The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1905-05-18
S & W ROAD IS
PROBABLY SOLD
Railroad Magnates In Con-
ference With MIR. Carter.

lSrSIlCS w 1ln 1Vlr, NdTlST.
Railroad circles in this section have
been set all agog by the mysterious
visit here of a number of Eastern or
Middle Western capitalists and rail-
road offcialc The party have been
the guests of President Geo. L. Carter,
of the South and Western Railway
Company, Cranes Nest Coal and Coke
Company, and other mining and rail
road operations in this section. Their
trip here has been rather sudden, and
it seems an attempt is being made to
keep it shroudediin mystery. In or
der to mystify the trip or its inten-
tions, the personnel of the party has
been kept from the newspapers and
from the public, only those who are
responsiblefo for the trip knowing who
compose the party. 1t iS probably an-
other game Of the journey of the late
Calvin S. Brice, of Ohio, across the
country with Jay Gould, when the
great "tin plating" amalgamation was
effected. That the men who have just
been in Bristol, and are now in the
coal fields of Southwest Virginia are
men of influence in railroad affairs,
none can doubt. They travelled in
that style, and seemed to know where
they were going and what the purpose
of their trip was.
They were in special train of two
handsome private cars drawn by a
small passenger engine. The cars
were finely equipped with apartments
and provided with a number of SER
wants. The party was composed Of
eight men, with number of stenogra-
pliers. Their special arrived here just
behind the 3;20 train on the Norfolk
and Western from the east Friday af-
ternoon. Mr.. Garter, it seems, knew
in advance of their coming, and was
prepared to join them, which he did.
The train left here over the Southern
about 4 O. clock, going to Johnson City,
and from there to Spruce Pine, N. c.,
over the South and Western, Mr.. Car
ter's road, where they remained Friday
night, and returned to Bristol shortly
afternoon Saturday.
The party left the train at the Union
station here aud went to the offices of
Mr.. Carter, in the Burson building,
where they were closeted for some
time. They also visited the offices Of
the Carter construction force, in the
Office building Of the Bristol Home
Company, and the plans of the Carter
roads and the recent surveys were gone
over with Chief Engineer George A.
Kent. Later the party returned to
their train and left over the Virginia
and Southwestern for Norton, Va,
running just behind the regular four
O'Clock passenger. Mr.. Carter accom-
panied the party into the coal fields,
where it is said they spent the night
last night.
1t could not be learned whether they
will return to Bristol. The fact that
Mr.. Carter accompanied them to the
coal fields would indicate that they
were there to look over the Carter hold
ings in Virginia and West Virginia.
All efforts on the.part of the newspa-
per representatives to gain an audience
with any Of the party failed. A Cou
rier representative finally succeeded in
gaining au audience with J. Norment
| Powell, Mr.. Carter's chief counsel, but
he refused to be interviewed and abso-
lutely refused to disclose the personnel
of the party, or where they were from.
He was shown a list of the incorpora-
tors of the proposed road from Charles
ton. S. c., to Norton, Va. but he stat
ed that none of them were in the party.
Among the incorporators of this are
W. G. Erwin, II. L. Miner, e. p. Tate
Morganton, N. c.; w. r. Hunter and
Robert X Regney, New York.
One of the cars of the special in
which they travelled was an Erie" and
the other was "Pere Marquette" of
fetal car. AS these two roads are in
the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton
merger, and now part Of the system,
operating in the Middle West, itwould
indicate that the Cincinnati, Hamilton
and Dayton interests are behind this
move. 1t will be remembered that re-
Gently Eugene V. Zimmerman, presi
dent of the Cincinnati, Hamilton anG
Dayton, said in an intervjsw that il
was his purpose to purchase the Car
ter holdings.
Letter it was announced that wher
Mr.. Garter made the deal in which thu
entire stock of the Clinchfeld Corpo
ration was transferred to him it was tt
be taken over by the Seaboard All
Line and a road completed to th,
South Atlantic Seaboard.
It has also been rumored that TIL
South and Western is trying to perfec
plans by which that road can max
connection with the Virginia an,
Southwestern and lease right of wa.
for hauling coal and coke bound TO