One of the men behind the railroad: Decatur Axtell, C&O vice president

Decatur Axtell, described as being "prominent in the social life of Virginia," started off with the C&O in 1891 as the 2nd Vice President (the number three man in charge of the railroad). Becoming the sole Vice President in 1899, he served the C&O as a Vice President for 29 years. (1 pg 1)

In 1888 the C&O was in the midst of its second reorganization, without foreclosure. The railroad moved from the control of Collis P. Huntington to that of the Vanderbilts and J.P. Morgan. In an effort to call attention to the new regime and to give the C&O a new image, a new president was put in place. (2 pg270) "Since the Morgan and Vanderbilt interests already held some first mortgage bonds of the R&A when they bought out Huntington, they felt that the consolidation (of the R&A and the C&O railroads) would be a natural step." (2 pg98)

Melville E. Ingalls was appointed president of the C&O Railway by Court order in October 1888. "One of the new president's first acts when he took charge of the property was to acquire the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad, which he began to operate in May 1889, and started preparations to open it for C&O traffic." (3 pg28) (4 ch8 pg37)

"The opening of the Cincinnati Division, the advent of Mr. Ingalls, and his acquisition of the Richmond & Alleghany Railway, marked the beginning of a new era for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. It became, all at once by that acquisition, the road of the lowest grades between the coal fields and tidewater, of all the transappalachian lines." (3 pg20)

And Decatur Axtell was one of the most important persons who brought it all together for the new Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. After the C&O took over the R&A, M.E. Ingalls appointed Axtell as 2nd Vice President to serve as the number three man in the new C&O organization. George Stevens was directly under Ingalls in his organization giving Axtell the responsibility of the executive side of the railroad. Axtell brought things together and carried the railroad on through the early 1900s. (5)

While doing research on the C&O's James River Subdivision and the predecessor railroad Richmond & Alleghany, ll; became intrigued with this man named Decatur Axtell. It seemed that he was involved in a little bit of everything and he always developed a clever solution to the obstacles in front of him.

Living between 1848 and 1922, the following was written about Decatur Axtell in the book, Men of Mark in Virginia, published in 1909: "It will thus be seen that much of the larger part of Mr. Axtell's life has been given to efficient and productive services in the Southern states, and that about two-thirds of his adult years have been spent in building up interest and advancing the prosperity of the state and city of his adoption. It is pleasant to say that his fellow citizens of the Old Dominion recognize his work with grateful appreciation, and regard him not only as a most valuable agent in material development of this section of the country, but also as a gentleman of worth and culture whom it is a privilege to know." (6 pg20)

Harry Frazier wrote in his book, Recollections (1937), the following description of Axtell: "He was a quiet but discerning gentleman, modest and retiring always, and one who never jumped at conclusions about anything without painstaking care and investigation. He was the flywheel which maintained steady and smooth movement in those departments thoughout all of the years that followed before his retirement in 1918, and his influence was felt in other departments during all of that time." (3 pg62)

At the suggestion of his father, he started his railroad career at age 16. He started as a rodman on a corps of civil engineers engaged in the construction of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. His desire to "stand in the front rank of his profession," quickly moved him to assistant engineer and division superintendent of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad. "He afterwards became chief engineer of the Cario, Arkansas and Texas, consolidated at a later date with the Iron Mountain." (6 pg20)

Decatur Axtell, C.R. Mason, and W.A. Kuper (the latter two being civil engineers for the C&O from the beginning of the railroad) were contractors for the extension of the C&O Railway Between Covington and White Sulphur Springs in the late 1860s. This work included the tunnels at Jerry's Fill and Lewis Tunnel (2 pg6l, 62; Richmond Dispatch 8-27-1868).

Axtell was called to start with the Richmond & Alleghany in 1880 as the railroad's General Manager and moved to Richmond Virginia. (5 ch II pg11) He supervised the construction and operation of this railroad. While with the R&A he was general manager, vice-president, receiver, and director. (6 pg20) (The R&A would eventually become the James River Subdivision and the Rivanna Subdivision of the C&O in 1890.)

