Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-01-19
NO DIVIDEND FROM
VALLEY RAILROAD
The Southern or Chesapeake and
Ohio May Control
WOULD BE BETTER FOR VALLEY
Might Mean Southern Extension of
Valley Road

The Baltimore Sun of few days
ago published the following article,
which is of interest to our readers:
A municipal official who has fol-
lowed closely the city's interest in
the Valley Railroad of Virginia said
yesterday:
Recent developments in the VAL
ley Railroad situation, in which the
city of Baltimore is a stockholder to
the amount of 81, 600, 600, reveal the
failure of special efforts made by a
committee representing the ship
ping interests or the city and ap-
pointed by the Mayor to deal with
the question of aiding the Balti-
more and Ohio and the Southern
Railroad companies to come to some
amicable agreement by which the
unsatisfactory conditions CON-
planned of by the Valley merchants
might be remedied, these conditions
being regarded as initiating
against Baltimore as a mc-ket for
the Valley people.
The negotiations between the
two roads, which have been going
on for several months, having re-
suited in failure to come to terms,
it clearly becomes the duty of the
city to resort to other means of pro-
tecting its interests. In the op.n-
ion of persons who have followed
the trend of incidents bearing on
the subject for the past Is or 20
years there exists at this time a
completely of interests which might
be taken advantage of by the city in
disposin2 Of it's holdings in the Val
ley Railroad at reasonable figure.
Continuation of Southern
The road between Harrisonburg
and Lexington known as the Valley
Railroad, is in the line of a direct
continuation of the Mannassa Gap
branch Of the Southern, whose
southern terminus is Harrisonburg.
1t is reasonable to presume that if
owned by the Southern the expense
of operating would be much less
than is the case with the bottled-up
condition in which the Baltimore
and Ohio finds itself at present.
The distance from Washington to
Lexington, Va, being something
like 22O miles, good regular run
of about eight hours would be pro-
vided.
The Southern road being in the
Valley, and from all indications,
meaning to stay, the property of
the Valley Railroad cannot fail to be
of value to it. 1t is only fair to sup
pose that if the stock could be &C.
quired at a reasonable price the
Southern might be considered as q
possible purchaser.
Then there is the Chesapeake
and Ohio road crossing the Valley
Railroad Staunton, 26 miles south
of Harrisonburg, which might want
the Valley Railroad. if for no other
reason than for the purpose of pre-
venting the Southern from getting
into Staunton. So far as passenger
traffic is concei ned, the Valley Rail-
road may be regarded as being
feeder to the Chesapeake and Ohio.
west and east. In the event of the
Southern getting through to Lex
ington and putting in force a
through express service from that
city to Washington the equal of that
now given by the Chesapeake and
Ohio line, some of the travel from
StauntOn and points south and west
would undoubtedly be diverted from
the latter road.
No Dividend in 80 Years
Since its construction, more than
30 years ago, the Valley Railroad of
Virginia has failed to yield a divi-
dend on its capital stock. Through |
service from Baltimore by way of
Harper's Ferry to Lexington was in
force from the time of completion of |
the Valley road until 1895, at which |
time the receivers of the Baltimore
and Ohio gave up the 99-year lease
held by them on the so miles OF road |