Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-01-30
GREAT COAL LINE
is COMPLETED
First Train Passes Over yirginian
Road This Week.
NEW RAILROAD TAPS
THE VAST COAL FIELDS

River 5rdge--Terminais are in
West Virginia and Norfolk.
Charleston, W. Va, Jan. 25.-One
day this week 1t is expected the first
through train over the virginian Rail
way from Deepwater, w. Va. to Nor
folk, va, will be run. This train will
be the signal that the great coal line
connecting tidewater with vast I'M
developed coal properties in West yir-
ginia has been completed and is
ready. for service.
New river bridge has been COM
pleted, and the first train passed over
1t Saturday. This train carried Gen
eral Manager Raymond Dupuy, the
nan who directed the great work of
constructing the railroad for Henry
II. Rogers, the Standard Oil magnate
Chief Engineer Fernstrom was also
aboard, ana tnse two officials saw the
last spike driven at the New river
bridge, in Giles county
Through Wild Country.
A familiarity with the wild and I'M
broken country the Deepwater (as it
is generally 9nowu) traverses is nee
essary to realize the wonderful feats
ACCOMPLISHED by the engineers, who,
in their survey, paid but slight at
tention to such ordinary Instructions
rs mountains ami treacherous streams
bit worked with the single purpose
of sending the road to the coast III
the most direct lire. To save a few
miles, great mountains were tunneIed
at a stupcndous cost, and for the
same reason great steel bridges were
flung across streams that cross the
general directions. The one idea APP
peared to get to the coast in the
quickest and shortest way.
The road leaves the Kanawha liver
at Deepwater, about three miles
north OF Kanawha Falls, AID runs up
Little Loop creek into FNayette county,
Leaving Loop creek, it crosses to-
Paint creek. and from Paint creek
goes through into Raleigh county.
Crosses Jennys Gap.
In Raleigh the road crosses the
headwaters of March fork OF the Coal
river, through Jennys Gap, break
in the Guyan mountains. At TINS point
II strikes the headwaters of the Slab
fork of the G'uyan river, anu follows
the Slab fork to Mullins; crossing it
here and following the southwest
bank about two miles to tire moutrl
of Bankers creek. It follows BarkerSI
creek to the head and here, through
long tunnels and over great steel
bridges, passes through the Flat TopI
mountains and their foot hills.
At I.atoka, beyond the Fiat Tops, itI
hits the Bluestune river, Following 1t
TO Princeton, in Mercer coTinty. Just
beyond Princeton it leaves the state
and enters Virginia, passing over Fne
mouth of East river. over one of the
biggest concrete bridges i'm the world,
and one of the most wonderful, ana
thence directly to Sewells Point.
This is the main line, which qrom-
ises ultimately to become the most
important section in a great trunk
line from the Great Lakes to the At
lantic.
In railroad circles at this time 1t is
generally believed that the Virginian
will take over the Kanawha and Mich
igan. thus forming the much talked
OF lakes to the coast trunk line. The
yirginian will connect with the Kama
wha and Michigan at Deepwater, and
would open the direct line from the
seashore by way of Charleston, Corn
Jig. Ohio. direct to Toledo, on lake
Erie. and Chicago. This would be one
of the greteast trunk lines in the
! United States.
COURT ADJOURNS.