Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-01-15
PROPOSED ROUTES TO TIDE
WATER.
(Riehmond Ne,c.. Leader.i

In business circles today it is sale
that the Goulds are interested in the
proposed route through the Kappa
hammock valley to Tidewater.
Other New York capitalists are
known to be interested to such an
extent that within the last three OF
four months no less than dozen
engineers have gone quietly through
the valley gathering data concernipg Q
the prospects for line.
One of the lines under considera-
ton by one of the engineering par.
ties is to run from Fair Oaks, on the
Southern and Seven Pines lines, to
Tappahannock, a distance of forty-
five miles.
"This line" said one of Tue inter.
ested engineers today, "is to be but
the beginning of number that are
intended to gridiror the Northern
Neck of Virginia"
"There are at present two or three
charters in effect for railroad in
this section, in addition to one grant
ed about three years ago to the Rich.
mond and Tidewster Railroad Com
psny, and another to o. ID. jackson.
allowing line to cross the York
river at Gloucester Point and York.
town."
A proposed line over the latter
route to Williamsburg and James.
town, to be branch of the Rich.
inond and Tsppahannock railroad, is
also said to be under consideration
by one of the parties of engineers.
numbers of whom have been quietly
making Richmond their head.
quarters.
One of these engineers, who has
just returned from trip through
the Northern Neck, said of that
section:
"One Of the proposed routes from
Richmond will run through the
counties of WestmoreIand, Essex.
King William, Lancaster, Matthew'S.
Middlesex, Richnoad, Northumber-
land and Hanover. These counties,
together with the cities of Richmond
and Manchester, have q population
OF over 100000 people. They also
have 400 postoffices, each averaging
$40 adult patrons, aud 600 schools
and churches. The Rapps hammock
valley includes an area Of over 2,IOO
square miles, with a growing and
thrifty population, averaging forty
adults to each square mile.
"Another of the lines under con-
slderation is to run from Richmond
to the eastern shore of North umber-
land county. This will have fifteen
miles on each side of the road to
draw from and can count on an
average of 1,2O0 people train mile,
whereas 300 people to the train mile
is usually considered by railroad
companies an great average. All
of the produce of the Rappahan-
mock valley now goes to Northern
markets because there are no railroads
through that section connecting with
Richmond.
"At present the Rappahannock
valley is bounded by the York river
and the Southern railway on the
south, by the Chesapeake bay and
Potomac river on the east, and by
the Chesapeake and Ohio and the
Richmond, fredericksburg and Poto.
mac on Its western and northern
borders"
1t was said to-day that @. L.
Dickinson, an engineer who has been
for some time with the Virginia
Passenger and Power Company, will
shortly go through the valley in the
interest of the Goulds.
The Deep Water Railroad Com,
pany, of West Virginia, which now
has thirty-four miles of its road to
Tidewater completed, It Is said, will
20 through the Rappahannock valley
either from point in or near
Richmond.