N&W 1909 - ACL

[NW Mailing List]

Dick,

This is very interesting additional information, particularly about the early Southern involvement.  I believe that the Finley you mentioned succeeded Spencer as Southern president.

I am confident that the newspaper got the info off the wire as you speculated.  After all, the newspaper name is the Bluefield Daily Telegraph!

Incidentally, my next BDT posting, whenever I can get to it, also involves the WSS.

Gordon Hamilton
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: NW Mailing List 
  To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
  Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 3:59 PM
  Subject: Re: N&W 1909 - ACL


        Gordon

        They must have gotten this off the 'Wire' because June 26, 1909 was the date of the 'Official Announcement'.  The ACL contacted N&W President Johnson in March 1909 and asked him to buy out the Southern's half interest in the Southbound.  Sam Spencer had entered into an agreement with Col. Fries, who had built the Roanoke & Southern, and the ACL in  May 1906  to help build the WSS.  After he was killed and because of the 1907 financial crisis, Mr. Finley was not willing to spend any money.  Col. Fries had been given the go ahead the day before, June 25.  The formal contracts with the N&W  and ACL were signed on July 20, 1909.  Construction contracts were let in August and the final spike was driven 15 months later on Nov 23, 1910.

        Dick Kimball

        "

        Bluefield Daily Telegraph
        June 26, 1909

        ATLANTIC COAST LINE TO HAUL POCAHONTAS COAL
        ------
        Contract With Norfolk and Western Furnishes Short Route From Cincinnati to the South

            It has become known from an official source that the Atlantic Coast Line railroad has entered into a contract with the Norfolk and Western railway to connect with the latter line at Roanoke and thereby establish a short route from Cincinnati, Chicago and the west to Charleston, S. C.
            It is understood that the contract has been signed by both roads and that the Coast Line will soon award contracts for the construction of secondary road links.
            At present the Coast Line owns a branch road from Wadesboro to Charleston, running through Cheraw.  It is reported that this road as far as Florence from Wadesboro will be straightened out, the grades reduced and ninety-pound rails put down.
            This road will be extended from Wadesboro to Winston-Salem.  At Winston-Salem the road will connect with a road now controlled by the Norfolk and Western to Roanoke and at Roanoke the connection will be made with the Norfolk and Western.
            It is reported that the Norfolk and Western has agreed to route port shipments over the road to Charleston.  It is reported further that the road will haul coal from the Pocahontas fields.
        ------
        [The road between Winston-Salem and Wadesboro became the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway, controlled jointly by the N&W and ACL.]

        Gordon Hamilton"
       




------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  ________________________________________
  NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
  To change your subscription go to
  http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
  Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at
  http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/


------------------------------------------------------------------------------



  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
  Version: 8.5.285 / Virus Database: 270.11.41/2040 - Release Date: 04/03/09 17:54:00
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20090404/c32212e1/attachment.html>