Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-27
NEW TROLLEY LINE
T0REACH CAMP LEE
Charter Is Issued for Petersburg,
Hopewell and City Point
Railway Company.
TAKE OVER EXISTING ROADS
Besides Serving Cantonment and
Du Pont Plant, Line Will
Go to Prince George.

one OF the sixteen divisions OF the
now national army will be trained. will
be served by two electric lines. ac-
cording to plans OF Cockadc City
capitalists, who received a charter
yesterday from the State Corporation
Commission for the Petersburg. Hope
we'll and City Point Railway Company.
The new company is capitalized at
sl,ooo,oo0. and is authorized to do
general railroad business.
Comprehensive plans for the con-
struction Of a modern electric rail-
way have been made. The plans in
clude the acquisition Of the Peters
burg and Appomattox Railway Com
pany. operating between Petersburg
and Hopewell. and the Hopewell and
City Point Railway Company. operat-
ing between those points. An addi-
tional line from Petersburg to Prince
George Courthouse will be built. and
lines will also be laid IN the city of
Hope well. supplying the various parts
of that widely spread district.
OF chief interest. however. is the
plans for serving the big cantonment
in Prince George County. The present
line from Petersburg to Hopewcll.
which skirts the government rcserva-
tion. will be double-tracked from the
corporate limits of Petersburg to the
cantonment. The proposed line to
Prince George Courthouse will pass
directly through the cantonment. serv-
ing another section OF tho reservation.
on which 10000 men will be trained.
PETERSBURG MEN HEAD
BIG ENTERPRISE
The Petersburg. Hopewell and city
Point Railway Company is capitalized
at Sl.060.00o. with James c. Rees, Jr..
as president. and r. j. Francis. secrc-
xtary. Both are from Petersburg. The
charter was drawn by Samuel W. Ztm-
mer, Commonwealth's attorney OF
Petersburg. who Will act In the ca
.pacity OF counsel for the road.
Surveys for the new construction
have already been made. but no fran
chses have been secured from either
the city OF Petersburg or County of
Prince George. The franchise for the
city construction work has already
been offered in the Petersburg City
Council. y franchise will be sought
from the county at the next meeting
OF the Board OF Supervisors.
JUST Wntn construction "Ork VIII
start. Mr. thinner was unable last night
TO say. II is proposed. however, to
get the work under way at once. in
order that things can be in good shape
for the arrival of the first contingent
of drafted men, The nine miles of
track between Petersburg and Hope
we'll was constructed and the line in
operation in ninety days and on this
basis the new work Will be completed
before cold weather sets in.
Eight miles of track, IL is estimated.
will be laid. This includes two miles
OF double-track on the Petersburg and
Appomattox Railway from Petersburg
TO the cantonment. Six miles Of track
will be laid on the Prince George
Courthouse branch. The lines to be
laid in Hopewell have not been de-
cided upon yet. Several miles will
probably be laid however
NO PHYSICAL CONNECTION
WITH POWER COMPANY
The new company will continue to
secure it's power from the Virginia
Railway and Power Company, but
there will be no physical connection
made between the lines OF the two
companies. II such a connection is
subsequently made, electric cars could
be operated directly from Richmond
to City Point. Scores of new cars
will be ordered. as the present rolling
stock Of the two lines in operation is
not even sufficient to carry on the
present business.
There will be between 10000 and
$4,000 men camped at Petersburg.
Camp Lee will be the training point
of the contingents from New Jersey,
Maryland. Virginia, Delaware and the
the cantonment is progressing finely
Government officials state that the
construction is now far in advance of
that of any OF the sixteen canton
ments.
Colonel Frank Lawton. of the
quartermaster department, Governors
Island. yesterday visited Camp Lee at
Petersburg. He pronounced 1t No. l.
that is. ahead of all the camps he had
visited. He was highly pleased with
the progress OF the work there.
Colonel 7. c. Donaldson. Inspector
general Of the Department Of the East
has also been at Camp Lee. He re-
turned to his station yesterday.
An interesting feature in connection
with the new national camps, includ-
ing Camp Lee, at Petersburg. is that
there will be no cavalry in any Of
lucui. Inc uSW dEIly, raised Dy Selec-
tive draft, will be made up purely of
infantry Consequently there will be
no aviation corps at the new camps
Aviation corps will be quartered in
entirely separate camps. There are
two Of these in Virginia. and others
will be scattsEasd throughout the
country
In addition to the thousands of men
to be trained at Camp Lee, the new
railway company expects to be called
upon to furnish travelling facilities for
thousands more men In Hopewell and
~ Petersburg. Plans are now being
made. 1t Is stated. to double tho ca
paclty of the big Du Pont plant. in
which event thousands OF men will
find employment there.
Petersburg also expe ts' tn, proximz .
CONTINUED on Third Page.)