The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-12-23
81, ,ADEN RAILROAD CAM
PAIGN.

Growing Interesting g-The Light
ming Express from Lum-
berton Causing Merriment-
The Situation.
Written for The Robesonian.
The railroad campaign in Bla-
den is growing more INTEREST,"
every dav. Developments crowd
thick and fast upon each other,
and two of the more recent OF
these are not without their
humorous side to one who stands
quietly by and watches the melee.
The story of these could be told
in this wise:
Mr.. S. P. McNair of Whining
ton, took a decided stand against
the bond issue when the question
came up last May. In the last
few days he has circulated a
long letter to the voters stating
that the present election is called
under the charter of the Y. & G.
S. r. r. Co., and practically ad-
mits that there were some very
redeeming features about the old
act under which the former elec-
ton was held. No sooner had
this letter begun to arrive on the
scene of action than an examina-
ton of the record of proceedings
before the commissioners dis
closed the fact that the election
for Jan. 18th is called under the
identically same act as before and
that the terms and conditions are
the same Just as everybody un-
derstood and expected, except
Mr.. McNair.
But the thing that is causing
more merriment than anything
else is the lightning express
from Lumberton. This peculiar
section of Bladen has thought of
a railroad and longed for a rail-
road while the ages have rolled
quietly away, but the people
never dreamed that the first on.
slaught of actual construction
would dart down upon them like
a thunder bolt from a Gear sky.
From the Lumberton correspon.
dence of Dec. 16 to The Morning
Star it was evident that things
would move up at lively clip
But that correspondence far un-
derestimated the activities of the
corps of engineers who were tt
have headquarters at Dublin anC
work both ways at the same time
Headquarters at Dublin? Head
quarters be blubbered! Wha
does perpetual motion want with
headquarters? Leaving Lum
berton Friday ymorning this bunch
of locomotion reached Elizabeth
town by nightfall, where the.
snatched a few hours of trouble'
sleep. Saturday they hastily at
a few morsels of food and dashe,
back upon the line to catch u
the slack; surveyed into Eliza
BEETHOVEN, and vanished, leaving
nothing better than a few crook
ed stakes to console a gapin!
populace. Certain it is that
this bunch of Seaboard Air Lin
engineers had turned their atten
ton to the North Pole a year ag
neither Cook or Peary woul'
have even been heard of in thi
connection. twenty-five mile
in a day and a half looks lik
fast surveying or a right BIZ
bluff.
One of the things for whic
the people of Bladen are nov
striving is to get into close touc
with such progressive towns a
Lumberton and Fayetteville. |
the Virginia q Carolina South
ern is extended into Bladens i
will pass through three .towr
ships, a distance of about twent
miles. 1t would give more {
the Bladen people an outlet I
Lurnberton, and would certainl
give them as direct an outlet, {
a road from Elizaoetntown cross
ing the Big Swamp above Smith
~ bridge, running back to Bellam
and thence to Lumherton. Thel
is another thing about it: the az
yantages of town are estimate
IS mucn by the kind of railroad
hat it has as by the numbe
Inc '. & G. S. r. R. is alread
an established, paying road, ar
II it is allowed to carry the 81
den business into Lumberton
will, with this new asset, SOC
bscOme a commercial factor upC
which the people can look wi,
acknowledgement tramlne.