Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1845-09-04
Chf zpmehuuro 9'ir0iuiaa.
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 4, 1915.
JAMES RIVER IMPROVE NENT -t'ieus Of N.
Richmond Hing.

Wecapy in 10 days paper article from the Ri,h
mond big, Proposing specific change ia The mode of
improvement 81 Ibis plsce. Without expressing
any opinion as Ito the feasibility p the sclene suggested
by the Wing, content ourselves with confess.
ing our sincere qualification at the hearty concur.
renee of that paper in The opinion heretofore expressed
by US. thai il will be folly, If Madness 10 progress
farther with the canal. loasnneh as the Wing ca nnut
be suspected oi bein. under The Influence of lhose IN
col considerations" which ire 81 often imputed Ia u.s.
We hope thai lis suggestion will he received and W elgh
ed more dspa ssanairy Than ours has heretofore been
Our friends oi The Wing. t,us, inclined to think ,ia,
tho cahal should stop here nevertheless seem 10 doub,
whether it should mol be Completed to buchanan, he.
cause nearly hall million Of dollars has been already
expended On the line above lynelburg land which by
the way. ii wonld have been wiser to have thrown into
the rlver) And we take occasion, therefore, 10 call
their serious attention and that of The country 10 few
facts connected with the mountain trade which unless
we overrale their importance, will produce a universal
concurrence of opinion. except in the mind, of those
who are resolved np,o going with the canal without
regard Ia consequences that It's continuation must result
IL more dlsasirousy than tina, portion Of the line
already completed.
The distance between Lynchhurg and Buchanan is
through rugged mountain region at no more than that
of the work between Lynchburg and Richmond, (S34,-
1913 per mile) and then deducng from the amount al
ready expended above Iynchburg sum sufficient In re-
pair the injury orcasioned To The incomplete works nv
natural decay and other rauses and canno require less
than one mion and half ot dollars to reach Buchan
an. The interest alone upon this will be 500 900
per annnm. Add To this The charges upon the work.
tor repairs. supernIendence, &c. not less than $50.
600, md have annual charge upon thai portion of
the line Of 5 O000.
le qnest"n, then, presents itself is there any proha
biiy that the revenue upon that section fine canal will
meet this annual charged And il is perhaps fortunate
that We have the means Of arriving at something like
correct answer 10 this inquiry. An intelligent friend
who has devoted some little time to the examination of
the subject. has referred 10 the amount Of TOLLS recev
ed on tonnage passing through the Blue Ridge Canal,
the channel Tor all the trade Of the Upper James Rv.
er, before lis destruction. furnishing the data upon
which I" estimate The probable amount of TONNAGE tina;
we may hereafter expect should HE canal be continued
to Burhanan-and we regret iha, we are nut able to
furnish The returns for every year 1t open From
the uniformity of the result however, in the series of
years referred To, II may safely be taken far granted
that lhh omitted would not ,eria H. fiat alt
affect the eunclnsio1, 10 which, after scanning heln all
unpreindlced minds must perfbrce be driven
Our first returns of receipts and expenditures on the
Blue Ridge Canal are in S27-S From The Is, Of Feb,
'uary 1877 to The 18Th November 1928, the amount of
tolls received Az "A
Aud The expenditures GIL %
But as il may not ne regarded prore go lar back