New-York tribune., 1909-03-26
ROGERS TO OPEN ROAD
FIRST TRAIN APRIL 8 ON
VIRGINIAN RAILWAY.
Standard Oil Man, rith Friends and
Officials, to Celebrate Its Ar-
riUaI at SevaLPS Point.

The official opening of the Virginian Railway
Of which H H Rogers is president and prac-
tically sole owner, will take place on April g.
when the first trainload Of coal to be brought
from the beginning point Of the road, at Deep
water W. Va, will arrive at the terminal a'
Sewalrs Point. near Norfolk Va
The arrival of this cargo of coal will be wit
messed by Mr.. Rogers, who will then oft1claliy
declare the road open for traffic. With him will
be a party Of his friends and officials of the
road made up of the following: H. H. Rogers.
jr Samuel L. Clemens, franklin O. Brown,
George H. Church, Urban H. Broughton. e. h.
IIyams, James NJ. Beck Ralph Ashcroft, Melville
E. Stone, Raymond Du Puy William r. Coe and
William z. Benjamin. This party VIII leaVe
New York April on one of the boats or the
Old Dominion Line for Norfolk, arriving there
April 2. The next day they will go to Sewalls S
Point to witness the opening of the road. and in
the evening will attendaa dinner at the Hotel
Monticello, given in their honor by the citizens
of Norfolk
Among the guests in addition to Mr.. Rogers
and his party will be Governor Swanson of Vir-
gnia, United States Senators John w. Daniel
and Thomas S. Martin and the members Of
Congress from Virginia and the presidents Of
all the transportation lines entering Norfolk
Speeches will be made by Mark Twain" Gov
ernor Swanson James NJ. Beck. Melville E.
Stone and others.
The following day the party will begin trip
of inspection the road, stopping at con-
venient points the way to spend the night
One of these stopping places will be Roanoke
Va where there will be another dinner 1t is
expected that they will return to New York about
April :.
The Virginian Railway was organized in April
1907, as a consolidation of the Deepwater Rail
irI had
been under construction for several years from
Deepwater. W. Va, on the Kanawha River, to
Seualrs Point, Va The road which has re-
Gently been completed is 443 miles in length
and traverses a rich bituminous coal territory
in West Virginia from which its chief traffic is
expected to be derived. The road has been
constructed with such low grades and such
heavy bridges that trains hauling four thousand
tons Of coal can be run over it with entire safe
ty, It's officials say
The cost Of the road has been approximately
$4,000 900. about half OF which has been put UP
by Mr Rogers personally. The first public
financing done by the road was in February,
1907 when It was more than half completed
The Tidewater Railway then sold S1O,OOO.o0o &
per cent notes There was no further appeal 70
the public for funds until May 1908 when the
company offered for sale s17.OoO.oo0 ive-year
notes we're devoted to retiring the former $40
100000 note Issue and TO completing the con-
struction OF the line. The only public financing
tho road has done since then has been the sale
Of ss.750,ooO per cent equipment trust notes in
the latter part OF 1905
The company has spent S2.oooooo in the con-
struction Of steel superstructure rendered
pier at Its terminal at SewalTs Point The pier
is 600 feet long. so feet wide and 65 feet high
and will be able to accommodate colers with a
carrying capacity Of ten thousand tons each OF
which the company will have fleet of ten or
twelve The company recently placed an order
for fifteen hundred all steel fifty-ton coal cars
10 cost about s15OO000.
The authorized capital stock of the Nirginian
Railway is $36 100000 and the authorized funded
debt S38.5 600 first mortgage rer cent fifty
year gold bonds All these bonds are pledged
under the S17.OOO,O0o note issue Most of the
= stocl is held nv Mr. Rogers.