His involvement with the R&A had a tremendous impact on the fledgling railroad. Perhaps he is best known for his engineering of the "sunken track" in Lynchburg. The R&A tracks had to cross the N&W's already established main line. There were two major obstacles. First, the R&A railroad owned land associated with the canal, but the water in the canal had to be maintained as part of the R&A's obligation to provide water power to Lynchburg's industries along the canal (as specified in the charter of the railroad). Second, the N&W was a competing east-west railroad that would not allow the R&A to cross its tracks. When the R&A was being built, this hostile conflict could only be resolved by state legislation. However, this legislation only allowed the R&A to use a temporary track in conjunction with the Virginia Midland for three years (Va. Midland was a predecessor to the Southern). After that, the R&A had to develop their own solution.

Lynchburg was a town built up along the banks of the river. Water transportation in the river dates back to the mid-1700s. Both warehouses and industry had built up along the river and canal in Lynchburg. In fact much of the industry used water from the canal to power their machinery. Simply put, there was no room to introduce a new rail line along the riverfront at that time. The R&A engineering staff were not able to develop a solution. Then Decatur Axtell stepped in. He devised a plan to build a "sunken track," a plan that his own engineering staff "pronounced impracticable." (4 ch11 pg14)

Axtell gave the following description in his 1920 manuscript. "By sinking a (railroad) track in a trench 14 feet wide in the water on the south side of the canal bed, and protecting the trench by sheet piling made water-tight, the track could be depressed sufficiently to allow it to pass under the side of the South arch carrying Ninth Street over the Canal, and also by carrying the sunken track further on in the canal and through the aqueduct over Blackwater Creek and still on with the scantest head room under the N&W bridge over the creek, and it could then emerge and by a stiff ascent the track could rise from its bed in the canal to its normal grade." Axtell goes on to describe, "The coach windows of passenger cars were about on a level with the surface of water in the canal." (4 ch11 pg 14)

The chief managing officers of the competing railroads (the N&W and Virginia Mid]and) watched the construction with great interest and, "were not at all pleased with the success of this scheme, but did not refrain from commending the work from an engineering standpoint." (4 ch11 pg15)

After the R&A successfully used the sunken track, the N&W had a change of heart since the R&A now had direct access to the mills and manufacturies located along the R&A-canal right-of-way shortly thereafter. A crossing was built to allow the R&A to cross the N&W, which was only removed in the last few years. (The N&W relocated their main line out of Lynchburg's riverfront in the mid-1960s.)

With the sale of the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad to the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, Decatur Axtell was appointed as a member of the C&O Board of Directors and was made 2nd vice president. (3 pg29) Ingalls resigned as C&O president February 4, 1900, and George Stevens became the new president of the C&O. Axtell was "re-elected Vice President and continued him as Director." (3 pg44) At this time Axtell became the sole vice president; the office of 2nd vice president was abolished. ( 1900 Annual Report Pg 17) Henry Frazier wrote, "Decatur Axtell's principal activities had been limited by the previous administration (President Ingalls) to the side companies, and his services had not been made as much use of as they might have been in handling the parent company's affairs. Mr. Stevens wisely extended Mr. Axtell's authority of the Treasury, the Accounting and the Construction Departments." (3 pg62)

Decatur Axtell was also in the hotel business. Axtell worked closely with the resident managers of the Homestead (1891-1911) and the Greenbrier (1911-1922) and "oversaw the construction of large new hotels, as well as the development of golf, tennis, and bathing facilities." (7) The book, Historical Sketches of Virginia Hot Springs, by J.T. McAllister, described Axtell and Ingalls' involvement as both men giving "their personal time and attention to developing its possibilities and they have seen it grow under their hands into one of the most noted resorts in the world." (8 pg30)

Decatur Axtell retired from the C&O on his 70th birthday on February 8, 1918. (8) This was also around the time when the Federal Government took control of the railroad (during WWI) and George Stevens was no longer in control.

