF the coal
fields of West Virginia, to a point near
Parkersburg.
Construction work on over LOG miles OF
the line westwardly through the Shen-
andoah and Allegheny mountains into
West Virginia is now under way, with
fourteen miles of track laid. and over
half Of the entire line has been surveyed
and loca ted. estimates of construction
made thereupon and preparations are now
being completed for general construc-
ton.
MUCH COAL LAND PURCHASED.
The company has bought outright 61,OOO
acres of mineral lands and negotiations
for the purchase of additional large tracts
of coal lands have been brought to the
Four survey corps are in the field at
different points on the line, and the great
est care has been taken in the matter OF
loca ton, as is evidenced by the fact LAT
although the line passes through the AL
leghany, Shenandoah and Blue Ridge
Mountain ranges, its maximum grade.
eastbound, is but / Il per cent, as against
over per cent. on the PENNSYLVANIA and
Baltimore and Ohio roads. The distance
from Gloucester Point. Va, to Parkers-
burg, w. Va, on the Ohio river, via this
line, is Ats miles. Every mile OF the road
is in traffic producing TERRITORY ard for
100 miles passes through bituminous coal
and 70 miles through iron ore deposits.
RICH IN IRON ORE.
These deposits are so extensive as to
CALI forth tb recent statement from one
of the most prominent public and busi-
ness men OF tho country that TINS PAR,
ticular region contained greater pos 81
bilities than birmingham, Ala. for the
manufacture of iron. The line is in no
sense a parallel road with any existing
railway, but opens up new and prolific
traffic territory throughout its entire
length. 1t connects with and crosses
nine north and south railroads.
The Importance of this road to the
Pittsburg and West Virginia traffic dis
trict will be at once apparent. The great
est care was exercised by the owners
to secure an ocean tidewater terminal
that would be in every respect suitable
for handling the large traffic of a trunk
line railway; several harbors We're care
fully examined by the company's engl-
neers; the final result was the selection
OF. Gloucester Point.
CONDITIONS AT GLOUCESTERfP POINT.
The depth Of water in shore is over
forty feet and off shore over eighty feet
The conpanys docks. while Immediately
off Chesapeake bay, will be located IN
Gloucester harbor facing westward, thus
securing protection TO craft from the
high ocean winds. The harbor is with
in easy lighterage distance of the estab-
lshed terminals Of the Southern Rail
way at Spinner.s Point: Sea board Air Line
at Portsmouth; Norfolk and Western
Railway at Lambert's Point: Chesa peake
aud Ohio Railway. at Newport News;
Pennsylvania Railroad at Cape Charles
City and the city of Norfolk.
BY avoidance of a large city for the
Tidewater terminal the traffic of the
railway line can be delivered direct from rom
cars into vessels without having to pass
over the expensive terminals that must
nececcariIv he GREG ted in q large city,