The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-15
Problem Similar to Those Solved By H. H. Rogers
 and H. M. Flagler
COAL REGIONS ARE
 OPEN TO CHARLESTON
Line Was of Very Costly Construction and Capital Had to Be Bold to Undertake It's
 Construction
Hy HOLLAND

New 1Ork July lA-tSpecial.) 1.-Two men
 who were characterized by marvellous ,, constructive ability and who had amassed
 great fortunes through their associations with the Standard Oil company, under
 took some years ago, as individuals to construct great railroad systems. One Of these roads was to have a terminal at Norfolk, Va, and a western terminal in
 the heart of the coal region of the Ap- palachian range, approximately 450 miles in length. The other was to parallel the Florida coast and by entirely original
 methods utilizing the Florida keys to
 Key West via ocean ferry to Havana
 Henry H. Rogers and Henry M. Flagler conceived and compassed as individuals
 these two great railroad projects Each involved financing amounting to approxi-
 mately $4O.00O0O0
 1t was from MT. Rogers that the hint
 was taken by a little group prepared to | flnance the construction of a railroad q from the Clinchfield coal district to South Carolina, where connections could he
 made with adequate railroad facilities for
 reaching the seaport of Charleston. One of those identified with this undertaking 'ii AehSt eiiN lcdhtIt never Hdu HctlNe aSSO- clation in the Standard Oil industry, but
 he had gained high reputation for con- stsuctiNe ability in perfecting great bak- lns organization and also in planning with MI. Morgan and others, for the organi- zafion of the United States Steel corpor-
 atioii. This was Norman B. Ream. who passed away only few months before an
 extension of the Clinchfied railroad sys- tenn to Elkhorn City was completed
 N nen Alr, Req in ,,tftt, the hanking>house of Blair Bros, T. lief fefson Coolidge of Boston and Thomas Ryan, determined to undertake the solu- tion ct the difficult problem which the construction of a railroad from the ohnchheld district to the sea involved there was but one opinion respecting the manner in which this road should be built MT. Rogers had constructed a railroad from tidewater to the coal regions which Is without superior so far as road build Ing, reduction of grades to a minimum and prolonged tangents are concernad If cost great deal more money to build
 road of that kind than would have been effa1led in constructing a road with 1aany curves and heavy grades but Mir Rogers figured that after his tidewat ter railroad was completed coal could be transported over it at such minimum of cost as would make 1t possible to main tain successful competition in the coal markets of the United States and possi- ] bly, in Europe and South America Mir I Flagler did not have problems of /the same kind as those which confronted Mr Rogers. The shore of Florida Is fiat so that no grades of any consequence were entailed. It was also possible to build the road in a substantially strag ght line until the keys off the lower coast of Florida were reached. but he had stupendous and entirely original problem to solve be- fnn t,.A sort of vladuct whose supports were the Florida keys, to Key West. Both Mr Flagler and MT. Rogers succeeded Both lived long enough to see their work com pleted and then, having achieved greatly both passed away. MT. Ream insisted when the proposition was made to build the Clinchfed railroad that it should be constructed so that it would match in every particular the railroad which MT. Rogers had built. Both of these railroads had chiefly one object in view-the trans portation of coal from great deposits in
 the Appalachian range to the seaports
 MT. Rogers plan, like that of Mir Flag
 Ter, was entirely original, but there had been for many years various projects for railroad construction by means of
 which the vast and rich deposits in the Clnchfield district could be made avail able for the markets
 Yet this little group of men of industry
 ana of capital looked beyond the develop
 ment of the Clinchfield coal district. They believed that railroad such as they con
 tenplated would create new gateway between the Ohio valley and the sea. Now with the announcement just made that regular service on the extension of the Clnchield railroad to ElShorn was begun on July 1 the purpose of MT. Ream and
 those who were associated with him is fulfilled. In no part of the country east of the Rocky mountains were greater en-