Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-04-03

~ u.nsyi'ama. lie claimed, moreover, for this com
.ne rare merit oil having INDUCED in no puIing or
extravaSant representations They had pona 10 81 ~
WIN mat noiseless energy which usually Indicates de-
efmhed purpose. Not a word said, in tho newsno
pers or otherwise Of their proceedings and the road
ncuiy na nshed before il was generally known tina:
any progress had been made. ~
Mr. Is. then said, that having shown the .peedv cor
po oi ,hs Improvement, at moderate expense TO be
no longer doubtful, he would proceed to state some
IL would be profitable. He exhibited va
10y VI esunatcs ana calculations, and AMONGST obc~
hngs SAID that this road intended as an outlet for The
oil nat extensive tract of country which lies on
me waters OF the Roanoke and tile Northern ,nd Nal,
western part OF North Carolina The character ~ H.
sea- board to The Eastward of this region forbid all
wae Of ~, anu us trade must necessarily 10 the
crs o. ,ne chesapeake Bay and go out through tb,.
SaPes oil virginia The whole volume of produce In ,h
ana South vest pent up behind the barrier of our
coast How TO the James River for the same
reasons that the produce to the West of the Aeoban
seeks market to the Northward instead of orcin ny
of sood me mountains TO the Eastward. The supply
~ SooS, groceries, &c. would of course be procured
through the same channel. He then examncd ,ha oLan
ana quantity OF the trade OF that and said that tho
PRESIDENT and Directors of the Roanoke Navigat;on C
ny, most respectable and intelligent body of gentlemen
IN theirepor TO the Board OF Public Work.
az 1922 that there produced annually on Tho We
ters OF the upper Roanoke about Is 600 bomsS
o, tobacco and 10000 bales of cotton which are sna 70
ooo TO-, nooop IONS Ho supposed there were at least
o'Vo IONS Oh the same articles grown in the po,bar,
part OF Carolina, and along tho line of the road ,n j.;
e on @ not on the waters of the Roanoke If fbere
were Zoooo tons OF cotton and tobacco raised in tba,
~ I cno was reasonable TO conclude that there were
al ieast: o,OO0 tons of other commodities such a. go
49,, W: within me same bounds. The return trade OF
merchandize, he would state at 900 tons aIbouh he
was convinced it would be much more This na5e a,,
Oh 3o'ooo tons for transportation on the Rail
roau and assuming the distance to be sixty mice
a. he rae oil IS cents per hundred or 10 cents ne
per he, equal to six dollars per ton for the whole
to 10000 dollars Setting apart one bais f a,.ou.'
Peses Oh transportation and repairs the nett nrof,s
would 0a o DE $4,000 % l2 per cent on capaI Of
But TO avoid all possible mistake he would re-
ce le estimate one half and suppose only 10 600 tons 20
pc carried on the road This would yield 500 600 in ro
o. $loooo nett prohtaiter providing for repairs and
penses--equal TO nearly IL per cent ON tho s,o,
e eght be reduced still farther 10 900 tons and H.
- receipts would be $6oooo the profits $50 900
'r IL per cent AT the rate of cents per bun,rcI
~ So per ton emily 5000 TONS after deductine renai
49,, would yield nett profit of nearly per cent Thus
lar ne mad not taken into consideration the nroceed -.
