The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1920-09-15


ed at or near the mouth of Toms Creek
up Toms Greek 10 the head waters OF
TOMS Creek and the branches thereof, All
aggregate distance OF about fifteen miles.
:" y brtct statement of tho reasons re-
ned upon TO show that thc present Or fu.
uirc public convenience and necessity "a
quirc or will require the construction and
operation of the said branch lines of rail-
road is As follows, to wit:
The main line of the Interstate Railroad
company as NJ present constructed cy-
.cn"S from Stonega on Callahan Creek in
wise county, Virginia, down Callahan
Creek to APpalachia. distance of about
tour miles, and thence up powcll's River
To Norton, distance OF about twelve
miles, and thence u2 Guest River To Gla-
morgan. distance OF about live miles.
Bnnch lines of the railroad extend up
Mndlick Creek of Callahan Creek, Pigeon
Creek of Callahan Greek. the Roaring
fork of powelrs River and up powcils
River from Dorchester Junction, tho to-
tal length of the road and it, branches
being about torty-ciEht miles 1t serves
divers coal mines aud cooking plants In
Gated within the territory aforesaid, to
WIZ, eight coking plants and twenty-five
coai mines, Operated by a number OF diff
iefent companies Ii is u belt lin. rail-
road which serves all of the mine, ard
coking plants in Wise county East of
that section of the Virginia field known
aS Hack Mountain fed and West of the
Town OF Norton The output or coke In
virginia, exclusive OF Pocahoutas for
lvlN, was s6D, l3d net tons Coke trans
ported by Interstate Was 5it SOL tons or
oJ per cent. of the total The output of
coal for the same period was. for the
Whole state, exclusive of pocnhontas, y
b39 "2'i tons OF this ,815,i3l tons or ~
per cent. was transported over the Inter
state
The Interstate Railroad connects with
the Norfolk and Western At Norton:
with the Louisville aud Nashville Rail
road at Norton, Dorchester Junction and
Appalncha; and with the Southern Rail.
way at Appalachia None OF these lines
nave direct connections with any OF the
mines served 10y the Interstate Railroad.
ana even If they did have such direct
connection, they could not, because of
thclr location, give To the mines aud cox
ing plants on the Interstate Railroad any
thing like As gcod service rs they receive
from the Interstate
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad
extends from Norton III "a Northwesterly
direction to the Ohio River and affords "A
means ot transportation from the V,r-
giuia Held to thr Central West, but freight
ratios In all directions over the Louisville
Ahd Nashville Railroad are adverse to the
mines anu ovens in Wise county and in
many Instances prohibitiyc
The Norfolk and Western Railroad At
lords an outlet to Tidcwatcr at i.ambert's
point, Virginia, aud intermediate sta
lions, but has pcrsisicntly refused to al
iofd any means Of transportation for shin
pcIs on the Interstate Railroad to any
other points ON or via or reached hy us
lines
The Southern Railway connects with
the Interstate Railroad at hppalacha and
Affords transportation To the Port OF
Charleston, ). g.. aud large section of
me Southeast, but for many years It's ia
cilltlcs have been and are now inadequate
to the demands made upon IL by shippers
on the Interstate Railroad
This situation has prompted shippers
on the Interstate Railroad to request il 10
build an extension Of its line Ia A direct
connection with the Carolina, Clinchiield
and Ohio Road at or ucar the mouth of
'tnest ltiVcr such connection would
afford Interstate shippers greatly incrcas-
cd iaciiities for reaching the markets oi
the southeastern states, both by the
Cllnchhcld road direct and by mcaus of
IT'S connections with the Atlantic Coast
Line aud ScabOard Line Ia the south;
and 1t is hoped and believed that this
connection will also enable them To obtain
additional facilities Tor the movement of
coal and coke and other property into the
Central West and To the Great Lakes by
means OF the connection of the Clinchfieid
Road with the Chesapeake and Ohio Kali
road at or near Elkhorn City, Kentucky.
Another matter 90 Importance to The
operators In this section is that the Louis
VILE and Nashville Railroad serves AN I'M
| mensc coal tel ftory in Eastern Kentucky
on tho Cumberland River and It's waters
and the lentucky River and its waters
II caters 10 the operators on it's lines la
the Kentucky field and strcnuously 90.
iects to serving the Virginia field except
insofar AS it may be compelled to do so
This is especially ule with reference to
| GAL destined for lake points ami for Cen
! trail Freight Association Territory. For
! this reason II is of great importanceto tho
operators in this section to get another
.let to tho lakes and to Central Freight
Association Territory via the O., g. 40.
and the Chesapeake and Ohio.
Z. Tine Interstate Railroad Company
does not desire any hearing Ia the matter
of this application unless objection Is
made to tbs granting Of the Certificate.
| If objection is made. and ii the Commits
sion should have any doubt as to the pro.
pricty of granting the Certificate. then
| the Interstate Company would ask for !,
full hearing
Respectfully submitted,
INTERSTATE RAiLRoAD COMPANY,
BY II l.. Miller, President
| =. Z. II.