Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-03-22
EOR THE WuIG,


vense?pareere SUBJECTS debdre superbos as much
maxim OF wisdom, as masnaumy.
foB THE VINO.
MEssRs. PEASANTS AND Asporr
hnd that an order has been made in the House of
oeiegates, for the committee internal improve
ments TO enquire INTO and report the relative expense,
benefits and facilities of constructing rail roads and
canals; also find, that person over the sigma
ture OF u III your paper of The 18th of March, has d
ected the attention of the committee for correct in
formation the subject, to u repor; of AIR. Kpiobt
the chief engineer on the Baltimore and Ohio rail
road company, which report now take the liberty
10 controvert am one of those citizens of Virginia
who are to be benefited by the rail road or canal
exactly according to the superior utility of either
because the tract contemplated for both passes close
to my property am therefore for preierrinp one TO
me o'her according to It's worth and utility But in
forming this decision would certainly exclude "a
evidence any estimate made by the enoneers either
OF That raj road company or of the Chesapeake and
ONO canal under the rival circumstances and hostile
atttude III which they are placed, to each other
II IS not TO be doubted but one leading object with
the rail road company, Is to supersede the canal
lhcse companies may destroy each other, but they
cannot Doth succeed, contendng for the same denti-
cal commerce and the same tract of location. From
the time that the idea of the Baltimore and Ohio rH,
road was first conceived We find publications con-
tinually made by that company and IFS friends de-
signed to exat rail roads and depresS canals in the
PUBIC estimation These publications have been cir
cnlated by the many newspapers the CITY of Bali
more, very widely and the piece of rail road which
mas been finished at the expense, as it IS said of
double or treble the original estimate, from Baltimore
10 Ell'cotts Mills has been ndustrously used TO he
oes advantage to extend the popularity of the rail
road There Is great cancourse of stranuers IN
that city. upon whom the performance upon that
piece of rail road, from its novelty has had an pno
sing effect. This has assisted the city of Baltimore
together with its wealth and influence to make rail
roauS quite the tuvourites of late. Certain II is
that they were little thought of in our country until
the PROJECT otthe Baltimore and Ohio rail road was
fran nc1. = -,
framed; ana 1t Is highly probable that it would not
yet nave been thought Of had 1t not been to counter
act or defeat the Chesapeake and Ohio cunal from
which Baltimore opprehended great injury In SAVING
this mean no dSparagement to the city of BALI
more. 1t Is true Fa'l roads in England have received
late impulse from the great success of the Liver
pool and Manchester rail road but the ADVANTAGE
winch 1t has are so great that it can hardly be n
precedent for any other in the world That is but 80
miles IN length and has deposited at each end daily
as 1t is sa'd, 1000 tons Of merchandise besides vast
number of passengers. This cummerce it can he
satisfactory shown, Is than ten times as u,,tc
as VIII probably ever pass the Baltimore and Ohio
rail- road; but even this has encuura rnd the
pie OF England to attempt any undertaking one Third
or one fourth port as great. Indeed the chief e1oi-
Heer OF the Manchester and Liverpool rail road bus
pronounced that it would be highly inexpedent TO
make rall roads on many thorouglIiIes IN EnDloud
where the commerce was certain to be as much #
not more than would ever use the Baltimore and
Ohio rail road, Rail roads are not new invention
nor has there been any late improvements which
rlaSes oy steam That cannot be done in this comm
try and venture to say, never will be done IN anv
extent because they only be used on dead
IeVe or where the angle of the line of ascent with
the hofizon is not more than half a degree and
where That angle does not change at short distances
Ia England where the Of canals and rail roods
have been known for tire same length Of time !,
would have been thought foolish in the extreme IN.
prefer ran roads TO canals As proof of this canal
stock IN England has in almost all instances beon
ABOVE par, IN some instances high as ten fold. and
raj road stock has almost as uniformly been nnLor
par, with the exception of The Manchester and yer
poor ran roHd' and perhaps, one two others of
short distances. My object in this is to show TINT
IN Virginia, in determining between rail roads
ana canals, ought not TO be influenced by the es,i
mates exhibited by the engineers of the Baltimore
ana oh'o ran road company, as well for the reasons
ABOVE Stated as because they have been made so,po
OF them evidently, with eye to success in the ron
test with the Chesapeake and Ohio canal companr.
and further because they only on paper and have
never been tested or proved by experience to be cor
rect, any where; the contrary il ia evdent tIa,
they are grossly incorrect.
Ihey made an estimate for that rail road frorn /
''ai'uIole 70 Ihe ONO river, over continual sue
Ccssioh " nlgh ana steep mountains fol one third
OF the way at least, at $4,000 Der mile Wben ,bo
Manchester and Liverpool rail road-n,d. 80 ,a ,
nearly ieVeI ground, IN country where materials /
and labour are cheap comparison with what tboy
a!e III TINS country, and where there was the most
sKtul and experienced Engineers-cost from son onn
to 100000 per mile. who can have confdcnco - !
Engineers who make such estimate.o Moreover in
the next 80 miles after passing ElIcot's Mills fIo1,
Baltimore, the ascent 10 be overcome is $50 frc,
whereas the whole ascent upon the Manchester and
Liverpool rail road was but 100 feet We have GOOD
reason to believe that that part of the rail road
which has been finished, unsubstantal Us il is cost
treble the original estmute per mile Again. these
Engineers have proposed and recommended n rail
road from Baltimore to the Ohio river distance ofl
more than $50 miles, third of which distance NJ
Ioas' is Ied up with mountains, some Of them 200
feet high, ond having ascent and desccn, Of 100
iect to the mile and IN some places much more with
only narrow Valii"s between them. Yet they CON
template passing all these mountains by stationary
engines, and hold out the idea that the whole distance
may DO travelled thus in 81 hours. If this is not
building castles IN the air, it would at least be plant
ing me OF stationary engines in rank and file for
some hundred miles; the thought of which must be
overwhelming, and we become so far lost in our
calculations whilst we attempt to form an idea of this
that we can see but little difference between such
an undertaking. and that Of raising and keeping con
stantJy in the field army of 10000 or 100 non /
men lie must indeed be poetic to imagine the (
operation Of being pulled up and let down over those