The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-05-31
COALING STATION AT WHINING.
TON.

The trend of recent events indicate
that a coaling station will be estab-
lished IN the Cape Fear by the Sea-
board Air Line. Until recently it wa5
generally conceded by the public that
it would be at Southport. There can
( be no doubt that the Seaboard system
is making extensive preparations to
handle a large amount Of freight from
the west to the south Atlantic sea-
board as soon as the South and West
ern railroad is completed from the coal
fields t o some point on the Carolina
Central railroad west of Charlotte,
which will be in about a year. Much
of this freight will be coal for ocean
shipment and to fill the bunkers of
transatlantic steamships.
Writing in the Portsmouth Star Mr..
A Nick. Griggs says as to the pros
poets of this coaling station being es-
tablished at Wilmington:
Wilmington and not Southport, \.
c., is to b. the rival of this port in
the coal trade. Foreign and cOaStWiSc
shipments of the fuel mined along the
line of Mr.. Thomas F. Ryan's great
railroad undertaking, the South and
Western Railway, will be delivered to
the Seaboard Air Line as was conf
IDENTIFY expected, but instead of being
hauled to Portsmouth, where it had
been hoped a coaling terminal would
be established, it will go over the Car
olina Central division of the Seaboard
system and find an outlet to the sea
Through the big terminals h abO
will establish at Wilmington.
1t is only 100 miles from Hamlet,
the junction point between Wilmington
and Portsmouth, through which the
| South and Western traffic will pass, to
the former port, whereas, it would be
a good three hundred mile haul from
Hamlet to Portsmouth. It Will, there
| fore, be seen hat considerations OF
economy of time and expense and not
any desire to discriminate against this
port, led the Seaboard to make this
arrangement.
A coaling station at Wilmington will
vastly increase the Importance Of that
ports. There is no denying, the fact
that it's location at that point, south of
the dangerous n dreaded Cape Hat
teras. which must be rounded by Ves-
vessels putting into Hampton Roads
for coal before starting across the
Atlantic with cargoes of cotton from
New Orleans and Galveston, would
be q great thing for the shipping, but
would incidentally take away consid-
cradle of the bunkering business Of
this port.
The Seaboard Air Line is already
preparing to handle business from the
South and Western railway. which is
expected to be completed in about a
year from Elkhorn City, KY, to a con-
%nection with the Seaboard in the wes-
tern part of North Carolina.
President ". a. Garrett, of the Sea-
board, according to a report from
Charlotte. n. c., said while in that
city that the company would make
Wilmington, \. c. the seaport termi-
nal for the coal and other freight re-
cived by the SeabOard from the South
and Western. and that it did not ex-
| pect to build a line from Wilmington
to Southport. n. c., and make the ter
minal there. The Seaboard is now
making extensive improvements at
Wilmington, and it will also provide
ample yards and other facilities at
the point OF connection. which, it
seems. has not been definitely deter
mined. at least for announcement by
the railroad company, out it is sup
posed it will be somewhere between
Mt. Holly and Shelby, \. c.
Some time g the Seaboard Air
Line purchased additional land on
the water front at Wilmington indi-
eating an intention TO expand its ter
minale there and rot to go to South
port. which it vas expected and ru-
mored would bf The terminal on the
Atlantic for the South and, Western
business. The Seaboard. is also improV-
ing its old line between Hanle and
Wilmington, y. C. putting it in shap
to handle heavy traffic when the time
shall arrive for doing so.