The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1914-04-03
Friday, April Bird. 1914
LIKELY TO GET ROAD

LIKELY III GEL ROAD
After a struggle lasting for
more than a generation, Southern
Maryland is about to get the
railroad upon which, more than
anything else, its development
depends. w. Bernard Duke,
vice-president of the National
Bank of Baltimore, with some
business associates, has secured
an option on the Watson interests
in the old Southern Maryland
road, officially known as the
Washington, Potomac and Chesa-
peake, which operates a little
jerkwater line between Brandy
wine and Mechanicsville and
which has a franchise for a line
extending from Washington to
Point Lookout, with connection
to Baltimore via the Pennsylva-
MIA line. 1t is proposed by Mr..
Duke and his associates to re-
build the line from Brandywine
to Mechanicsville and to extend
the road north to Washington
and south to either St. Mary's
city, on an estuary of the Poto-
mac, or to Esperanto, on the
PatuXent.
1t has been estimated by the
engineers employed by the syndi-
cate that the line will cost about
81, 200,0 900. Of this amount it is
proposed to have the counties of
st. Mary's, Charles and Prince
Georges subscribe 1915, 900 and
the syndicate is to put up the re-
mainder, approximately 5000, 900.
Most of the money is to come
from New York.
Bills have been introduced in
the Legislature providing for a
subscription of s15O,OOO by St.
Mary's county, the money to be
available when the road shall
have been built and in operation
between Esperanto or St Mary's
city and MechanicsviIle; and
subscriptions of $3.50, 900 from
Prince Georges and SIS, 900 from
Charles when the road shall have
been constructed to Washington
and trains running over it. For
the subscriptions from the three
counties, they are to receive in
come bonds or preferred stock,
these to be asecond mortgage on
the property, and to come ahead
OF everything except the first
mortgage bonds. A clause in
the bill makes provision for the
retirement Of these income bonds
at Ito at the pleasure of the COM
pany and only those which are to
go to counties for their subscrip-
tons are to be issued.
The provision that the counties
are to receive income bonds for
their subscriptions and will re-
ceive the first of any profits
from the road after the interest
on the first mortgage bonds are
paid has created a very favora-
BILE impression in the counties,
for it puts the counties in the
position of receiving something
for their subscription other than
the benefit that will be derived
from having the road built
through them and they also give
the counties a lien on the pro-
perty of the company.
This is by far a more liberal
proposition than that made NV
the Baltimore and Virginia Rail
road, which is endeavoring to re-
we the old Drum Point Railroad
project and which proposes to
give to Anne Arundel and CAL
vert counties, through which it
Will pass, common stock, the
same as that given the bond
subscribers as bonus, in return
for their subscriptions.
II the subscriptions by the
e-unties of St. Mary's, Charles
and Prince Georges are made to
the income bonds of the South
ern Maryland road, it is stated
that the remaider of the money
needed will be forthcoming at
once and that construction will
be started in a very short time.
1t is proposed to operate the
line both by steam and electri-
oifx,