The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-06-06
Wilmington's Future.
10 be Made Great Coaling Station
by Seaboard Air Line Railway,
Working in Conjunction with the
South & Western Now Building
from the Tennessee and Virginia
Coal Fields into North Carolina.
Raleigh Evening Times.

The report comes that Il coaling
station is to be established at Will
mingtun by the Seaboard Air Line.
and ii such is the case it will mean
great things for that city and will go
far towards giving that port tie
prestige that it deserves. 1t 'has
been generally understood since W ork
on the South & Western road was
begun that Southport would be
made IL cOaling station, but few
days since the statement was made
10y the president of the Sea board
that it would be Wilmington. Sev-
eral months ago valuable wharf
property was purchased in Whining
ton by the Seaboard and force of
engineers has recently made IL survey
for an entire change in the ter minals
Of the SeabOard in that city.
This news is very gratifying to the
people OF North Carolina, as Whining
ton is the only deep water port Of
any consequence the State has, and
it will be IL means Ofmaking Winning
ton IL port OF entry, something that
would be OF the greatest benefit to Il
very large section of the State.
There is no doubt that many vessels
| bound from the South across the At
| lantic with cargOes OF cotton from
New Orleans and Galveston would go
to Wilmington for coal instead OF
Portsmouth and thus avoid the dan
gers Of Cape Hateras, the graveyard
of the Atlantic. On account of
the lay OF the coast, and the gulf
stream running in very close to
Southport, vessels can put into that
port with the greatest ease and save
the time it would require to coal a
Portsmouth and also avoid Hatteras.
1t is n fact not generally known by
the people of North Carolina, but
Wilmington already enjoys the repu-
tatiOn OF being one OF the principal
Southern ports, and i'll the shipment
OF cotton to foreign ports ranks
fourth among the cities of this coun-
try. According to the custom house
reports Wilmington has nearly four
times the foreign export business OF
Charleston, 5. e., u port that many
believe far more important than Will
mingtOn, and the business-foreign
is nearly twice as great as Nor
folk, Last year the exports alone
from Wilmington amounted to near
ly S2O,OOO,OOO.
With the completion of the Pana-
ma canal Wilmin gton willindeed hold
an enviable position if a coaling sta
ton is established in that city, for oi
the cities of this country it is nearest
in a direct line North and vessels
taking a direct nOrtherly course
would strike about Southport. We
do not believe there is a city in North
Carolina with brighter future.
Writing in the Portsmouth Star
Mr.. AcK. Griggs says:
Wilmington and not Southport, n c.
is to be the rival OF this port in the Goa
trade. Foreign and coastwise shipments
Thomas F. Ryan's great railroad under
taking, the South and Western Railway
will be delivered to the Seaboard All
Line as was confidently expected, but
instead OF being hauled to Portsmouth
where it had been hoped coaling termi
nal would be established, it will go ove1
the Carolina Central division of the Sea
board system and find an outlet to the
sea through the big terminals the Sea
board will establish at Wilmington.
1t is only one hundred miles from Ham
let, the junction point between Whining
ton and Portsmouth, through which tht
South and Western traffic will pass tC
the former port whereas, it would be {
good three hundred mile haul from Ham
let to Portsmouth. 1t will therefore, bt
seen that considerations OF economy o
time and expense and not any desire t(
discriminate against this port, led th'
Seaboard to make this arrangement.
a coaling station at Wilmington will
vastly increase the Importance of tina
port. There is no denying the fact tha
its location at that point, South of tht
dangerous and dreaded Cape Hatteras
which must be rounded by vessels put
ting into Hampton Roads for coal be
fore starting across the Atlantic wifi
cargoes of cotton from New Orleans ant
= Galveston, would be great thing TO
the shipping, but would incidentally TAX
away considerable of the banking bus
mess of this port.
The Seaboard Air Line is already pre-
pairing to handle business from the SOutl
and Western Railway, which is expected
to be completed in about year from
Elkhorn City, Ky, to connection witt
the Seaboard in the Western part O
North Carolina.
President W. A. Garrett, OF the Sea
board, according to a report from Char
iotte. n. c., said while in that city tha
the company would make Wilmington
y. C., the seaport terminal for coal an
other freight received by the Seaboar
from the South and Western, and that
did not expect to build a line from Wi
mington to Southport, n. C.sand max