<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18783">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tunga>Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>December 7,
1909</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>RAILROAD TO ROCKY GAP TO BE CHRISTMAS
GIFT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>New River, Holston and Western Expects to Complete
Extension by the Holidays</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left> The New River, Holston and Western Railway,
which extends up in the mountains towards Rocky Gap, expects to be able to
finish its extension to Rocky Gap by Christmas. It is possible that trains
will be running by the first of the year and when this is accomplished an
entirely new country will be opened up. The road will then run within
eight miles of Bluefield and will develop a great timber country much of which
is owned by the Narrows Tanning Company.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The line, which skirts the New River at
Narrows, gradually climbs the mountains at that point and has been a common
carrier for several years. In addition to opening a large timber country
the extension will reach the Round Mountain district which has some very good
iron deposits.</DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=left>[<EM>The phrase "climbs the mountains" may give a false
impression that the NRH&W was a mountain railroad. Instead it followed
Wolf Creek all the way from Narrows to Rocky Gap, and the climb from the
former to the latter was only a little over 500 feet in 20.7 miles--an average
grade less than 0.5%. On the other hand Rocky Gap was across big East
River Mountain from the reporter in Bluefield, so he might not have known
anything about the terrain on the "wilderness" side of the big
mountain.</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=6 face=Script>Gordon
Hamilton</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>