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<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>November 9,
1909</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=5 face="Times New Roman"><STRONG>READY FOR
OPERATION BY JANUARY 1911</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman">------</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG><FONT size=5 face="Times New Roman">New Branch Will
Relieve Congested Traffic in Pocahontas Field</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman">------</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4 face="Times New Roman">WILL SHORTEN HAUL FOR
EASTERN COAL</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman">------</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG><FONT size=4 face="Times New Roman">Fifteen Miles of
Track to be Laid Between Canebrake and Cedar Bluff and Only One Tunnel, 4800
Feet in Length, Will be Cut</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman">------</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman">MAKE THE CLINCH VALLEY
DIVISION REVENUE PRODUCER</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left><STRONG><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"> Considerable
interest is being taken among the coal men in this field in the new line which
the Norfolk & Western is to commence building between Canebrake and Cedar
Bluff, on the Clinch Valley. This line, which will connect the Pocahontas
division with the Clinch Valley division [<EM>The new line became the Dry Fork
Branch</EM>.] and help to make the Clinch a better paying line, will eventually
connect with the Tug Fork branch and the Clear Fork branch [<EM>Neither was
ever connected</EM>.], and in this way a great deal of the congested
traffic on the immediate Pocahontas coal field will be diverted to a line
[<EM>The N&W Clinch Valley line.</EM>] which has never at any time in the
past done a record breaking business. In addition to this it will enable
the Norfolk & Western to ship a great deal of eastern coal and coke to
tidewater with a shorter mileage. Work is to be commenced on the extension
to Cedar Bluff at once, and it is expected that the line will be ready for
operation on January 1st, 1911. Fifteen miles of track will be laid and
only one tunnel will have to be built. This tunnel will be 4,800 feet in
length.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"> Another very
interesting fact has just been learned, and that is that the Norfolk &
Western and the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio have recently completed traffic
arrangements by which the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio will use the Norfolk
& Western tracks from St. Paul to Kiser [<EM>Later known as Carbo</EM>.], on
the Clinch Valley division, and from there the new line will connect up with the
extension to Elkhorn City. It could not be learned yesterday, just how
much of this line has been built, but it is understood that the Carolina,
Clinchfield & Ohio expects to commence running freight and passenger trains
from St. Paul to Kiser commencing December 1st. The original plan of the
company was to build a tunnel at Dante and go from there on to Elkhorn City, but
the tunnel cannot be finished for some time and it is possible that the Kiser
arrangement will be only temporary. [<EM>The CC&O did build the line from
Kiser to Wilder (known as the CC&O Dumps Creek line) and even operated
passenger trains between St. Paul and Wilder, but never built the connection
between Wilder and Elkhorn City. In 1956 the CC&O (by then Clinchfield
RR) Dumps Creek line became the N&W Dumps Creek Branch.</EM>]</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"> The South and
Western [S<EM>hould be the Virginia & Southwestern.</EM>] now uses the
Norfolk & Western tracks from Toms Creek to their line at
Norton<EM> </EM>[<EM>V&SW maps do show its having a line
between Norton, Coeburn and Toms Creek</EM>.], and the new arrangement will
mean that three lines can now use the Clinch Valley division. The Clinch
connects at Norton with the Louisville & Nashville and a short line [<EM>The
Virginia & Kentucky RR</EM>] which runs to Wise court house<EM>.</EM>
At St. Paul it connects with the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio, and with the
development of the lower Clinch and Cedar Bluff extension and the Kiser
arrangement there is no reason why the Clinch Valley should not now become a
revenue producer. [<EM>The last sentence in the article was too blurred on
the microfilm to transcribe here. Other articles in the BDT have claimed
that the N&W's Clinch Valley line was not profitable in this time
period.</EM>]</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman">------</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=6 face=Script>Gordon
Hamilton</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>