The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1906-06-07

West Virginia and Collis P. Hunting
ton, to cross the Appalachian Range,
and it took the Baltimore and Ohio
about as long; but the Deepwater and
Tidewater railroad, being backed by
Henry H. Rogers, expects to accomplish
this feat in three years time.
1t is expected that the line will be
completed by December /, 1907, of a
cost of $50, 600, 900, or $50, 900 per mile,
and the most remarkable thing about
the whole enterprise is the fact that to
date not bond or stock has been is
sued, and outside banking interests
have not been called upon to contribute
a dollar of financial assistance.
The building of this railroad is prob
ably the most remarkable engineering
feat in railroad construction since the
building of the transcontinental roads
across the Sierra Nevada mountains. 1t
is the first great new trunk line con-
struction in the United States for many
years, and it is the only trunk line that
has ever been projected to run from
starting point to destination without
the slightest preference to towns and
cities in the interior. Throughout it's
entire length there will be no grades
more than seven and one-half feet to
the mile, excepting eight miles across
the Alleghenies, where there is a maxi
mum grade Of twenty-five feet. This
road is probably destined to be the
greatest coal carrying road in existence.
1t should be the greatest b measured by
low cost of transportation and economy
in operation.
No expense has been spared in the
work of building this road. The track
is being ballasted as laid, and by this
unusual plan it is intended that when
the tracks are connected up they will
be reA y for operation. The lines are
being constructed from both ends and
will join in the Allegheny mountains.
Over one hundred miles OF the road
from Hampton Roads is ready for rails,
and from forty to fifty miles out of Nor
folk has been laid. Track laying ma
chimes are employed which can lay a
mile of track day.
The building of this road is of great
importance to New England, as it may
play an important part in future coal
transportation to the New England
states.
Mr.. Rogers is understood to have al
ready acquired large coal properties in
the New River and Pocahontas dis
trictS, notably the Cooper Hewitt prop
critics of about 100000 acres. With an
unlimited amount of first quality coal
transportation for the coal from the
mines to tidewater, transportation from
tidewater to New England, and par
tial control OF the New England mar
kets through the Rogers affiliations
with the leading New England rail
roads, quasi-public corporations, and
industrial corporations, there should bt
no question that Mr.. Rogers already
has his eye upon the New England Goa
markets.
1t is somewhat remarkable that the
building of this road has been kept Sc
quiet. The financial centers are prac
tically in ignorance Of the building Of
the building of this important trunl
line, although the Boston News Bureau
has pointed out several times in th'
past the leading facts in connection
with the enterprise.
IL is planned to extend this roat
through to the Great Lakes, but no at
tempt will be made toward this exten
sion until the present 400 miles Of roaC
have been completed and are in opera
tion. Wall Street Journal.