The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-08
ROAD WILL SPEND
MANY MILLIONS
Chesapeake and Ohio Contracts
for Large Number of Engines,
Coaches and Freight Cars.
TRAFFIC STEADILY GROWS
What President Stevens Says as
to Complaints From Poca-
hontas County.
TRAFFIC STEADILY GROWS

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad is
making extensive additions to its rolling
stock n equipment in order to be able
to handle exbeditiously and satisfactorily
the rapidly growing freight traffic of
the road. its immense passenger bust
ness in connection with the jamestown
Exposition. and the steadily increasing
traffic movement resultant from the
operation of various branches which serve
as feeders.
The company has contracted for pas
senger engines. passenger coaches, freight
cars and freight locomotives for delivery
before July j, 1907, a~ggregating in cost
something like five millions of dollars.
Besides ali this. the company is just
getting a large shipment of freight cars
and locomotives ordered a year ago. and
which in the aggregate cost about four
million dollars. Added to this rolling
stock and equipment expenditure the road
has contracted for $4,000 tons of new
steel rails, to be delivered before July
LIST, next. These rails are being laid as
rapidly as they are delivered, and a large
proportion of them has already been
put Town. Altogether, the total expendi.
lures ordered for all purposes will equal,
and probably exceed, ten million dol
lars In cost. a r. u
The recent orders embrace fifteen new
passenger engines, to be delivered early
in the present year, and thirty passen-
ger coaches. twenty of them thorough
fare cars and the remainder parlor and
.lipIru.rnru Ret pyaap Jn1y LOT and Or
tober list, 1901. 1900 new f~ifty-ton steel
twin-drop gondolas. built by the Pressed
Steel Car Company, will be delivered TO
the ompany and Immediately placed in
service. All this Is in addition to the
3,1n freight cars and forty locomotives
which have been and are being delivered.
THESE locomotives were built by the Rich
mond branch of the American Locomotive
Company.
With the additional equipment to be
delivered during the year, the company
will be admirably equipped for the enor-
NOUS passenger travel in connection with
the exposition and for handling It's fast
growing coal traffic, which last year ex-
ceeded that OF any otner Atlantic coast
terminal freight line, except the Penn
sylyania.
President Stevens was asked yesterday
as to certain complaints from Pocaf1ontas
county, W. Va in the vicinity of Mar
lington, as 10 the poor condition of road
bed and track OF the branch line ex-
tending from Ronceverte, IN the main
line, to Barlow,
1t was alleged in a circular sent 0l'
srom Marliuton that old iron and ties
were used in the construction of tho
road. and that no ballast had ever beer
nlaced, and that the ties were rotting
and the road dangerous, to traveller:
thereon. MIR. Stevens stated that he hat
just visited that road and made persona
inspection OF it, The complaints, he be,
lleyed. originated in n sort Of "rounc
robin ~instigated by several gentlemen
As a matter of fact, he said, the roaC
was built only six years ago, and son'
$1,000 new ties had recently been pu
IN. Many Of the old ties We're IN goo'
condition and would have done gooC
service, but in putting in the new one
all the old. good and bad, had been re
moved, and the new Ties had been pu
down continuously as far as they woul
20, with the result that the portion Q
. Tho road not renewed was in worse con
d!tjon thar 1t would have been had in
ties been put In with Discrimination
The president stated that he would hay
no hes!tancy in riding over that brauc
road, and he WAS not fond OF risking h
life. either, He declared that there ha
been but one accident to a rassengt
train. and that not serious, and the
wrecks of the same character occur quit
rs frequently on the main !ine as on TIL
branch,
Asked az TO the complaint by cert0i
~gtoekholders that the management ";
not paving out as much money in div
tends as its earnings justified. NJ
Stevens stated that he deemed that Il
frst duty of a railroad was 10 inc pul
III, and that earnings should not I