The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-25
Two Rich Peninsulas to
Fall Into Richmond's
Lap-New Railway.
FROM THE CAPITAL
TO NORTHERN NECK
Richmond and Rappahannock
River Railway an Assured Fact.
No More Blue Prints and
Gas Bags-Forces Working
Over Many Miles-Fa-
nous Battlehelds.
n1 rnANI< $. woopsoN.

Perhaps the largest territory east Of
the Missi..ippi River that liz absolutely
without railway facilities lies within
the borders OF Virginia That territory
compriscs the two peninsulas between
the York and Rappahannock Rivers
and the ppahannock and the Poto-
mac tho latter being known the
Northern Neck. These peninsuias
baye been supplied by nature with Ger
tain Kinds of transportation facilities.
tho rivers. tho bays. and the deep
creeks. ena bling the people in these
sections, with the aid Of mule carts and
heavy wagons to the streams and wa
iious Kinds OF water craft beyond to
get TO and from the outside world and
reach the markets with their products.
These facilities were good enough in
The oldcn ana slower times. II is TO
the credit OF tho people and an evil
dence OF the fertility and richness OF
their soil that with such limited and
out of-date facilities they have pros
pcred in these latter days.
The water courses over which the
products Of the farms and other goods
have been carried all lead away from
edmond md other Virginia cities. and
the natural result is that tho rich part
Of the Old Commonwealth lying be-
tween the Potomac and the Rappahan-
nook. and known AZ the Northern Neck.
and the most Of that other peninsula
lying between the Rappahannock and
the York have from time immcmorial
been trading with aud paying tribute
To cities and markets outside Of Nir.
Einia. nota bly, Baltimore.
Much Tnlk linking Form.
There has from time TO time been n
great deal Of talk about having tho
steam cars 10 enter that good country
and enter IT from Richmond. and va
ricus and suudry schemes looking TO
that end have hccn discussed. and nu-
merous railways TO and from Richmond
10 the Rappahannock and beyond aud
into and through tic Northern Neck
have been built on paper and in gas
bags. Only one has SO far gotten Oft
the blue prints and actually on the
ground, and that one. II may bc said.
is just getting there, but It is getting
there with such carnestncss and in
such positive shape that the readers OF
The Times Dispatch ought to know
about it, That they do not knox about
IT Is due. in large measure to the
modesty or perhaps the conservatism
Of the people who are making this
road tina is TO be OF such Importance to
Richmond. These people had heard.
and perhaps taken part in much Of the
discussion that Richmond road TO
tho Rappahannock regions, and right
we'll they knew that there was a great
deal of gas in all OF the talk. and so
when they really got down TO bust
ness they thought il wise to talk less
and work more
This explains why there has been so
Rappahannock River Railway Com
pany. a we'll financed organization that
has really passed beyond the blue
print and the gas bag stage and got
ten down terra frma with good
work that speaks for Itself This is
the road that Will open up the two
peninsulas and all OF their vast and
profitable trade to Richmond. and is
the road that / want TO tell about /
heard OF the doings OF the company
and took a couple of days off for
buggy trip over the line to see what
was really going on.
Opening In All Tideunter.
The Richmond and Rappahannocls
River Railway, that will in the course
OF time be known in the abbreviated
or initial vernacular of the day the
-Four r. Line. has a broad and liberal
charter that authorizes it to build all
over the Tidewater sections of Vir-
,Rinia. IL il wants to, and in time it
Will probably want to have lines and
branch lines of steam and electric char
acters all through the Tidewater and
trucking countries. For the present,
however. the mouth OF the Rappahan-
mock River is the objective point out
from Richmond. The company is now
doing It's own building from Richmond
to Urbanna, on the Rappahannock the
actual operations for the immediate
present being from Richmond to New
Castle, on the Pamunkey River.
The road starts out from Twenty
ninth and T. Streets. and will go
through Henrico County, across the
'Chickahominy River into Hanover
through Hanover County by way OF
historic Gainess Mill, Cold Harbor and
other famous battle grounds, to and
through the trucking regions of Han
over and into the splendid agricul-
tural territory Of the Pamunkey Val
10y TO the Pamunkey River at New
Castle, across the same into King Will
liam County. across that county to
the Mattaponi River. and after cross
ing the same, it will penetrate King
and Queen County, pass through the
centre of AIiddleseX and on to the good
old town of urbanna, near the mouth
Of the Rappahannock River There it
will inaugurate car ferry boat service
over the Rappahannock to the south
end Of the Northern Neck, thus afford
ing the Northern Neck people trans
portation facilities superior to those
they now enjoy by the steamboat and
sail ship routes The road will doubt
less go on beyond and penetrate the
entire Northern Neck, but for the pres
cnt Urbanna is the objective point.
In Shape for Big Business.
The Richmond and Rappahannock
Railway Company is the concern that
recently bought the Seven Pines cleo
trjc line. and is now operating the
same, with. headquarters at Twenty
ninth and l. Streets. where terminal
facilities have been established and the
Office buildings Of The company. pas
senger station and freight warehouses
erected. 1t was at time thought
that the Seven Pines electric line would
he a part of the steam line to the Rap
irahannock, but that idea has been
abandoned and the steam cars Will
come In on an independent track, the
electric line being used as branch
road and feeder to the main line. The
officers OF the company are Joseph e.
Willard president; Charles L.. Rufiin,