The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-15
Railroads Have Been.
Unable to Keep Pace
With City's Growth.
LIKELY TO INJURE
TRADE INTERESTS.
Chesapeake and Ohio Company
Has Completed improvements
and Other Roads Are All
Spending Large Sums
in Order to Meet
the Situation.

In no ono thing IS the marvellous
growth Of Richmond better or5n'oree S 8 y
ylnc,nply demonstrated than IN the
growth OF the railroad traffic, wli'cil ''"s
li,cri,Ily advanced With great str'u's
within the past ten years.
Asar index to tho prosperity OF y c clleo' 4
nothing indicates substantial progress 9"
clca,ix as does the volume of business
E that carried OIL, and the amount y
freight thai liz transported by the cp ,
mon carriers operating III ana OUT OF ''' w
limits. +, 3. ,,st
sicainond, wien Judged by such a yea. '.,,.
showg al advance thar Is iaE e. ~,
than any city In the SOUTH, ana "i' ...
Il indeed compares iayorADiy VIII Is ~ ~
record or any In the whole country.
81 great has the volume Of business
heroine In recent years thai me ra'i-
roads nave, with the greatest dlllcui,''
been role TO keep abreast Win tiil ~
nands made upon them Tor trans "a
FL lion. demands that were so eA'tiis N8 y
+ that ten years ago lhey "eie ~.
!: dreamed Of and therefore no ProNisio''
for tie future was made.
In ,f,js fact lies all the trouble winch
IA threatening the business interests o'
Richmond ut this time, because OF tlie
tnsunicient freight facilities required to
handle her great volume Of trade.
54Of these five roads: The HichnOhu'5
I'rcdct ckaburg and Potomac, me Atiin'
lie coast Line, the Scaboard AIR Line.
D INC southern, and the Chesapeake ana
Ohio: the last, named alone has COM
,,;n,ed III. Improvement necessary to care
for its patrons
Freight Quickly Handled.
Tho Chesapeake and Ohio has, witnih
4 the last I'VE years. doubled the cppac ~
8 az lis freight sheds at Ninth Street, bullt!
~ h, q magnificent viaduct along the banks
~ ire river by inca ns OF which freight
n "a "a are quickly handled, great cniar Eed
ffgf ~ 6y q rJs az Fl,ton and extended the q!
npacity 81 A tlc VA ds ts sever eenh 81
bs Street. III Y 5si HI " =,
to,nac, alive TO The situation is now en-
Il Gagged In building extensive additions 10
ito freight stations and yards The ca
naciiy of the station at Hancock and
BROAD streets will, in tho near future, DC
3 doubled: n new freight office bui'd,hg WI, ,
be erected and 4 large car storage S iIa !
will be constructed on the north sac OF
fI,n main line, Just below the company
.hnns which will he known as .narshi---
& ward Y, In addition to these improve
f4 ,ncnts an Immense yard has already peen
i,ullt at Acca Station just tnyond the
old Fair Grounds. which Is now used LOT
the purpose of car storage.
The Atlantic Coast Line. Ike It's com
rctitors Is greatly IN need nc, OF nrf's 81.
yards and stations, and this despite inc
fact that but five years ago the capaclty
OF the depot was douhled.
There are now two large freisht si'eds
3 on2,he companys property. hut the de,
mand for more space Is so 1nsistent ina
st is thought that the officials OF the
Atlantic, Coast Line must take lmne-
diate steps to enlarge the YARDS ana ~
4 lievc the situation.
May Use Trigg Yards.
The Southern Railray has made but
small additions TO the freight yards IN
recent years and the congestion or frcisht
conditions has been great In consequence.
recently the Southern purchased he ex
tonsjvo property III the "Trige Ship
Yards" and 1t Is thought that the Is
land will be used for a freight yard,
which, will in q large measure improve
the condition OF affairs.
THO Scaboard Air Line. although but
six years old, as far as Richmond IS
concerned, having begun business here
IN 1900, is In the same predlcamcnt as
The rest OF tho roads.
THE fact that every ton Of Its freight
vas taken from some other local road
would seem to argue that Its large bus'.
VI ness should have relieved the congested
situation, nut not only has It not done
10. hut increasing demands. made upon
Tho traffic department Of the road have
caused tho officials OF the Senboard Air
Zine to plan to more than double the
nrcscnt capacity of the dcpots and yards
There arc now eleven delivery tracks
u In operation. but when the work, no"
being pushed on the yard at Brown
Street, is completed, there Will he mine
additional tracks ready FOR service VIII
an added capacity Of 800 cars,
What has Dccn said of public freight
Yards. will apply no less strongly to
The demand for private sidings without
which In these busy times no larSe
business house or manufacturing plant
can dispense with,
n These private sldlngs nrc everywhere
In tho city streets and In the suburbs
ana so great arc tho requests made upor
tl,e railroad 10 construct them, that off,
cials say they cannot supply the de-
mand.
railway officials say frankly that the
nrcsent lack of freight facilities Is moi
because the railroads arc lnprosressivf
or unentorprisng, hut on account of he
wonderful growth Of trade md the cvrl
Increasing prosperity of Richmond.
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