American watchman and Delaware advertiser., 1825-09-23
To THE EDITORS OF THE WATcH,tAu

have been much pleased with The extracts :.
spectng Rail Ways, published in your paper ofu.
18th ut., supposing that The facts stated aceo,,
with the best information that can now be ob,ainedoa
the subject; and propose to proceed to make some
calculations in correspondence with those facts II
furlherance of the views heretofore published on
the advantages Of the formation OF rail WAYS from,
Wilmington to Lancaster, Pennsylyania-and from
Wilmington to Elkton in Maryland.
BY one Of those extracts it appears that the O..
tinlated cos. OF canal between Two points mention
ed was 650,000 pounds sterling-whilst that Of a
Rail Hay between the sams taco points was bur
l4s206l. The calculated cost Of the canal, then
was more than treble tha, OF Rail Way.
1t has before been stated that the utmost speed
that can be admitted on canal is three miles Der
hour--it however appears by the extracts aboye
mentioned, that heavy loaded wagons may, on \
Rail Way, bs drawn at the rate Of miles per hour.
and by means Of locomotive engine, stage coach
es or wagons for The conveyance OF tight goods
may be drawn at the rate Of IL miles an hour
This fully corroborales what has been prevousl,
stated in the Wa,chman- and exhibits rain Il
speed orpr Il canal, Of from SO to 400 per cent.
II further appears from the aforesaid EXTRACTS
that there is not an absolute necessity for rail
way 10 be laid entirely lerei it is quite practica
Bile 10 pass over very much varied country, by
the simple addition of power. This removes
great difficulty that contemplated as resulting
from the many hills that will be Ionnd in any ex.
tended section OF road in this country, and rspe.
cially when carried in line crossing the ranges o
our hills
The information also in relation TO the locomo
tive engine is pieasingas it appears probable tia!
the faithful animal, the horse may be released irnm
portion of the labor that shortens his existence;
and in cases particularly where perserering speed
is demanded. as in mail coaches, where one such
engine may convey ?ndny passengers at The rate Of
at least o miles IN the hour as before mcioeed.
4" a locomotive steam engine OF ten horse power
will draw leo tons at the rate thai draft horse
generally traycls"--call this 10 miles day, or u
days between Wilmington and Lancaster-l 90 tons
would be equal in weight to 44S0 bushels Of Wheat.
The cost OF such Locomotive engine is stated a,
about 400 pounds sterling, l:-6 dollars. They
have been proved 10 be "slmpe, cheap and regular,
aud will last many years"
| Ii is scarcely conceivable what difference such
road would make in the state Of country, where
such an engine and road would be the means Of
transporting 4480 bushels OF wheat &c miles in little
more han one day, at a comparatively trltling es-
peDse :-wbereas, TO ardg0n the same quantity oil
wheat from Lancaster, would cost, at the low.
est rate, near 700 dollars and the principles
would operate equally between Wilmington ard
Elkon, and render the canal connecting the two
Bays, an object OF much less conseGuence-part
larly to the citizens Of Elkton. The rail way and
locomotive engine would be objects Of great mpor'
tance TO them-and more especially il their Riur
was made easily navigable for bay craft and steam
boats.
If locomotive engine will draw 100 tons, as
stated three miles per hour-and so tons, at SIX
miles per honr---as fifteen passengers, with their
baggage would weigh almost one ton, so tons would
be equivalent 10 rs passenseTs--and supposlnga
coach or line OF coaches to carry the whole number
and TO travel but at the rate oil six miles In an hour,
it would require less than two hours to transport
that number of passengers from Elkton to Whining
ton to go from thence on The way to Philadelphia
and New York, by steam boat The expense Of
passage would necessarily be very small where 50
much business was done. and so expedltlously'
1t appears from the extracts above alluded to that
one locomotive engine would cos. less than 1867
dollars-which engine would require the attend
ance OF one man and boy, at a daily eTpense Y
5s sterling, and the coal consumed in 10 hours
would be from 20 to so cwt"--costing about ten
dollars. This engine would be capable ol perform.
ing many trips to Elkton ir the day-say 1--WE, and
IN the intervals OF drawing passage coaches wagons
laden With goods might be drawn over--llus Keep
ing The engine IN steady employment.
! And as relates TO the Lancaster Iailway, such %
engine would make the distance in eight or nine
hours and draw fifty tons OF goods, or 500 bbls o.
flour still taking the English data, as contained
In the aforesaid extracts as the rule Of our Iuds
mentj--lrom whence ii is presumed that flour 50
transported might be delivered in Wilmington u
less than ~! cents per b5l, and wheat at ceh'a
per bushc-and other articles at proporlonae rates
! At first view it seems almost impossible mas
such prodigious change in prices could be ehee'ea
by any cause But lie, US net decide too qucky,
but consider what alteration has been produce
BY the New-York Canal, and by steam boats Gu Inc
hudson, where the passage TO Albany from New
York has been reduced from seren dollars to rev.,
IN the course Of very few years-and the pIics. o.
the transportation OF barrel OF lour from Bnp@v