Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-10-30
ruO1tcune,t,1>, FOR THG EMO UIRER
tuOOGl11S On CANALS A ND RAIL Ans,

! THOUGHTS ON CANALS AND RAiL.ROADS
Nuu'e furnishes us with The most extended inclined
planes Tor example, the Missouri river has The most y
iended inclined plane the continent and an uniform
strong current to the for nearly three thnssnd
mics, OF about an average fall Of eighteen inches Ia the
in'e; on The whole course Of which, the heaviest bur
,hened steam boats ply up and down. Now supno,c i,
were PEaceabe to have double track of rail roads
convenient distance apart say sixty or cigbtv t and
suG current passing between those double tracks oC
Taroad and instead of steamboats, you use steam car
riagcs with water wheel you could i'm descsndi,,
such an inclined plane, bring down anv Iurtl,su h,
uchlg buttiien cars TO the steam car The wacrleel
Tue steam car acting against the of water would
proper the whole line of down such an ;nc,cd
plane with incredible velocity having only To disnlace a
certain body OF air. instead of steam boats dspacing
nm goiue OF water. we know in the u States the
weight oil the produce descending all our rivers is many
Told greater than the goods ascending If we find lie
steam power insuihcen to take up the return curoocs
we can take down number of horses on the cars n
aid the steam in ascending each compliment of hors IN
run up short distance aud be relic we'd by anotrr
pimcnt, and that some Of The borsss Oil -
ways DC riding Gown on the and some al,ysvs adin
the steam IN pulling them up the country-Tbe yveir
OF The descending horses the cars will not impede
lheir velocity but increase it, the principle of gravity
ana II Is dihcut to say at what speed the cars would dc.
sccnu Now, let us look one of our rran;te rivers
ne Hnos1h' thc Delaware, The Susquchanna the Poto-
&c., &c. 49,
viii take James River for example, as something is
contemplated by the Old Dominion IN arrive =, - -
Parison with her Northern sisters and to ob,in
oil tne commerce OF the great Western Valley
IL we commence Canal at iiIe upper part of James
/ XXI IF
- ,os an average inclined plane of the river
descent, we get much current in the canal ns ve 10
whole descent to Richmond being computed at
more IMAM Twelve hundred cetand as we have the ma
teal (grane rocky ali along that river tn construct r
ra tracks, which tracks will form tie walls of tc email
YOU VIII then have such inclined plane az Ia lo en-,
BLEED TO propel your cars on beyond any desirable s,o
and as to the amount of weight which could be tken
Gown by That mode, IT would be almost incalcnlable
Let II be understood that the wheel is placed m
one side OF the car, and balance wheel on The ote,
so nl' ne water wheel will be always working in the
eI pom ascending aud desccndngand in order the,
ore iuhy 10 understand the operations We viii comuete
Tie plan OF the canal and rsi tracks by taking tbcn1
9rey around BelVidere hill-making al island of Belv
utIe pdce-whcTc cargoes may received ind do,,er
ed aud conveyed TO and from thence by the ordn,,,
nouTs inc present pond and canal there, drays &c
"e hlo" ihai steamboats,, Of ordinary constructions
and many hundred tons burlher stem the stron. chr
rents OF the Mississippi and Missouri old Mand5u fr
instance went up 10 the Council Bluffs ON the Missouri
g.. III ~ ~ Ahthony, on the Mississippi, al
yer Oehg considered unseaworthy And it is reasonable
70 suppose That an engine may be had sufficiently pow
enu to take up tie back loading IT, however your
steam power be Insufficient horses as before men.
toned We shall have TO use many small ao,,rducts
ana e" large ones, IN passing the mouths Of te trbu.
tary streams, this plan
The water wheel Of the steam car mae mr. mac no, L
used IN ascending, and horses may or may not be used
nj aj and steam need not be used in DESCENDING if YOU
w 20 ,'ayei slowly IN comparison Tie wafer whrel
DeNs o"OeAe9 wiil take you along, down such in
cncd plane, quite rapidly enough with such a current
70 ProPsl y and steam alone may carry YOU up custer
lii ~ does those immense heavy boats on the Western
rivers, against their strong currents If if be trne b,
you nave Twelve hundred feet a besides the convexilv
~ uie e'th surface, where is a. at you con.
auct sneh canals and rail road tracks IN our lower coun
ny You may take them to Williamsburg York flamp.
TOM ana There terminate at your grand roadstcad In
deed you may dyerge almost llinlaby in your lower
counties, with such works.
Kermit me to insist on wide and deep canals becarse
you cpn make valuable uses Of all the water f,r ina.
cmnefy watering OIL ptfts Of your City and f culinary
uses Wc u being the hoahiest water you can get ii a
strong current be Kept up
Le, rail road Of double track be conimoed from the
bouh OF Duniaps Creek, to the nearest part Of tlie
henawha River, by ncandering down Of its trbuta
ie', k"hich we may term tic summit section Of the
work) thence 10 the Ohio on the canal aud raJ,aa,
rack plan-thefe making another loop or island as AZ
beyi9crc; and within ten years alcr the coni2letion
would not DC exiravagant TO SUPPOSE that your bcant
July diversified City will have donbled it's population
ana capitalists will be invited among YOU They know
t1e resources Of the West Nature invites you to coma
your Eastern sister cities. The cost will Be consider
sable but you viii find the object attained viii he com