Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-01-19

FOR THE ENQUIRER
BALTIMORE RAILROAD


operated ON by steam, or horsepower, PASSING So
Vcrai hundred miles through country HAVING mo
ny water-courses capable Of being rendered nav.
Saoie' WIN be equally advantageous to that co,,n.
Try as to have its streams made nayigable
This is a serious question to our back connie,
ana is now presented to her consideration bv ~
proposed Baltimore Railroad "S
Ii 1t be said it can do harm, for If not found .,
DC useiui the streams can be hereafter male nav;
gable, again ask, IS this certain ? This lac, CO.,
ton is one Of rifdi interest if there il any, -
ABOUT the hrst. Here is Railroad made ~
sums expended, hundreds of stockholders intcros
,eo' thousands OF Others living on the line taver
Aeepers, small towns, owners of teams, If horsn-
power IS used, and ten thousand other small i'm,
rests-dh 81 them actipe and indastrious--or,
ed TO change-all of them must be nut do,rp +.
navigation is to substitute the Railroad The r.
justice to those who have thus embarked ,ba;.
FUNDS, wii resound through the land The hazard
TOO, either to the State, or companies who ,na
undertake the navigation is nagnifed--fo, no.;
cannot toeH stand together; one or the otie, nv
S'oe Udy' Gan any one say that these thinyo
would not forever put am end to the extension of
our navigation! II it might, we ought most scri.
ousiy 10 weigh the first question. Indeed, the
poDcr and Influence which the Act of the ias.
session has given the Company already in m
State, is pretty good sample of what we may e~
pect hereafter Had the petition to the last Lcgis
azure asked ieave to go, at once TO the great Kan
hawa, had that been the sine qua non, of the Con-,
Pany is confidently believed that the proposition
would not at that time, have received a eincis
vote but that, if not finally and indisnnnttI re-.
Jected would at least, have been laid over for th
cohS'uerauon due TO the question, which alone
Sheh application could hare been predicotcd-
the question, whether the State reaiEy inten5eJ
70 70 doandon forever the internal Improvement Of
the country?
Railway of such extent is novelty in ,bs
world II Is understood thatthey have been found
useful Tor short distances, between points bavin,
great commercial intercourse, where prodrca %
other articles are accumulated and Iinust ba ,,o
ported between given points, whereby the ma.
chines are keptin regular and constant motion. or
perhaps between nauigGble pOints of rivers ,yb.sa
ohe ground and water-courses will not admit of "a
mails. ~ 'e0 VI I'd
suppose the Potomac river to be improved h.,
canals, or dams and locks, 10 Harper's Ferry. n =
oeheVeo II would be hazardous TO construct a rail-
toau up 'he Faiiey oil the Shenandoah to Augusta.
ana expect remuneration from the trade that SvouI
accumulate at Staunton, or at the mouth of Iay,;,
creek, and other points; and il would be eouajI,,
unsafe to take it up the Potomac TO the Som,i
brancn, or up that Branch, and expect TO be re-
Enumerated by the trade collected there. and 90.
tainly no Company would undertake 10th. VI Ve.
the navigation of both these rivers might bc s,fiy
unueIlaken, IL the lower part was improyed a.
aforesaid The road though would prevent this sS
would cross the river and take the trade TO Raj
a.,aore, ana ue result would be, that the schoie
country must be satisfied by railway pass;Ty ,,
the Valley, or going further North, so as to sf2;e
uhe ONO above the mouth Of the Little KoncIybs.
and thus the utility of our great streams. and
,heir Branches forever lost to the State; unless o
deed two sets of very expensive innDrorenents
can be supported To support The railroad tho
the company must look to the great depots on ibs
ohio' mnst secure them to Itself or sink ,rifh ;ts
o'cn tceighf: The railroad ,couM not be and.
tahcn for less object. If the company secnrcs
70 isel the Western trade, it lessons by so much
the means OF the State 10 improve our navigation
ana roads IN every part of the country, where such
improvements can be usefulIy made
Inc produce OF the rich banks of our rivers ton
must be transported to the nearest point Of The
Taii.road' instead Of going by its natural channel
Is 1t safe for the Legislature of the State TO tale
tedp at once into this unknown region. and ;T
recoca0fy Tx her fate one way or The Other, Or
ought not some time to be taken for dcliberation
ana the advice of their constituents?
Much might be said on this subject: but bint
is all that IS intended. can't conclude. bovvevc-
without asking, whether the railroad would have
Deen thought OF, much less undertaken. if tbe
otate OF Virginia had been proceeding with bc-
improvements or if, in fact, il had not been CON
sdered that she dead, not asleep u,ereIj from
which she might be reused, but aJsolutelv aeadto
her true interest? 0SU" -
n MOUNTAINEER