Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-02-09
Sl,OOO,OO0 A MONTH is
NOW BEING EXPENDED.
Line Will Probably Be Com
pleted In A Year--Work
Goes Rapidly On.

| N"iiV Velu Is question fre-
quenuy asked.
The construction OF this road from
the heart OF the West Virginia coal
helds TO the seaboard at Norfolk is
proceeding so quietly that hardly.
soul in the outside world knows
Just what are the various stages III
progress i'm this remarkable entor-
prise. There are no brass bands
press agents or boosters cunnected
with this vast undertaking and Hem
ry ii. Rogers, who is putting nm
all the money required TO build tho
, road-an amount now totaIing an
of $1,0OO,O00 a month is so mod
est about it that he even deprecates
any memntion of his name i'm conec-
tion with the enterprise. Such a
splendid piece of work as is this un.
dertaking would reflect credit on
rry man who conceived and nut Il
through, and as & seems certain 60
give to tie Rogers name a TOP line
IN the list of the developers of
West Virginia. IL can hardly be
wondered that people are at sen as
to why MIR. Rogers does not an
ronnce his plans and allow him
self to be given the credit which is
his due.
This is exactly what Mr. Rogers
does not do, however. Ho is bui,d-
irg his road and saying nothing.
And yet | am Informed that so
rapidly is he progressing that there
has been done In less than two year.
more than any other road OF H,,o
character has accomplished in 90
years. Instead of anpougcms his
plans, Mr. Rogers seems to have
adopted the method of letting hia
plans announce themselves in the
finished performance.
Yet / hear that at the aray'aI
meeting OF the Deepwater Railroad
in New York few days ago con
sidrable was developed as to The
plans of this road. Besides reelec-
ting all the old officers and mem
bers OF the board OF directors, Il
was fixed to carry on work more
vigorously I'm the futurel than I'm
the past, If this be possible. Wheth-
er. I'm view OF the remarkable way
IN which the work has been push
cd to date. It may be possible to
put on so very much addiuonai
5toam remains to be seen; but il
is worthy OF a note that there was
no talk Of tight money or any hes
iLancy about going ahead, the meet
ing just held being in favor Of
pushing the work as fast as It can
be done
This is understood to relate TO
the completion OF the main line. it
not yet having been fully dctermin-
cd when work ON the branch lines
and connection and on the extension
TO the lakes will be put under way
Gt was reported that 200 miles Of
the main line within the two Vlr-
ginias would be finished up some
time within the next 2 months
OF the road uncomplcted, GO per
cent Of the construction work has
been done so tina ut would not ap.
pear TO be an impossible task TO
finish the line within the time mon
toned I'm Wow Of the fact that AN
efforts are being concentrated ON the
the completion Of the main line.
II is reported that 82LOOO.OOO
has been expended so far. AS l
known, the estimated cost of tho
entire system will be about 500
100000 The expenditure of o
vast sum by one man is not lbe
least interesting feature Of he
case, for This s one Of the most
rmarkable pieces OF individual cn-
terprise this country the world.
| for that matter has ever seen
Furthermore. the value OF this
work in the way Of tho develop
mcnt Of West virgiuia's resource
cannot easily Doe estimated
in early days it was the Balu-
more & Ohio that opened up. West
Virginia to the world Twenty
years Ltcr Coils r.. Huntington
performed signal service by pIo,
ing his way across the State. II
may not be too much to say tbat
Henry - Rogers viii be- entitled
TO an even greater place among The
list of developers of West virginia
than the CARROTS Huntington and
all the others who have blazcd The
way through The wilderness tun
nelod thc mountains and made po
sible the development and market
ing OF the wonderful riches thc
vast coal fields Of west Virginia
contain Albert Phenis I'm Manu-
facturers Record