Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-01-24
The People Of BurkeS Garden Hunting For
Some New Means For Transportation
TAZEWELL OR BLUEFIELD OBJECTIVE POINT
The People of This Town Are Interested the Matter and Those of BurkeS
Garden Should Carefully Consider The Question Before
Taking Decisive STEP

For some months the people of that
fertile and prosperous garden spot of
Virginia, known as Burkes Garden, have
been agitating among themselves the
matter of securing exit and egress to
their beautiful and productive farming
community by some other means than a
turnpike road. In other words, they
want some kind of a railway, electric or
steam, to give them quicker and cheap
er transportation both for persons and
products. Their interest in the subject
has at last won the attention and inter-
est of other places that are located on
the railroad; and it now looks like
Burkes Garden will, in the near future,
have trolley or steam dummy line
from the Garden, either to Tazewell or
Bluefeld.
On last Saturday a meeting was held
at Burkes Garden Academy which was
attended by about seventy-five of the
most substantial citizens of the COM
munity. Bluefield had a committee of
three present, composed of Messrs.
Coffman, Sluss and Miller, while Taze-
well was represented by E. L. Greever,
G. A. Martin, j. G. Buston and J. A.
Leslie.
The meeting was presided over by
John P. Gose, with A. S. Greever as
secretary. A permanent organization
was effected from the citizens of Burkes
Garden, of which organization R. M.
Lawson was elected president and A. S.
Greever secretary. The president was
authorized to appoint committee to
cooperate with him in devising ways
and means for attaining the object de-
sired, that is d railway from the Garden
to the line of the Norfolk and Western.
There is now little doubt that such a
line will be constructed in the near fu-
ture, and the most interesting question
and contention that will arise, is, to
what point on the Norfolk and Western
shall the road be built?
Bluefeld is in the race to secure the
terminal at that city. She had a COM
mittee present at the meeting; and that
committee announced that it was autho-
rized to speak for the business organi-
cations of the town and to give assur-
ance of the necessary financial support
to assist the Garden people in doing the
work. 1t is generally believed that
Bluefeld has entered the race with the
purpose of winning, if possible.
Tazewell, of course, is the nearest
point at which the N. & W. can be
reached, and the expense of construct
ing road will not be more than half
what it would cost to build it to Blue
field. But the people of Tazewell can
not win the prize by simply standing
still and looking on. The business men
of the town, the capitalists, and all its
citizens should get move on them and
contribute in some measure to a united
effort to win for Tazewell. The Blue
field and Graham Chamber of Commerce
held a meeting at Bluefield on Monday
night, and the report of the committee
sent to the Burkes Garden meeting was
received and ratified. Plans were also
set on foot to push the claims and in
terests of Bluefeld.
Now, what are the chief reasons that
move the people of Burkes Garden to
seek an outlet by rail? The first is that
they may seclre a speedier and more
comfortable and more economical way
of transporting themselves and the pro-
ducts of their fertile lands to railroad
towns and the markets generally. These
are the chief reasons, but they also wish
to attract more visitors from other
places. To build steam or electric
railway from either of the points spoken
of, either Tazewell or Bluefeld, large
expenditure will be necessary. And men
who have money to invest that way will
first inquire which route will require the
least expenditure? Then, they will ask,