The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1909-11-04
THOS. F. RYAN IS BACKER
Opens Unlimited Wealth of Coal
and Timber Through Pic
turesque Region

The Carolina, Clichfield and Ohio
railroad, the completion of which from
Dante, Va, to Spartanburg, s. g., was
observed by celebration in Spartan
burg last Friday, and is in many re-
spects one of the most remarkable rail
roads in the United States. Though
only a little more than 200 miles in
length, il has cost nearly as much as
an ordinary railroad a thousand miles
long. 1t is being built by asyndicate,
headed by Thomas f. Ryan, of New
York, and its construction is expected
to in a measure solve the fuel problem
of the south.
The cost of the road thus far is said
to have exceeded S30,000,0OO. Its con-
struction was begun only few years
ago, while it now extends through
Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee
and Western North Carolina, to the
city of Spartanburg, S. c., its objective
point being the South Atlantic sea-
board, 1t is also being built rapidly
toward Elkhorn City, KY, and will
soon be completed to that point.
The new Ryan road taps the famous
Clinchfeld coal district of Virginia
and extends back into the Eastern
Kentucky fields. The Clinchfield dis
trict, yet untouched, is believed to be
one of the richest coal fields in the
world. Competent geologists estimate
that it will yield a thousand car loads
Of coal day for thousand years. This
affords some idea of the almost COM
plete ineXhaustibility of the coal re-
sources Of America, as this field alone
contains something like 300, 600, 900 cars
of bituminous coal. All this body un-
derlies tract of 100000 acres of land,
owned by the Clinchteld Coal Corpo-
ration, and which is the nucleus of its
possessions. 1t is an allied corporation
Of the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio
railroad, both of which are subsidiaries
of the Cumberland Corporation of New
York.
The Clinchfield is built through what
is admittedly the toughest mountain
country east of the Rockies, and the
idea of a railroad penetrating this
mountain wilderness had been hooted
at until Geo. l.. Carter, president of the
road, took it up. Mr.. Garter is now
fast taking rank with the great rail-
road builders of the country. Like Jas.
j. Hill, of the Great Northern, he be-
gan his career with nerve and foresight
as his greatest assets, and like Henry
M. Flagler, of the Florida East Coast,
he has dared the impossible and by
sheer dint of dollars and skill has over
come it.
From an engineering standpoint, the
! Carolina, Clinchtleld and Ohio railroad
| is most remarkable. The marvel of II
is that it has been carried over and
through the Blue Ridge, rising from
less than l, 800 to more than 1900 feet
above the sea level, within a few miles,
all the time maintaining maximum
grade of only one-half of one per cent,
/ with such a reduction of curvature that
single engine can pull train of sixty
heavily loaded freight cars.
The new railroad traverses one of the
most picturesque mountain sections OF
the east. Along the line from Altapas,
n. c., to Marion, n. c., is one continu.
GUS panorama of scenery that blends
the beautiful to degree found nowhere
else in the world, From Johnson City
the line penetrates beautiful valley,
dotted with white farm houses and
flanked by forest-covered mountains
From Unaka Springs the road passes
for eight miles through the gorge of the
Nolachucky river, and, after following
this stream for forty miles, reaches the
summit of the Blue Ridge at Altapass
at an elevation Of nearly 1900 feet. Af
Ter passing through the summit tunne
the wonderful loop development down
the south side Of the Blue Ridge affords
view Of one of Che finest pieces of rail
road engineering construction in thu
country. This slope is SO steep that il
order to maintain the arbitrary low
grade and overcome, in a distance o
four miles, vertical height of nearly
l,S0e feet, it has been necessary to win(
the road for distance of twenty milei
around through the ridges extending
out from the main Blue Ridge,
To build this road required nerve anC
millions, coupled with the highest or
!. der of ability. George L. Carter, VIII,
conceived the scheme, had himsel
amaSsed large fortune in coal proper
ty and mineral operations, bought tn
old "Three c., "a bankrupt and almos