Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1923-01-25
TRUNK LINE URGED
FORLOSTPROVINCE
Special Board Appointed To Investi-
gate Feasibility of Opening
The Northwest
THREEROUTES NOW
BEING CONSIDERED
Direct Line Into the Coal Fields and
the Ohio Valley is Primary OBJ
ject of Commission.
(By Brock Barkley)

Raleigh, Jan. 18.-"The safest and
sanest course for North Carolina to
pursue. if it expects to open up the
'Lost Provinces" is not to foster
the construction of secondary
branch line into this territory, which
would have to depend entirely on
the besiness development in that sec
ton, but to look toward the construc-
tion of a gauntlet that would ulti-
! mately open up trunk line mid
way between the Virginia cities and
the Knoxville-Ashville gateway" the
special commission that investigated
the proposal to sell the states rail-
road stock and build a line into the
north western counties, repores.
The commission reports that it
has unanimously decided it would be
unwise sat the present to sell the
stock of the state of North Caro-
lima in the North Carolina railroad
and the Atlantic and North Carolina
railroad both of which roads are
under leases, the terms of which will
not expire for many years to come,
and it is the opinion of your commits
sion that if the stock is sold pending
said leases that said stock would not
bring its value"
The report of the Commission has
bly, which created it at the 1921 reg
ular session to conduct the investi-
cation. Composing the commission
are Benneham Cameron, Chairman; !;
&c n Bradham, 7. C. Bowie, W. C.
,-.- and A. j. Draper. The follow
ing includes the more important
statements and recommendations of
the report.
"Your commission after holding a
meeting in Raleigh held meetings at
North Wiikesboro, Statesviile and
other points along which railroads
were proposed to be constructed by
the state and made preliminary
investigation Of propositions for the
construction of several routes, which
were proposed with the view Of re-
deeming the so-called Lost Provinces
of North Carolina, among were the
following propoSlCloIlS:
First proposed route: "From
North, the western terminal Of the
Winston-Salem division of the South
ern railway, up Reddies river to JEFF
ferson and West jefferson in Ashe
county, to intersect with the Abing
don division Of the Norfork and West
ern railway at West Jefferson; thence
up North Fork of the New river to
intersect at some point on the APP
palachian division of the Southern
railway at or near Maymeade, Tenn.
This proposed route would ira
verse the northwestern portion of
Wilkes county and the southern half
of Ashe county and the northwest
portion of Watauga.
''In the construction of this route
it is probable that the location from
North Wilkesboro to jefferson and
West jefferson would follow a large
portion of the old Wilkesboro-Je
son turnpike in which the state has
6,381 share of stock, which cost the
state $63,S10.
estate, the area and population of
the counties traversed by this route
based on the valuation and census
of 1920 are as follows:
"Ashe valuation $17,731,331; pop
ulation, 21,000; area 492 square
miles.
"Wilkes, valuation S18,673,026;
population 32,644; area 735 square
miles.
"Watauga, valuation $11,542,401; !;
population 13,477; area 303 square
miles.
Second proposed route: From
North Wilkesboro to Butler, Tenn,
via Boone with branch from Tay-
lorsville to North Wilkesboro and a
branch from Grandin to Lenoir.
"This proposed route would ira
verse the western part Of Wilkes
county and divide Watauga county
nearly equally from east to west, and
the branches proposed on this would
traverse the northern part of Alex
ander county and the southern part
of Caldwell county.
The construction of this route
,, would probably utilize the Watauga
and Yadkin Valley railroad, which
has been graded as far as Darby,
a distance of about 26 miles from
North Wilkesboro and was equipped
and in operation to this point in 1916
when portions of this road were wash
ed away by freshet; the state has
552 shares in this road, which cost
the state $55, 200.
'The assessed valuation Of the
: real estate, the area and population
of the counties traversed by this
route based on the valuation and CEN
sus Of 1920 are as follows:
Caldwell; valuation $18,428;255;