The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-23
NEW RAILROAD
is PROJECTED
Planned to Connect Main Line
OF Southern With Valley
Division.
OPEN TWO RICH COUNTIES
Madison and Page May Be Fully
Developed by Proposed
Road.

Railroad extension seems to be the
order Of the day in Old Virginia. The
latest proposition for a new road to
to be an extension projected by the
Southern Railroad from q point about
Rapidan. up through Madison, Page
and Shenandoah counties, to join its
Valley line at some point near New
The route will take the line through
the famous Thoroughfare Gap, in the
Blue Ridge, the. only available gap in
in Albemarle and the Front Royal gap,
E upper Fauquier county.
While no authoritative statement has
been made by the railroad officials with
regard TO the proposed extension, 1t is
known that surveys have been made
for the extension, and it Is rumored
that options have been secured on some
OF the property needed.
Hon. James Hay of Madison, member
OF Congress from this district. was
seen By a representative of The Times
Dispatch in Washington YESTERDAY.
Mr.. Hay would not be quoted directly,
but was of the opinion that the time
was not far distant when Madison
county would have railroad facilities to
develop her wonderful resources. Mr..
Hay said that q great deal of valuable
timber land in the county had been
sold to outside capitalists in the course
of the past few years, and that rail-
road was becoming necessity for mar
keting the timber. Eight dollars an
acre has been paid in some cases for
the timber rights alone in parts OF the
county.
Another indication of the probable
opening UP of this country is the an
nouncement made in fredericksburg
yesterday that the Blue Ridge Copper
Company was planning to develop the
Dark Horse mine. northwest of Mad
ison Courthouse, and was planning to
put a stamp mill into immediate oper-
alton. This is an old mine, and has
been worked at intervals, for fifty
through the mountains 1t has never
produced it's full capacity of ore.
Iron ore is also found at number
| of places along the route of the pro-
crude ore-bearing rock veins coming
to the surface of the hillsides.
representative of The Times-Dis-
| patch drove over a part of the proposed
with the wonderful richness and beauty
| of the country. The contour of the
/ land lends itself naturally to railroad
development the valley of the Robin
! line northwest from Rapidan Station
| through the lower end of Culpepei
| county, and on over through Madison
| to the mountains. In Madison the river
! bottom touches Locust Dale, Oak Park
and Criglersville: and runs a little tc
| the north Of Madison Courthouse. The
rivcr breaks through old 'HhorouShfare
| Cap. in the Blue Ridge, made forever
| famous by the marches of Stonewal
Jackson, who again and again brought
| his army through pass then unknown
| to the Typographical engineers al
| Washington. Across Page county tht
| projected road would cross at righ
angles the line of the Valley Division
OF the Norfolk and Western and or
over into Shenandoah to some poin
i about New Market Station. The nev
i line would give to the whole uppe1
| Valley of Virginia direct line t
! Richmond by way Of Orange and Cor
I louisville, over the tracks of the Ches
! apeake and Ohio, which works in con
! junction with the Southern at Rapidai
4 and on north to Washington city.
4 The country traversed on both side
bluegrass, and fine old farms, showing
no trace Of the iron hand of wal
i Farming is done on large scale
cattle and horses being raised for eX
port, The fall of the Robinson River
!, which traNerses Madison county fur
grist flour and saw mills. Rock quar-
ries along the bed of this river brin
/ DIT granite marble and u fine an
, workable grade OF white limestone
{ This latteris being used for the coun
. ty roads, and makes a much smnotlie
: and more reslant bed than the har
& Virginia granite. Towards the noun
: the virgin growth. being still foupt
i, Walnut, oak, chestnut and white pin
: iarc sawed and hauled eighteen, invent
i and even thirty miles TO q railroad i
n The proposed railroad viii open
+ trade one Of the richest Of the as w
? section on which the finger of prosper
Illty has surely been nlaCe1, rt