Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-04-03
Virginia Legislature.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
Monday, FEB. I3.
PETERSBURG RAIL ROAD.

Tic orks to subscribe on behalf of he commonwealth
STOCK Oh the Petersburg Rail Road, was read ,hirt
MIR. BROWN said, that In accordance with the will o
e rouse as expressed former day of the session
inc a suffered his bill TO lie quietly the table await
o disposition OF the question respecting the great
eShia connection of the Eastern and Western Waters
na subject had been discussed and decided direction
gwen 70 H. so that 1t longer difficult TO orcseo its
destination lie should, therefore now ask the House 10
make nna disposition OF subject which, in the dis
"se OF MS DUTY he had already frequently broug
was probably recollcctcd he sad by most who were
'ha at tho last session OF the General Assembly
n act was passed. authorizing the Board of Public Work
70 subscribe ON beha: OF the State for tbs of IN.
STOCK OIL the Petersburg Rail Road Company amounny
; Vaue 70 $looooo; with poviso that this subscrip,
oh SHOULD DC PAID by instruments exceeding SO 900
per annum. The whole amount at this ra,e would he
pad oil In the course Of 81 years But he was prepared
10 snow that II the operations of the comnanv sod NO,
be suspended by the want of means bev would Gnin
,he road in two years from that time They would of
oe uhder the necessity of expendng the whole of
utmost consequence, that the State as well as ndivuas
snoud pay her subscription promptly. The Impression
,h pepea 'er while after the passage of the act of
ast session. That would the purposes of the
company was thought that might be made availabIe
az oy loan TO be negotiated in some shape or other
upon the iaith OF the subscription Numerous caIcuIa
tons had been made, and variety of Mans sn,J Ia
winch the money might be raised butt had resulted in
@ ia. the subscription, on the terms annexed
"dS "hohy useless and could be accepted bv the
company The greatest that could be raised on
IT, IN cash. on the principle of annuity, at per cent
ha hon,
transfer 10 the State $I6O 900 worth of s,ocr u;
she should get only $4,000. There would be no means
Of supplying the deficiency of IS OoO inasmucb
as the whole OF the capital stock would have been ,;
Gu me subject had been thoroughly inyestipated-
every Kind oil financial expedient had been cons;ao
u '"eIe was no longer doubt, that the company must
were modified. ''' VIRUS u q"
as II 10 The interest of the State enact conditions so
TO the company! So Ear from IT, he said
1t was obvious that the moment the State a.rnod ., %
come subscriber she held large portion of The ock ami
w as ,os. as much concerned as the private stockholders
III promoting the success of the enterprise Even If II
were Otherwise and the State had no direct particnaon
IN the proht and loss OF the work. still every
Of sound policy forbid the imposition of rgoro,s I
essNc terms. IL was, surely, the object of the 90
ehmeht 10 drive good bargains, but to encourage the
OF the country by judicous appro
,a'ioh OF the public funds. The very ebject would be
ieieated by an iberal and penurious policy. and T., @
erehce either to the interests of the company or The Stat
1911 DC pe',er mat no subscription should be made on
D'a . Vi sne COMMEMORATIVE than that the payyuents
,ppicaton that the matter had been settled deiniiively
II the last session; that the gentleman then representing
he town OF Petersburg and charged with the interests OF
his company, had accepted the subscription the condi-
ions then imposed and admitted it TO be suiicent that
he compact concluded to the satisfaction of all parties
md ought not so 10 be disturbed. lie supposed it
vas true that the representative of Petersburg under
he impression that the isav
IS they were found 10 be further considerations did
ent to them. Perhaps il was because he thought them
he most avourable that could be obtained under then ex
sting circumstances His constituents were certainly sat-
SIZED with his exerions the subject But vet the com
pany had never accepted those They did not pro-
them, had they heard of them until after the
bill passed They presented their memorial asking
Tor subscription OH the usual terms; and il unai
the moment before the final question the BILL that the
proviso was added restricting the payment TO nsalmens
not exceeding $4,000 per year Even those terms had
been accepted in the formal manner, as soon as
they found 10 be runous the interests of The Gem
pany, wise and liberal policy, such as il becomes the
State pursue, would have called for the ameiioaon oil
them.
He said it difficult matter TO comprehend the
reasons which induced the Legislature 10 embark their
10
ty was eyinced by the act OF the last session. The
work was not then begun. 1t only project not vet
subjected to The test OF experiment and its eventual
cess was wholly doubtful. Now, however, the aspect Of
the changed, and he prepared show-sas-
actory as he thought-that the practcabiy and utility
of the Improvement longer questionable The
whole length of the road he sad would be less than sixty
niles the original estimate made it about SO miles and
would be somewhat reduced by the actual location The
graduation and masonry of 80 miles had already COM
plecd and ready for the reception of the rasyghie
considerable progress had been additional sec
ton OF fifteen miles The masonry Of three out of the
five bridges requisite onth whole line, finished The
timber for the supersructurc lying ready the road
side for about thirty miles Five hundred tons of IRON
one half of the whole quantity required-had been pur-
chased in England, part of which was already shipped
at Liverpool and the whole would be received by the Isl
OF April One locomotive engine contracted for in
England, and another in this country. 1t was confidently
anticipated, that by the LIST Of February next S33 forty
live miles OF the road, extending beyond the Mehern,
would be completed, and the be running upon il.
Within twelve months thereafter, the whole work would
be finished and in full operation
He said, the construction had not only gone with uu-
exampcd rapdity, but ii well done. A considerable
part Of the roadway formation perfectly level The
greatest variation 3S feet per mile, that only for
short distance. In section Of IL miles The variation from
level did not exceed three and half feet mile. The
line Of the road very direct and instance per-
ccty straight for eight rsIesa circumstance highly IA
vorablc to the OF steam power. The curves through
out easy and gradualthe rad being generally about
half mile i'm length, and the shortest about 900 feet
whereas, the Baltimore Railroad he was informed
there radii not exceeding 500 feet 1t was evident
from these circumstances that the road would he anira
bly, adapted TO the of that rapid economical agent
the locomotive engine, which ii was intended TO employ.
lie stated another factmorc important than any-that
the cost of construction thus far within the original
estimates The cost of the whole work estimated at
$3.50 OOOhe capital stock ofhe company was $500 900
one half of the iron had been purchased in England at
E6 10 per ton, and, coming under the denomination OF
manufactured iron, IL subject only a moderate
duty. 1t thought the whole cost when deposited on
the road side, would not exceed Gl5 per ton
Mr.. b., in confirmation of what he had stated here read
TO the House a letter from MIR. Moncure Robinson, the
Engineer conducting the work
He said the secret Of the unprecedented success which
had attended this work, 10 be found in c fact that the
country through which passed was we'll suited, per
haps any the lace OF the earth, for railroad lie
could offer forcbe Illustration of IL, than b,
stating that in instance the road straight for
miles, and another section OF thirteen miles the great
est variation from level three and half fee
per mile; and, what remarkable, this nea
approach 10 horizontal plane, had been Obtained wiiou
an embankment exceeding 13 feet, or cutting Of more
than IL feet. Much also owing, he said IN,
judiciois arrangements Of tho Engineer under whose
auspices the work had been commenced and conducted
and OF whose skill experience ard scientific requirement