The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-09-11
THE CLINCHFIELD ROAD.
How the Directors Back Their Judg-
ment With Their Money.

The Carolina, Clinchfeld & Ohio
Railroad, operating 240 miles of line
from Dante, Va, to Spartanburg, S.
c., is a millionaires' costly toy, al
though not an expensive one.
It has the distinction OF being a
toy railroad model on which the
theories of a group of well-known
New York millionaires can be worked
out and demonstrated very much as
problems are studied on the ordinary
demonstration farm 1t is equally i'm
portant that most of these theories
have been found correct and are
working out satisfactorily in practice.
For instance having the money and
plenty of it, they proceeded on the
theory that if no expense was spared
in introducing every modern improve
ment as to roadbed, grades, equip
ment, etc., the ultimate return would
justify the original cost.
They built the road over and
through part of the Appalachian
range in order to reach the Cumber-
land coal field, but tunnels, fills and
cuts have produced a road with a
maximum gradient of 1 per cent, and
modern equipment and power per-
mits of 100 50-ton car train move
ment at the smallest cost for train
movement in the United States. The
management knows exactly to the
cent how much it cost to build the
railroad and when the Government
physical valuation experts arrive they
will find figures at their hands which
they cannot dispute.
They know exactly how much rev.
enue each coal train will produce and
to the cent almost how much it will
cost to move it before it is started on
it's way. 1t is a simple problem in
arithmetic. Each train contains
5000 tons of coal and the rate from
the mines to Spartanburg is fixed. 1t
is approximately 81 ton. That
means $4,000 revenue for each train.
Two trains day means $4,000
daily to over S3,000,000 gross year.
Three trains a day means half
again as much and four will double
the income. 1t all depends upon the
productive capacity of the mines
which is being increased as rapidly
as practicable Merchandise and
passenger traffic is incidental and
represents so much additional in
come. Everything about the road is
tongued and grooved and fits perfect
ly. There are no loose ends. In the lis
cal year ended June 80, last, it cost
the company 17.5 per cent of gross
to move its traffic. Its total opera
ting ratio was 42.3 per cent Of gross.
Any one Of the Joint owners Of
this property is expected 10 advance
theories pertaining 10 this road or
its affairs provided he is willing %
back them with his cash. i, foH
instance. he thinks q certain indus
t:y would thrive in particular To-
cation he is expected JC-st2Et one 10
s@e how it would turn out. II this
way cement plant VAS started and
proved so successful that capacity has
recently been doubled. It IS turning
out % carloads of cement day and
90 PEI cent profit into its sponsors
,0ci:et. \ brick plant was another
theory started ana since demonstra-
ted 20 be a money-making PROPOSE
tion. Somebody owns a hotel and is
proving that the top OF the mountain
range which the Clinchfield pene-
trates is a popular health resort. A
few of them were convinced that the
country contiguous to the road could
DS W q iiAoAA @oS
marketable apple and proved it by
doing so on thousands of acres pur-
chased for the purpose. Tens of
thousands of apple trees are now be-
ing planted along the railroads right
of way.
Another director recently advanc-
ed the theory that this country was
good one for raising beef cattle and
has just closed the purchase of 1900
acres of land on which he proposes
to prove it. Somebody else believes
available natural deposits would per-
nit of successful operation of fer
tilizer plant. 1t is now in course of
construction.-Wall Street Journal.
Think Boys We're Murdered.