Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-12-25

1
J road and caSASHill answer the Purpose o
securing either tkl trade or travel Of the erea
West. particularly when continuous line O.
Railroads.&c. offered from Wheeling or Parkers.
burg, as the case may be, 10 Baltimore. No
sir; to secure the one or the other. or both
YOU must hold out equal or superior advanta-
yes, if not in distance, at least in convenience
and despatch. Suppose, then, your canal
I completed TO Buchanan, and from that poin,
/ a railroad TO the Ohio-whai you'd be the
practical RESULT To ascertain it, pu, the
question, each one Of you, to yourselves il
! you were on the Ohio River, in q comfortable
steamboat, making for Baltimore or any of the
! N Northern or Eastern cities, and could ascend
mat river by steamboat TO Wheeling, there
take a railroad to Baltimore, would YOU stop
at Guyandotte TO take a railroad to Buchanan.
OF litle more than half the distance to Rich
mond, there to take canal boat FOR the other
hall, aud travel at the rate Of four miles an
hour Add Ia this the uncertainty of getting
on Tor considerable portion of The year, bv
hnd'ng, when you reached Buchanan, your
progress arrested by the frozen condition of
Inc canal when, GALL stage travelling having
oeen suspented.) you would be left in the
leart OF The State, TO find your way to Rich
mono oy sieIghs, sedges, carts, on horseback
or on loot, as circumstances might determine.
ana such answer as you give 10 yourselves,
SUCH, you may be assured, would be the de-
termination OF nlnety-n nine out OF every hun
ureh' Again, If you had produce on the, o.
mo, would you be willing To encounter such
delays, together with the Inconvenience and
! expense OF iranshipmcnt from the steamboat,
on Tie ohio TO the railroad at Guyantlotte,
ana the necessary transhpment from the rail-
road to The canal at Buchanan, when, by go
ing TO wheeling. you would have only one
'ranshipmcnt, which would take you directly
10 Baltimore by continuous line of railroad (,
Surely you would not-and il you would not,
then the line oil improvement commenced bv
canal from Richmond, and proposed 10 be
continued by railroad from Buchanan, must
iail TO accomplish the end desired; for il
could not contend with lis rival, the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad. You have commenced
wrong; you need not rub out what you have
done, but you must begin again.
But let us suppose the railroad made from
Buchanan TO Guyandotte, either by Covine-
Ton or the more circuitous route Of the Horse
Shoe-what then' Why, for the reasons |
nave mentioned already, you would find the
wh"le investment pro6iless and useless for.
II you could command both the trade and
travel, (Which we will suppose, for argument
sake,) then there would be, perhaps, several
months OF the year when Your canal parlicu-
Iarly III the region of the mountains, would be
DISTRACTED by ice, and thereby the entire line
rendered idle and valueless for that portion of
the year and, in work of such extent. MAG
nlu,'e and cost, would you be enabled to keep
up The line, except by its constant employ
ment! Certainly you would not! What
then Why, sir, you would find yourselves
compelled, by unavoidable circumstances and
indispensable necessity, TO continue the rail-
road from Buchanan 10 Richmond which is
mo doubt contemplated by the friends and
projectors of this scheme thus, not only fur
nlshing two lines of communication Coach at
great COST between these Two points, where
one would answer, but creating rival, and a
destructive rival, 10 the canal, in which the
State and individual citizens have embarked
so many millions of money-which it is in
every way desirable to avoid for. if the road
should be made from Buchanan TO Richmond.
one OF these consequences must result; eth
er the railroad would take the trade and travail
from the canal, aud thus break down the ca
nal, or the canal would take it from the rail-
road, and thus break down the railroad or
they would divide, and thus break down each
other!
To break down the canal. utterly and entirely,
some gentlemen are not only willing but anxious
70 etect; Tor some propose TO extend this line of
road, after reaching Buchanan, either upon the
banks or the bed OF the canal. Sir, ! am utterly
and irrecoHcieably opposed to both. 1t is enough
10 have sunk the capital invested in that great
central Improvement, as it was intended 10 have
been without sinking the work itself, as far as it
has progressed No, sir; abandon that line at
buchanan, as means OF communicating with
The ONO river, as altogether unsuited to the times
and behind the spirit Of the ave. but leave it. as
Tar as made, to work out its own salvation It's
calculated to answer many good ends: ii will
serve TO accommodate the entire trade and travel
OF The whole OF Southwestern Virginia, and es-
pecially when connected with the Southwestern
Macadamzed road, railroad, Gas the ease NAV
be,) TO the Tennessee line--which should be
looked TO as great feeder 10 the canal, together
with the many lateral roads, the necessity and
location OF which would be developed by circum-
stances and experience.
take it for granted, there cannot be nue.,
doubt in the public mind as 10 the necessity of
having continuous line Of railroad from Rich
moBd TO some point On the Ohio river if we
I hope TO compete successfully with the Baltimore
and Ohio road for the trade and travel Of tie Val
ley OF the mississippi; and my proposition Isl to
construct n line altogether Unconuected with. and
independent OF, the James River and kanawha
Company or lis line Of improvements; and my
plan is, make neU line, under the auspices oil
neW Company, from GordonsviIle, TO which
point (73 miles from Ricbmond) i; is already
completed, by Stauntop, by the mouth Of The Cow
pasture, 10 CoylDgton, the White Sulphur Springs
10 the mouth of Greenbrier river, (if no more
practicable rouie sh ouid be found) TO Charleston
and Guyandot,e. And the first question that d.
rises is, is it practicable? Notwithstanding the
confident and authoritative tone that has been as
suned by those who rather manufacture than en-
press public opinion, when they undertake to