Virginian in 1908 -- Down New River

[NW Mailing List]

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
September 16, 1908

NEW RAILROAD TO TAP MERCER TIMBER LANDS
------
Profiles of New Line Filed in Summers County Preparatory to Condemnation Proceedings
    For the past year there have been numerous rumors of the possible construction of a new railroad along the western side of New River, says the Hinton Daily News.  Last week profiles of the new line were recorded in the office of the clerk of the circuit court of Summers county preparatory to the institution of condemnation proceedings for land along Meadow creek where a new railroad is now being constructed.  The plans of the capitalists interested in the movement have been kept more or less a secret and the first intimation of the proposed course of the road came with the recording of the profile.
    The Deepwater or Virginian Railway, which is being constructed from the West Virginia coal fields to Tidewater by the H. H., Rogers interests, has a line along New River surveyed and the right of way has been secured under options.  This was done some time ago, but the financial depression coming when it did resulted in the plans of the financiers being interrupted.  However, since business is again assuming normal stages it is probable that the definite plans for the construction of the Deepwater branch will shortly be consummated.
    The construction of the branch of the Deepwater, which will no doubt run up Madam's creek into Mercer county, tapping the timber lands of that section, will mean much for the development of Summers, Raleigh and Mercer counties.  With Hinton the principal city along the line, it is no more than probable that an important terminal will be located just across the river from the city and this will mean much for Hinton as well as the people of the city in a business way.
    With a railroad line on the opposite side of the river from Hinton there is an excellent probability of the location of a new town in that vicinity.  The water power of New River could be harnessed and industries established, which beyond a doubt would be of immense importance to the development of that section.
    There are almost unlimited quantities of undeveloped resources on the west side of New River, which a railroad could and would open up in such a manner as to bring prosperity and business to that section and increase the value of land in proximity to the right of way of the proposed railway
------
[This article is not clear to me.  The mouth of Meadow Creek is some 13 miles down New River from Hinton, and the railroad up Meadow Creek became part of the C&O and NF&G.  Was the Virginian line along New River to be from Glen Lyn, Va. down New River to the mouth of Madam Creek, which is across New River from Hinton, WV?]

Gordon Hamilton
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20081011/e83fbce5/attachment.html>