The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-13


Grated with very high economies he
| would be able to find a great traffic,
principally coal, for this railroad.
A great deal of doubt was express
ed, not only here, but in Virginia, as
| to the commercial practicability of
! this proposition. Mr.. Rogers himself
| never doubted that this road would
Justify, after a few years, his fondest
/ expectations. BY it's completion and
| operation he expected to identify him
| self personally and exclusively with a
j very great American transportation
| industry.
Mr.. FIagIer's Plan.
Mr.. Flagler, with the moral CO
| operation of the state of Florida, and
| by a process of mental evolution or
growth at last worked out the plan
| which We now see in its perfected
form as a continuous coast line along
| the Florida peninsula, and by a mi
racIe of modern engineering construc-
| ton over the keys which lie off the
mainland of southern Florida to
/ terminal at Key West. Mr.. Flagler
must have had in mind the strategic
| Importance both commercially and
politically, of Key West after the Pan
anna canal was built He is one of
| the powerful business forces of the
| United States who never doubted that
a canal would cut the Panama 18TH
mus sponsored and built by the Unit
ed States Mr.. Flagler also had his
eye upon Cuba, reckoning that with
adequate railway development there
and with a short railway ferry from
Key West to Havana, Cuba, would full
fill the most eXtravagant predictions
so far as her commerce with the
United States was concerned. Sup
plementing the Flagler main line is a
railroad which he is now constructing
along what is called the backbone of
the Florida peninsula and 1t was
largely due to his encouragement that
the canalizing of southern Florida was
undertaken whereby an artificial wat
erway may be esta blished between the
east coast and the west coast OF FIorl-
da, utilizing the great interior lake
and incidentally leading to the re
cIamation of millions of acres of land
as rich in productive qualities as is
the valley of the Nile
Both Triumphant.
Both Mr.. FlagIer and Mr.. Rodgers
were permitted to participate in the
ceremonials by which formal compile
ton of these two railroads was ceIe-
brated Mr.. Rogers, however, d1d not
long survive the completion of his
Underwater railroad. He lived just
long enough after the road was COM
Dleted to experience the triumphant
sense of pride in the contamination OF
a great ambition.
Mr.. FIagler took part last winter in
the celebration to commemorate the OPP
ening of his line to Key West and he
is STILL although 81 years OF age ana
seeing almost wholly Win llAS eyes "a
others realizing what is progressing
through his stilI-keen sense of hearing:
actively engaged in work supplement
ing this exclusive individual railroad
promotion.
there remained with the completion of
his Tidewater railroad some very inn
portant financing still to be done. AT
ter his death the inventory of his es-
tate showed that much the greater part
of his Individual fortune had been con-
centrated in the construction and equip
ment of that railroad. The first cost
was very heavy, because the engineers
were instructed to build the road with
the smallest possible grade and with the
longest possible tangents. The equip
ment was also very expensive, since it
was Mr.. Rogers purpose to operate
trains with powerful locomotives, the
whole possibly being more than a half
mile in length. This was a part of his
principle of economy.
Mr.. FIagler has recently brought into
association with himself certain bank
ing interests. although he has beer
careful in doing that not to involve
in any way his own absolute, practI-t
calIy exclusive control of this Florida
railroad property.
After the death of Mr.. Rogers there
were many conjectures respecting the
future of the railroad with which his
name will always be identified. Pre-
yailing feeling at one time was that
it was likely to pass into the owner
ship of some one of the great trunk
lines which cross the state of Vir-
GINA, or, possibly, into the ownership
of the great southern line of which
the northern terminal is at Norfolk
There seemed at that time to be nc
highly accomplished, coura geous and
farseeing financier who would be able
or willing to take hold of the propert,
and so finance it's needs that the orisi-
nal plans of Mr.. Rogers, which in
cluded the keeping of this road as ar
Independent railroad property, would De
maintained The road cost in cash
about 80 million dollars. 1t was sale
at the time of Mr.. Rogers death that
he had invested 40 millions of his own
money in the property. The estimate
now is that in the year 1914 this road
will transport about million tons OF
coal and the annual gross earnings. at
the time of the latest report, were
nearly million dollars. These figures
alone are regarded as justifying the
courage and business craftsmanship
with which Mr.. Rogers undertook this
original work The fact that such
great banking interests, for instance,
as that identified by the name of Lee,
Higginson & Co, of Boston, or Drexel
&, Co, of Philadelphia. or the National
City bank of New York. are partici
pating in the new financing of this
railroad, of itself demonstrates the
very high credit which the property has
obtained.
This financing has been practically
completed. Within another week, pos
sibly. certainly within a very short
time. the fnanciers will have disposed
of the entire % million dollar loan
which the company has recently issued
The success with which this loan ha;
been financed of itself serves as a
tribute to the intellectual power and
business craftsmanship characteristic
of Henry H Rogers when he single
handed, alone undertook to build o
railroad nearly 500 miles in length from
West Virginia to the sea. The chapter
one of the most infara and in