Regarding the "fleet of colliers", the answer seems like "no". An examination of early VGN Annual Reports -does- have a section for "Floating Equipment", but the only items are listed as "barges", and just three of them at that.<br>
<br>- Marty Swartz<br><br>On Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 8:15 AM, <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list-request@nwhs.org">nw-mailing-list-request@nwhs.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Subject: Virginian in 1909--First coal train<br>
<div bgcolor="#ffffff">
<div><font face="Trebuchet MS">Bluefield Daily Telegraph<br>March 31,
1909</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div align="center"><font size="4">TO WELCOME FIRST COAL TRAIN OVER
VIRGINIAN</font></div>
<div align="center">------</div>
<div align="center"><b>H. H. Rogers Invites Distinguished Men to Official
Opening of His New Railroad</b></div>
<div align="left"> </div>
<div> The official opening of the Virginian
Railway, of which H. H. Rogers is president and practically sole owner, will
take place on April 3.....<snip><br></div></div></blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div bgcolor="#ffffff"><div align="left">
<br></div><div align="left"> The company has spent $2,000,000 in the
construction of a steel superstructure "fendered" pier at its terminal at
Sewalls Point. The pier is 1,000 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 65 feet
high, and will be able to accommodate colliers with a carrying capacity of
10,000 tons each, of which the company will have a fleet of ten or twelve.</div><div align="center">------</div>
<div align="left">[<i>..... Finally, is
there any evidence that the Virginian ever had a fleet of ten or twelve
10,000-ton colliers as mentioned in the article?</i>]</div>
</div></blockquote></div>.<br>