The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-04-14
JUDGE MCCONNELL, HIS SON, JIM
AND THE DEEP RIVER COUNTRY
The Father Buys a Railroad and Proceeds To Put 1t In
Condition-The Junior Starts In To Develop Business
CBy BION ii.

50 ago IL NouHB NIdp III thC VilPioy
of "A big advertising concern in New
York was offered a decided advance
ment which led evidently to a wide
field, and he deliberated for some
ia VS. as TO whether to take ii or not.
lie finally declined because he had
been looking over the possibilities in
AN unknown country hat had been
coming to his notice, and he came
down into North Carolina TO take "A
chance on what had been held up
To him as a possibility for a man who
has a little hustle.
The young chap is J. r. Mcconnell.
He Introduced another of those young
college fellows from the North who
are trying their fate in North Caro-
lima. But Mcconnell is making his
play on a different horizon, n he
represents a different movement, in no
way connected with the development
of the Sand Hill country that has
been undertaken by another bunch.
The Randolph and Cumberland
Railroad has been the star Of a funny
drama. 1T was built by the Seaboard
Air Line road When the Seaboard
was so poor that it a no business
10 build anything, and it proved to the
SeaboaTd q baby elephant at a time
when the Seaboard could not loo
out for n baby rabbit. SO the Sea-
board unloaded it on a ninety-nine
year lease, if unloading a dozen miles
IF a helpless little feeder could be
called unloading. 1t was more like
dropping an empty sack.
The little road had "a career as
spectacular almost in its limited way,
as the lamented Reub Waddell, whose
untimely end the other day, has set
the baseball fans to talking.
Vt was made the basis of innumer-
able trunk lines. and enough paper
Vasl.AaI. lnyn hnnn h,1ilf with tho
ten miles Of the Randolph and Cum
berland as the underlying basis as
would serve the whole State of North
Carolina. For a while if a surveyor
came into Moore county with a transit
and a sight rod the whole population
passed out the intelligence that the
Randolph and Cumberland would be-
gin Il line TO the sea, or to Chicago or
TO London, or any other old place
that served the imagination.
Judge O'ConneM Comes.
During this time the little road
pulled its u~npretentious traffic up and
down the line. serving it's territory
doing what it found to do, and limo
cent of the various eccentricities OF
r~ailroading that were dreamed in its
name. Then one day, in it's curious
fortunes, it came into h hands o.
Judge S. =. Mcconnell, then connect
ed with the George A. Fuller Con
struction Company of New York city
~ big man with a big concern. ant
Judge Mcconnell anne down int
North Carolina TO see what he hat
bagged.
He wandered out along the lin
from Cameron to the end of the roa'
up in the Deep river country an
then he took a look at the countr
tributary, and he went back HON
and brought his household goods wit
him and set them down on the lin
Of his road. He had taken stock c
the possibilities and saw that he ha
annexed an opportunity that is bound
I'd on the four corners by nothin
except mans ability.
Then the judge brought the sol
Jim Mcconnell, and Jim looked owe
the dope signs and he burned II
bridges hat lead back to New Yorl
n McConnells. father and so.
laid down Il new rule of action for tt
Randolph and Cumberland. InStea
of exploiting the little road they d,
Cided on a policy of developing
country that is so rich in resourc,
il Is curious the resources are do
mant TO this day. Judge McConne
took in hand the operation of II
railroad. j. Il. Mcconnell assum.
the task of industrial agent. The il
dustrial agent is alive to his job.
Father and Son Cooperate.
First thing Judge Mcconnell does
TO begin the work of putting his TO;
in better physical condition. Fin
thing Industrial Agent McConn,
does is 10 look over his territory
see what he has to work with, al
as the story turns on what the indu
trial department is doing, the Ra
dolph and Cumberland road dro
out of the narrative about here.
The coming of the McConnells
an event in this section. 1t is q
Of those fortunate accidents that a
helping in the advancement of Nor
Carolina, for the McConnells have 3
qu%aintance anon men who do thin
or a big scale, and who are oft
looking for opportunity
The McConnells know opportun
when they see il, and they see
when they run against il where
exists.
To get a start you must have a |
ginning. So the McConnells went
the end of the road and plotted