Railroad to Roper?
The grading
on the road from Williamston (Martin County) to Plymouth (Washington County) has been completed and track laying is being done as rapidly as possible. All
the trestles have not yet been built, but it is thought that the road will be
finished and trains will be running on it before October. The terminus of this
road will be at Roper City (Washington County), six or eight miles below Plymouth, where there is
plenty of water front, and it is generally believed that a line of steamers
will be put on from this point direct to Baltimore. It is thought that trains
will be run direct from Weldon (Halifax County) to Plymouth and Roper City
in connection with the steamers to Baltimore.
It is also rumored that a road will be built from Roper City
to some point on Pamlico Sound (Hyde, Dare, and Pamlico Counties).—Roanoke News
The above
paragraph from the News is right so far as it speaks of the Railroad being
pushed forward to completion, but, it must be wrong when it says that the
terminus will be at Roper City eight miles below Plymouth. In the first place there is no
water front at said town. It being situated on McKensey creek, one of the most
crooked streams we ever saw, and is not navigable only by small boats.
The
terminus of this road will undoubtedly be Plymouth
as the company is now at work building the depot, elevators, etc. After the
road is completed to this point, it may then run a branch road to Pungo river,
unless Mr. Roper can be persuaded to connect his road to this place, which it
is quite likely he will do.
The R. R. R
& L Company will run their road to Washington,
making this the northern terminus. As to water front, no town can offer better.
[Roanoke Beacon (Plymouth, NC)
9 August 1889