Axtell was involved in many other ventures. The following is an overview of some of his positions: The Craig Valley Company - a real-estate company owned by the C&O.

President of the Toledo & Ohio Central Ry 1899-1903, Chairman of the Board 1903-1909. (Partially owned by the C&O.)

Vice President of the Kanawha & Michigan Railway 1899-1903, Chairman of the Board 1902 -1910. (Partially owned by the C&O.)

First Vice President of the Hocking Valley Railway 19101918.

First Vice President of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway of Indiana 1910

President of the Virginia Hot Springs Company 18911911 This was the company, controlled by C&O President Ingalls, that operated the Homestead Hotel.

President of the White Sulphur Springs Company, Inc. from 1911 to 1918. This was the company that operated the Greenbrier.

Axtell also held memberships in the following organizations:

A Democrat in politics (His only departure from the support of his party being a vote for William McKinley against W. J. Bryan.)

Westmoreland and Commonwealth Country Clubs of Richmond, Virginia

American Society of Civil Engineers

The Virginia Historical Society

South Carolina Historical Society

Massachusetts Historical Society

The Society of Mayflower Descendants

The Sons of Colonial Wars.

The Ohio Society of New York (Source 1 pg20; 7; 8 pg44)

Decatur was the son of Almon and Mrs. Sophronia Boynton Axtell, and was born on February 8, 1848, in Elyria, Ohio. On both sides of his family, he had roots reaching back to the earliest settlers of Massachusetts colony. His father's family came to Massachusetts in 1641 from Berkhampstead, England, and his mother's ancestors "came over in the Mayflower and settled at Plymouth in 1621." (6 pg 19)

His father was a farmer and his mother encouraged him to be interested in books and history. He was an avid book reader. His primary and secondary education included private and public school under tutors. Later he attended Illinois College. (6 pgl9)

In the book Men of Virginia, it is written that he was "fond of mathematical works, psychological and philosophical treatises, biography and history, with a sprinkling of the best standard fiction, most congenial to his tastes and most helpful in fitting him for his future career." (6 pgl9)

On November 27, 1922, he suddenly died of a heart attack at his home at 912 West Franklin Street Richmond, Virginia, after working on his manuscript on the C&O the day before. (Evidently in 1909 he lived at 926 West Franklin St. [6 pg 20]) He was survived by his wife, the former May Cantrell, and left no children. (1 pgl) At his funeral at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church was a who's-who of the railroad world. His body rests in Hollywood Cemetery.

In addition to his many contributions to the development of many railroads and resort hotels, he also made valuable contributions to Chesapeake & Ohio Railway historians: Shortly after his retirement, he began preparing a very large manuscript to document the internal improvements in Virginia that had occurred over the last 125 years. This manuscript gives valuable information on the origins and developments of the C&O and its many predecessors. The information he compiled was the basis for much of Laura E. Armitage's documents and articles pertaining to the history of the C&O (Armitage was the C&O Research Analyst and Historian from 1930 into the 1940s).

End Notes:

1. Obituary, Richmond Evening Dispatch. 28 Nov. 1922: pgl-2. (C&OHS Archives Collection)

2. Turner, Charles W. Chessie's Road. 1956. Additions by T.W. Dixon, EL. Huddleston. Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society, Alderson, West Virginia. Revised Second Edition, 1993.

3. Frazier, Harry. Recollections. Original in C&O Lines magazine 1937 and 1938, reprinted by COHS, Alderson WV, 1975.

4. Axtell, Decatur. Manuscript written about 1920 on the History of the C&O Ry. Co. (C&OHS Archives Collection)

5. Dixon, Thomas W. Personal interview. I Feb. 1999, Lynchburg, Va.

6. Photocopied pages from the book, Men of Mark in Virginia Vol. V. 1909, in C&OHS Archives Collection.

7. Dictionary of Virginia Biography, Vol 1. 1998. (Axtell information written by Dr. Robert S. Conte, Historian at the Greenbrier). The Library of Virginia, Richmond.

8. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Vol IV. 1915. Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York.

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