Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-03-26
TO COAST
PROJECTED RAILROAD WILL BE
BUILT TERMINATING AT NOR
FOLK, IT is SAID.

Roanoke, Va. March s6.-From
coast to coast. by way of Roanoke.
a railroad system. said to be backed
by French syndicate worth mill
lions. will be built as soon as the OF
erations can be started, according TO
a well founded report received here.
and will terminate ON the Atlantic
seaboard at Norfolk.
The road. in embryo. has been in
corPorated as the Cairo and Norfolk
Railroad company. The articles of
incorporation have been filed in the
office of the secretary OF state OF
KeIstucky.
The new read will certainly pass
through Bristol. and the nature OF
the Virginia territory through which
II win have TO be built would APP
parently make Il necessary for the
line to come by way OF Roanoke. II
is stated that few years ago, the
Norfolk and Western made some
preliminary surveys west OF Bris-
toll, but this route lay rather to the
northwest OF that city, while the
proposed route of the new line will
80 directly through the state OF
Kentucky 1t would not be diff
cult matter for such road TO Sc
cure an easy right OF way from here
to the sea. 1t could by going TO
I Nrfnf 4, lttf. a l.,
on the bank opposite to the James
River division OF the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad. or t could make
use OF the bank OF the Roanoke riv-
er which is not used by the Tidewa-
ter. or It could go directly through
the country. just as the Norfolk and
Western does.
The Kentucky section of the rail
road, when completed will extend
from Fort Jefferson, in Ballard
county. which is on the Mississippi
river, to Bristol. Va. which is near
the junction OF the Virginia Georgia
Kentucky-Tennessee line.
When completed it will give the
richest oil, coal and timber district
in America. a direct outlet to the
Mississippi river, reducing the dis
lance that these supplies now have
TO go to reach the Mississippi fully
1000 mile. The highest indebted
ness that can be incurred in the
construction of this road IS $12,-
land ufh 10
pleted 1t will be worth many mil
lions more. The road Will pass
through several counties in the state
that are now not touched by rail.
roads, and will. therefore. devotion
and open up an entirely new terri
tory.
FRENCH SYNDICATE.
1t is said in financial circles in
New York that a syndicate has been
formed in Paris TO build this road
and the capital needed will be sup
piled by French investors. 1t is de-
clared 10 be the purpose of the in
terests involved to build trans.
continental road from Norfolk, va.
on the Anantic TO some point on
the Pacific in the vicinity OF San
Francisco, and it is apparently the
first link in this great system for
which a charter has been secured.
Tho line as at present projected Is
expected to pass through Virginia
Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas. CoIora-
do. Utah, Nevada and California.
through a region especially east OF
the Ohio river, which now has mad
equate rail facilities.
Cairo, H.. the point now named
as the western terminus OF the new
line. is at the junction Of the Missis-
siDpi with the Ohio river 1t is on
the 9th parallel. directly west Of
Norfolk and transcontinentaI line.
If an air line, from Norfolk to Mon.
terey Bay. Cal. a short distance
south Of San Francisco, must PASS
through Cairo
Cairo is practically midway be-
tween Chicago and New Orleans
about 500 miles distant from each
Of those cities. The city. which. like
Norfolk occupies a commanding no.
sition geographically. has been long
delayed in DEVELOPMENT becauso A.