The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-12-02
RAILROADS SERVING THE STATE
/. IN A LEFT-HANDED MAJ I'D
Powerful Agent That is to Considerable Degree Defeating
It's Own Purposes s-Bg Roads Utilized For EXTRACT
ing From North Carolina Means For Upbuildng
New York.

arc dolng 1t by sweating blood and
some OF the blood is sweat from Other
fellows at that.
Moreover the railroads have a lot
OF sweating yet ahead Of them, for
the South is going a long way before
it stops, and the railroads have to
be in shape to take care of the in
creasing growth and they have to
earn, beg, borrow, Or hornswaggle
the money from some source to do
the extension and expansion.
In doing all this they will proba-
Dry trample some more toes yet,
which is sin, of course, and for it
they will be damned as they have
been in the past, as they deserved and
will deserve.
Also let that pass, for it is only in
cidental to our tale.
Railroads Run Away From State.
North Carolina has five railroads
| that are of considerable magnitude,
and they all lead from the State to
big roads Of this State. The South
ern, the Seaboard and the Coast
Line go to Richmond on their own
tracks, and by partnership arrange
rnent they all get to Washington, and
there have running arrangements to
New York and intermediate ports.
But Wilmington is the only North
/
big lines and neither Of these runs
a main trunk into Wilmington. Not
a single fast through train ever en-
ters Wilmington. North Carolina
railroads run away from the State,
and carry the business Of the State
to ports Of other States instead Of
serving this State as railroads should.
North Carolina has coast line ex-
lceeding in extent that Of any other
eastern State except Florida. North
ICarOlina does not have a through ex-
press train running to port Of her
coast line. The chief seaport OF
North Carolina, is Norfolk. It is
hard to tell what is the next one in
importance, whether New York, Sa-
vannah, or New Bern. Not another
State in the Union, unless it may be
Delaware with it's few miles Of front
age on the ocean and no port, has SO
little actual relation to it's water
transportation opportunities as North
Carolina.
1t has become proverbial that al
roads lead to Rome. The principle
Ii is correct. But in this country al
roads lead to New York. Some Of
, them from the West lead to Chicago
on the way to New York, but the
r extension from Chicago is TO New
go anywhere and finds that it is no
heading for New York, alters it:
: course at some point to put New
l York in it's range of vision.
3 So the Coast Line comes up ou
E Of the South, picks up North Caroline
e business, and whizzes it away TOWARD
4 New York. The Seaboard gather
traffic from Florida and Alabama
c and whips along through NORTH
e Carolina smiling as it goes by, ant
: hurries toward New York. Th
n Southern cOnverges traffic from al
s over the Gulf country and grind
: away for New York.
e They all have short cut, not il
miles, but in freight cost, by goln
through Norfolk, where they ca
: turn heavy business over to the sea
i but it is done at Norfolk, not at
6 North Carolina port.
e The Handling of Apples.
h In northern New York is ia
e NOUS apple country. The Lake on
o tario fruit belt is known the wori
y over, and apples come from these t
a North Carolina, and they go fror
Lake Ontario to Great Britain an
It Continental Europe. Railroads com
le south from New York and they carr
apples into North Carolina. Rall
l. and they carry apples to New 1Ori
} But the roads that come South brln
l. apples to Eastern North Carolina an
Ig the roads that go north carry apple
IT from Western North Carolina tn
If place where apples are made OF IN
n highest perfection in size, quality an
% appearance.
d It is singular that if you want I
~ buy an apple in Fayetteville. whic
d is hundred miles from one OF tn
in best apple belts in the world, yo
It. buy an apple that is hauled DO"
D. here from Torlpkins county. Ne
" York. which is six hundred mile