The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-13
GIGANTIC PLANS OF sEABoARD
Immense Coal Lands I'm Virginia Ac-
quired C1inchfield Corporation.
Which Is Building New Line From
Tennessee, Is to be the Operating
Head of the Seaboard System.
Especial to News and observer.)

Especial to News and Obseryer)
Pittsburg, Pa, March 6.-Infor-
nation that over $4,000 acres of coal
have been acquired and that an K
pendfture for railroad construction and
coal development of from So, OO0,O 900
to 100000 is anticipated and pre-
pared for by the Seaboard Air Line in
t~erests, which are building the recent
system, shows hat the Seaboard is
going into this project on an even
ore gigantic scale that at first ap-
peared. Announcement that the Sea-
board would take the middle west and
thereby insert the most important
railroad factor projected in two de-
cades into the facilities and cores
pOnding competition for traffic be-
tween the central group of states and
the south, an undertaking Of immense
moment in itself, is made of even
greater interest to the commerce and
the transportation companies affected
by new developments.
The C%linchfield Corporation is the
name of the underlying company
which is building the new road of the
Seaboard. Alfred Walters, formerly
president of Lehigh Valley Railroad,
is president of the Matching company
AMI will later become head Of the
road, which will be operated as a sep
arate road of the Seaboard system.
President Walters has raised the
money, it is understood, and he is
directing the construction of the new
trunk line.
The coal properties of the Clinch-
field Corporation embrace about 25O,-
600 acres of coal land in Wyeth and
Dickinson counties, Virginia. 1t also
owns 10000 acres of road purchased
from the Cranes Nest Company.
Much Of this fuel is in the celebrated
be marketed in the south and south
west and distributed to the Gulf and
Atlantic seaports for export.
The engineers engaged in building
the new road expect to get a maximum
grade of one half per cent. The South
and Western road, IS miles long, is the
nucleus of the new line. It will be
extended nearly 2S5 miles, from John
son City the northern terminus, to the
coal properties acquired and also to a
connection with the Chesapeake and
Ohio at Elkhorn, Ala, From Spruce
Pine, n. c., the southern terminus will
be extended southwark to a connection
with the Seaboard Air Lines Atlantic
division az Rutherfordton, and will
also connect with the Atlantic Coast
Line and the Southern Railway.
Detailed announcement Of the COM
pany's financial plans will be made
from New York this spring. The
Clinchfeld Corporation is capitalized
at $1,000, 900. 1t was formed one year
ago quietly and has given a little
publicity as possible to the construc-
ton work which now engages over
10000 men.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany which dominates the Seaboard's
policy, is generally thought to have a
hand in the new project. 1t will give
the Pennsylvania lines West a new
outlet from Cincinnau and Louisville
to the south, and will connect he cor
dial cooperative relations existing be-
tween the Seaboard and the other
Pennsylvania ally, the Chesapeake
and Ohio. 1t will also permit the
Pennsylvania further to control coal
production in the bituminous fields.