Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1924-07-03
LOST PROVINCES
CERTAIN OF R. R.
New Yorker Has Party Surveying
Routes Throughout the Lost Ter
ritory.

Routes Throughout the Lost Ter
ritory.
Henry Belk in Greensboro News.
West Jefferson June 28.-"Sure
the Lost Provinces are going to gel
a railroad" Tam Contee Bowie, late
of the race for the president of the
state senate and sometimes called the
'Lion of the Mountains told me as
l interrupted his lucid explanation of
why he was not elected over Long
and Reynolds.
"First thing, was late getting in
the race, running only 60 days. In
this time 1 was away from my office
just about 20 days and you know
the folks over the state can't be
seen and stirred up on such short
notice. The other fellows had been
running long time before I got
started.
"The big thing though was that
Reynolds and myself were both in
the west. Up here is located most of
the counties which cast Republican
majority. That left for us two west
ern fellows the, division of the light
west vote. Long being free to himself
in the larger and more heavily Esm-
ocratic eastern counties, believe
that I would have been elected if
| had gone to the folks in a second
primary.
"Some folks have said and maybe
you have read that the Worth letter
hurt me. l don't believe that. The
letter was not so broadly circulated
and don't think it lost me many
votes" Mr.. Bowie explained that he
had statements and evidence to dis
prove the facts as set forth.
About here was where the CONVEX
sation switched to the railroad I
had been asking every citizen Of the
Lost Provinces that same question for
the past ten days and l wanted Bow
les idea in on the straw vote.
"You see the Norfolk and Western
the railroad which now owns the
road into Ashe from Abingdon, Va.
realizes that if they don't pretty soon
get busy they are going to lose this
territory. So l figure that whether
or not my state road project goes
through that there is good chance
of something happening in the rail-
road line for this territory before SO
very long," he continued.
Mr.. Bowie related the same expert
ience that ma,y other citizens have
related to me. The scouts repre-
senting somebody, supposedly the
Norfolk and Western, have been to
see him and gained exhaustive infor-
nation as to the support which con-
nection from Bowie, near the end
Of the Norfolk and Western line run
ming fro mAbingdon, Va. to Todd, in
the direction of Lenoir and connect
ing here, would get what freight ton
mage in lumber, business, cattle and
produce shipments might be expect
ed. He spoke mysteriously of know
ing things; of telegram which had
today been received and made other
suggestions.
While the Norfolk or Western or
some other interested company, is
certainly making an exhaustive sur
vey of the situation and while there
are other evidences to show that
smebody is thinking of connecting the
Norfolk and Western end with Le-
noir, not everyone expresses Bowie's
optimism. ~ won't believe that we
are going to get railroad that will
reclaim the Lost Provinces until 1
see it' is the way number express
themselves. "You see we have had
railroad talk and railroad talk until
II am tired and sick of the thing.
No sir, i am not going to take any
stock in the suggestion until ! see
the read.''
Meantime, though, the party Of
surveyors say employed by
THE Norfolk and Western, but one
of the engineers on the job said by
a promoter by the name of James
Of New York City--are going on
with their work from Deep Gap in
Watauga county in the direction Of