Indiana State sentinel., 1845-11-13
I'm TransportatiOn---1sa 5
and CanaIs.---The Heavy Rail.

Late intelligence from England brings increasing
evidence of the revolution steadily going in the
transportation business Canals are being turned
into railways, for the carriage Of freight The
tow-Path Of the canal in most cases, affords very
favorable grade for the layingo rails. With mod
crate cutting, the and descent of the lock lev
els are easily overcome. The expense of such
sion is far less than that Of new route. An ex-
change paper says:
''The proprietors of the Kennel and Avon canal
met at Reading on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and agreed to
apply to Parliament for powers to make their canal
into railway. The Great Western Railway Com
pany, rival work, had nearly ruined their carrying
trade to and from Hungerford. The canal is ninety
three miles long, that is, fty-seven cut (from New
bury TO Bath) and thirtysx Of river navigation The
intention is to convert the ;y-seven miles of cutting
into a railway; this will give line between Bath
and Newbury, will shorten the distance from Bath
and London by the Great Western, and will avoid the
Box Tunnel. The Great Western Company have got
bill for making branch from Reading to Newbury
and Hungerford, and the canal railway could make a
junction at either place. The expense is stated to be
small. The proprietors of the Somersetshire Canal
purpose to convert it into a railway"
The Western railway of Massachusetts, with an
enormous grade of 50 feet to the mile, has DEM
onstrated that railways successfully carry freight
under the most unfavorable circumstances, while the
Reading and Philadelphia rail road, with favorable
grade, will carry 100000 of tons of coal this year
cheaper than the canal along side of it. These facts
land will eventually produce decided effect on the
direction of future capital.
The Philadelphia people very earnestly oppose tie
railway connection between Baltimore and Pitsburg
which the Baltimoreans striving to consum
mate. They fear not only the loss of the passenger
business but Of the freight also To obvate the dan
GERS Of this rivalry they are now proposing to con
struct direct line of railway between Phadelphi
and Pittsburg. This enterprise may not be carried
through Just now, but 1t will in the course Of few
years.
In building railways for freight it is all importan
to put down a rery hedry rail- Fixty-six pounds pc
yard is the weight of the rail the Western Mas
sachusetts railway but this is found to be too light
Seventy pounds IS too heavy, and experience
shows such a rail to be the economical. Iror
will be so low in this country in the of few
years. that new railways can adopt the very lates
Improvements either In the shape the weight of tn
rail-
Railways have one advantage over canals even il
summer, which begins to be noticed, and that is
they are not affected by the severest drought Durn!
the present season. the streams have been very low
the intense heat absorbing the springs. Some of IN
Pennsylvania and Ohio canals have felt that drought
and their navigation interrupted, while the raj
way locomotive moved usual. Obstruction
the navigation, from the want of water, is not
common thing, even on the well managed canals c
New York.
The foods of the spring and the autumn likewis
affect the one, while they may not disturb the latter
and the ice and the of winter stop the en-
. tirey, while the other performs its daily trips.
These considerations of certainty, speed, constan
use, and inGependeHce Of physical causes, are dali
commencing the well constructed railway for tn
transportation of freight, and more 10 the favo
of the enterprising and improving American.-Aa
, Argus.