sentences:  The railroad was nearly abandoned, but the lumber brokers Blair and Hower bought up the railroad's bonds in early 1915 and gained control of a majority of the stock by 1917.By protecting the unprofitable railroad, they could ensure that their lumber businesses could retain access to what was, as yet, the only means of transportation in the Tuscarora Valley capable of sustaining them.Although Blair and Hower's takeover had relieved the railroad from the prospect of foreclosure when its bonds came due in 1917, the business outlook remained grim.