travelling and transportation OF the mail The rsilroI
ne said pursued the direction of the yreat Son,h
,oad' and OF course the mail would be carried ON II HI
m my Aow what the government gave for the t-ons
oar F Tb ,e a %a on s Of ais,s%ss e
hours would almost be worth that sum Even the mail
contractors could afford TO give than IS 600 as II
would them the expense Of horses coaches &c Four
travellers day. in each direction at cents per mile
would produce upwards $4,000 per year. This would
pc regarded as most reasonable estimate by those who
are-But suppose there should be only two passengers
iaiiy In each directions and would sill yield so 600 an
s9a a Pa these items together 5000 for the mail,
Soooo Tor travellers, and only 5000 tons SO per tom
and the aggregate receipts would be $40 00O-equa TO
per cent after providing Tor repairs and expenses Finally
II the mail and passengers yielded 600 and the freight
amounted to 5000 TONS at 81 per tom or IS cents per VT
The receipts would be S OO0 and after &c ducno
$4,000 for repairs and expenses. there would remain
nett profit of He thought tlcre was no doubt
that Petersburg received annually in wagons from the
waters OF The Roanoke and the country along the line
oil the road at least 10000 ons in the articles OF cotton
tobacco and flour alone 1t appeared from commereal
report which he held in his hand published monthly in
Petersburg and which was doubt authentic there
were exported from that town during the last year about
1000 hoSsheads and % 600 kegs OF obscco2O 600 bales
OF couo ana 'ooo barrels OF iourequal TO upwards of
20ooo toi-and this he was assured much below the
average exports of the place, in those commodities only
Whence did these 10000 tons come? Not from country
10 The westward oil Petersburg because that produce went
to The James river and Richmond from the country
to the eastward for that went to Norfolk II all iro
the south,-n the direction of The rail road and
without any facilities for transportation in competition too
with the Dismal Swamp Canal. Petersburg was now ac-
tualiy receiving from the Roanoke country in all proba
biiy, 10000 tons Of few staple arcles-and this was
exclusive OF the merchandise she sending back in re-
turn He had shewn that if only 5000 tons, even
5000 (oiher circumstances avouring) should be carried
on the road annually the nett profits would be per cent
some gentlemen, however, supposed that although the
trade oil the Roanoke and Caolina might be sufficient
render the road profitable, yet would probably take
Their direction. and 30 10 Norfolk by way Of the Dismal
Swamp Canal He entertained fears on lhat subject,
and would explain his for it. The road was to
strike the Roanoke, short distance below Weldon at a
point most accessible The trade of that region The
productive part NJ Carolina was lust opposite and
the produce OF the upper Roanoke and all its water could
pass in baeaux through the locks at Weldon to the termi-
nation of the road beiowwhe produce along the lower
Roanoke might ascend TO the point. He would
suppose the whole of the trade, them collected at
or near Weldon, and seeking point for foreign expor-
ily follit, at the mouth oil the
pomatox, the rival places The was about 100
miles above the former the James river; bat vessels
OF the largest Gloss up without difficulty and were
loaded there. The price Of freight from City Point to
Liverpool was precisely the from Norfolk and he
was crediby informed that OF registered ships destined
to foreign ports, at least ten loaded City Point for one
at Norfolk There was, therefore, but little, if any diff
ference, between the facilities Of expectation from heso
two points. what were the comparative difficulties Of
reaching them from the Roanoke The distance from
Weldon to Petersburg the rail road would be about GO
miles, and thence 10 City Point, down the Appomatox,
about ~ miles-n s about 40 miles. The distance from
Swamp anal was240 miles The time of transition tom
Weldon 70 Petersburg the rail- road would at modcr
ate computation, be about hours and would
tow two lighters Of 30 tons EACH from the latter place
City Point in less than two hours. Allowing three hours
ordeay at Petersbug and the cargo would be transferred
from ihc Roanoke 10 the side Of merchant vessel in
James river, IT. ten hoursbctweeD the rising and setting
OF the The shortest time, he Informed, in
which steamboats, went from Weldon TO Norfolk by the
canal FIVE days In late report OF the Roanoke
pauy il was said 10 he UeeHy intercourse The naxf
mum cost of transportation the railroad would be about
29 cents per hundred SO per and from Petersburg
per The rate of transportation from Weldon Noros
along canal wassaid TO be 35 per ct 81 10 per
ton. On the one route there distance of 20 miles
opposed TO 30 on the ohcTten hours FIVE days1nd
cost OF 81 per ton 10 So 20. lie said, he actuatcd
by no hostility to Norfolk, in making these comparisons
but wished That town the prosperity that he did eve
~ other part Of the Commonwealth II The expectations
OF some Of It's sangune friends should be realized, aud Il
should become he New York Of the South, the produce
Of the interior would stop cither at Petersburg Rich