The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-08-05
cry, and practically unlimited natural

y
resources.
Such IL the national Importance
of this new and singularly adequate
highway Of commerce that Its COM
pletion should be the occasion Of as
sembling at the ceremony of driving
the last spike the President Of the
United States and the governorstand
delegates from the States Of Florida.
Georgia. North and South Carolina.
Tennessee. Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio.
Pennsylvania. New York. Indiana, H.
linois end Michigan. the people of all
of which will be chiefly served ad
benefited by this new trunk line.
Will Serve Millions.
ut is doubtful whether there is
any single line of transportation In
the land that will serve so large an
area and SO many millions of people.
| The wonder Is, and always will be,
that its compleNn was delayed SO
long. The undeveloped resources
I along the line are gigantic. First
In importance as thef Elkhorn. a big
coal field. held by many to be the
largest and the most valuable field of
coking coal in the world 1t Is be-
lieved by competent judges Of coal
value that this fieln will produce ST.
! 000.o 100000 Of wealth. Edward J.
Berwind and Clarence Watson. the
coal kings of America, have. with
| their usual keenness of financial
foresight, secured choice parts of this
Eldorado r. j. Mitchell, the Nestor
and greatest OF the Connellsville
coke operators. has secured foot
hold In the field, in connection with
with the Big Sandy Company. a con
Germ with headquarters in Boston.
whose alert and progressive presi-
dent. Charles K, HELLER, after care
full personal examination OF the Elk
I horn field. became convinced of its
enormous value as a cokipg PROPOSE
ton. and has held to his knowledge
with an intense and unfailing tenacity
that finally conquered the doubts Of
all and enabled him TO secure the
building of the first section of the
new trunk line, to wit. the Big Sandy
division OF the Chesa peake and Ohio
railway. The Big Sandy Company
has always been managed with
shrewdness and ability. 1t has avail
ed itself OF the best experts to De
| had. and 1t IL to be presumed that
1t will make full use OF the oppor-
tunity IL has created and with large
( development with the result OF Its
foresight and hard pioneering wor<
The Chesa peake and Ohio Hallway
+ Company will soon find IL necessary
I TO doubIe-track the Big SANDY diVl-
sion. which Will be the busiest part
Of it's system Messrs Blair and
! Company Of New York, add theE
associates. Thomas F. Ryan. Norman
/ b. Ream. T. jefferson Coolidge and
+ others, will have the very great salts
4 faction of not only seeing their In
/ vestInent in the clinchfield return
/ substantial profits but the even
greater satisfaction OF having fur
! ntahed To their "oantrg one Of the
/ greatest arteries Of commerce through
which the very life blood of the ma
! ton viii flow in ever-increasing
volume Many of the men who de
voted their time and fortune TO fore
/ ing a line Of railroad through what
/ has been heretofore one Of the
toughest and most inaccessible parts
OF the United States have passed away
without seeing their hopes and
dreams realized quarter OF cen
/ fury ago the Manufacturers Record
I told ~ the great wealth nf this Elk
! horn section. and some Of its readers
may recall several graphic letters
! about the projected Three Cs" Rail-
road from Charleston to Cincinnati
and Chicago which were written by
/ a correspondent. with General John
! r Winder the protector of that line.
[ 70 years age.
Description of the Line.
The Carolina, Clinch3eid Ohio
Railway, that Is now the realization,
at least in ap-t of the hopes and aims
/ of those who projected the Three
/ Cs." extends e42 miles from Dante,
I Va. 70 Spartanburg, :, c. II includes
about SIS miles Of the old original route,
/ operated and known as the Ohio River
& Charleston Railroad. and afterwards
{ T.
sides considerable Of once abandoned
roaabed II was while known as the
South x Western tina; the constitute
ton over the big mountains was be-
I gun. and the later and present name
Of the road was not adopted for some
/ time, or until after Ii became appar~
I ent II II the road would have north
and west connection, making IL a
( trunk line instead Of being only Ia
carry coal south from the Ciinchfeld
; region and distribute 81. The builds;
7 ers spared neither money. time moi
labor tn obtain r. grade q 70 feet
| per mile over the mountains, ana the
/ heavy trains which the Clinchfield $
engines can haul easr ana south are
1 testimony TO the painstakine liber-
ality OF the men who built the great
rtatf Ftfs fts~fs d great lfrre III een-
ception execution and operation. and
! aIth Arh It's advantages and benefits
/ are = Yet only partially available
heca - it's northern extension Is Yet
/ to be finished. its future magnitude
! is plainly apparent. and to none more
So than those who would secure its
| control.
While it has long been foreseen that
4 the Clinchfield and the Chesapeake a.
/ Ohio woulo be connected Via Elk
/ horn. with possibly closer relations
i than those possible under traffic
agreement, the great advantage Of the
4.t,linchfieid TO the Seaboard AirL -
was seemingly overlooked by the pub
+ lie, Notwithstanding that ffnanciers in
/ the one were also interested in the
I other The Seaboard. ii must be re-
\ membered would be vitality interested
I in control OF the Clinchfieid. be-
{ cause il would afford direct access
to an inexhaustible supply of coal,
the Seaboard being wrtnout any coal
mines on its own lines excepting in
Alabama, and II long ago began pur-
chasing the Clinchiseld coal, which for
/ some time had to traverse other rail-
roads 10 get to the Sesboards coal
L chutes. 1t would be splendid stroke
1 for the Seaboard to have such vast
4 coal mines upon practically its own
sytem. and this was doubtless fore
seen by the men who were willing to
spend sac, 1000. 200 to 100000 600 To b lid
road less than 400 miles long.
/ investigating Cost.
| The latest reports about the pro
gress of the deal say that negotia-
lions are being continued. but tina,
the cots of constructing the extension