The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-08-26

coal road from the West Virginia
fields excepting the Virginian, which
has a low grade most Of h way, a
water grade on a large proportion Of
the line, and IN underlying design
adapting it for coal carrying.
A government estimate puts the
tonnage Of the vessels available for
Panama at ten million tons. Men who
deal in figures estimate that to carry
a cargo q thousand miles in these
vessels will take a ton Of Goa for the
ton of cargo. 1t is hard to conceive
Of an average Of less than W thou
sand miles to the voyage OF the ships
that pass Panama, which would give
q basis of twenty million tons OF Goa
Tha may be big or it may be little.
But call it twenty millions as a basis
from which to figure. The Pennsy1-
vania railroad or the Buffalo, Roches-
ter & Pittsburg road will haul fifty
cars Of a hundred tons each in one
Virginia or North Carolina could haul
more than thirty loads OF twenty or
thirty ton Say thirty loads of thirty
ton for the sake of getting round
numbers and allow a little for the
multiplication and call trainload a
thousand tons. There is q job Of
moving seventy loaded trains east
VAN LIN SCfCIly S11pSy tIdlnS "cSl.
yard each day in the year., barring
Sundays, or one train every ten min
utes.
Every road now running from the
coal fields to the coast has about all
the traffic it can handle. FOr twenty
years the Pennsylvania has been add
ing double tracks, third tracks, fourth
tracks. cutting out curves and grades
at the cost Of millions. The Balti-
! mora e Ohio has hoon nnrc,~~ -
similar course as far as it was able.
The Seaboard is double tracking. The
Chesapeake & Ohio and the Norfolk &
Western are Straining every nerve to
extend their facilities.
And here comes a prospect Of an
overwhelming traffic with the roads
crowded, the ports not expecting It,
with the exception perhaps of Balti-
more and Philadelphia, which are
making preparations, and nobody real
ly able to know what to expect
Naturally it would seem that Will
mlngton should become one Of the
great coal exporting ports Of the
world. for it is in short distance Of the
great coal fields and the most con-
yenient coal port to the Panama canal.
This coal export should go naturally
from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk
and Wilmington, the bulk from Nor
folk and Wilmington, because thev
are the ports nearest the canal and
the ports nearest h large coal fields
So far we have been considerin
simply the export coal for use at coal.
ing stations on the canal. For in.
stance, where ships may renew the;,
supplies. This takes no account ~
the coal that must be used bv III.
ships that will carry coal to Panama
It takes no account OF the coal thu,
will be called for by the expend;n
! commerce that will follow the onan.
!, ing of the canal, and which viii ~
clude coal for the ports that will in,
i crease their business through tho 70.
cilities the canal will afford. + :,
natural to assume that the canal u,;I
be followed by a considerable deya,on
!, ment OF the Pacific coast OF NJ,
and South America That co.ot -,
: Thousands Of miles is devoid or go
Cheap transportation should en.,-o
market on the Pacific for a Iot .
8 good West Virginia coal. y
And the point at issue her. =
0 large tonnage OF that coal shou1a -
r down through North Carohra ~ com
Z mington. making Wilmington WI
port for q large amount or sea
Virginia business. '"e ives
Should such a thing coma
. Eve ~nmlngton a lift forv,rd .Hs
q would make the old town tn; tna