Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-11-21

The Giant of the Empire State Now, 50 la :"
Internal Improvements are concerned, sue h'"'
almost exclaim, "every puny whipsier gets ~,
sword" The East the North, even the oou''
and the West, outsip her. Some oil Inc o'a'e'
10 be sure, have gone loo far-but they are u'e
fui beacon lights while the others are bright eA
amples, inviting our imitation.
We rejoice in the general feeling man'les'''';
i,selfin all parts OF the State, in favor OF inc caos
Of Education. When the people are thus imam
nous, their representatives will not hesha'ei a,,
we confidently anticipate bright change J" 'n'
destiny OF The State
let MS all nut our shoulders 10 the ~heei, ane
Try 10 vivify the dimmed inheritance We 9"
joy. In order TO speed The cause oil lhlerha' in'
provement, let Us voluntarily, Unnecessary, MAKE
sacrifice OF some OF the luxnries ana cotliol1'
we enjoy For every improvement, whien may
be agreed upon, let the means OF meeting the deo
be y, the same time provided, SO that The credit o
the Stale NAV continue unimpaired. She has
no saleable stocks and interests which would
readily pay every dollar OF her present debt.
We must make one common effort. The Other
States are oulslrippns Us. All admit, we have
the best route 10 The West and, il we do not pm
out our ten talents al interest, We may Justly be
reproached as The sothful and Improbable ser
want But we shall not follow cut the train oil
thought which this momenous subject calls
up It depends upon ourselves, whether the
future shall be full o.! gloom or Of JOY. Il
is not vet TOO late 70 strike a chord which
will vitrate through the heart Of The Old Do
mn;on and realize her best and most glorious
days While Yankee energy and lons-sghted
interest can, with their Western Railroad, scale
the hiehes. and most rugged mountains, tapping
the rich commerce OF the Lakes, and filling her
sterile lands with happy and busy villages;
shall il hereafter be said that Virginia has failed
10 unite her Eastern and Western sections BY
central improvement, which shall draw 10 her
the treasures Of The Mississippi valley, and, al The
same time, bring 10 market the teeming minerals
Of her mountains, and The abundant products of
her fertile valies? The subject is full Of din.
culties-but the public mind is beginning 10 ns
aroused, and energy, aud harmony and patriotic
devotion, mol 10 Eastern nor 10 Western but 10
united, Virginia, may level all obstacles. ard
ensure The wished for object, Never was there
a more ausrcous moment for the work-never
were there gravcr or more ri.al consideratiuns in
active operation
RcnMoSD, Nov. 10Th, 1915.
JAMES LYONS Esq.
Dear Sir: Concerning your enquiries on The
subject OF come ting Richmond with The Ohio
river al Parkersburg, and other matters relative
~. 81 Of in, n
me 10 premise some remarks in regard 10 The ex-
tension Of The Baltimore Railroad, which think
have an immediate bearing on The question-and
please place tine map before you and follow me
over the ground am about 10 describe, and with
whcl, am intimately acquainted, having ira
veIscd and measured il in every direction. What
ever routc may he selected b. The Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company, it must proceed up the
North branch OF the Potomac, and pass 10 the
head waters OF The lohosany probably by con.
siderable tunnel through the Allegheny Noun
lains, here called the Backbone. Several minor
branches of The Potomac and fohogany seem 10
offer facilities 10 The scheme. Hence several
routes may be pursued. The first, and easiest OF
AL is 10 follow The Iohosany down TO Pittsbnrg:
but the opposition Of Pennsylvania iorbids the
idea. and possibly, also, the Company may con
slider Piusbnrs point too high upon The Ohio.
The next route is carried 10 Wheeling over
very difficult ground, having 10 descend from the
high level of The source OF The Iohoganv about
300 feet, in a very short distance 10 The Monon-
gahela, and thence 10 overcome The ridge inter-
venins between il and The Ohio. On This route,
The right OF way also is denied by Pennsylvania.
/, is the opinion oil one of the Engineers who has
beer in The service of the Company, that this dill
icully may be obviaied BY turning the South
western corner OF The State Of Pennsylvania
while the plan is rejected By another Ensineer.-
Ii is certainly less feasible than the third route,
which reaches the Ohio river by the valley OF
Fishing creek.
The difficulties of the route By Fishing creek
are as follows: In The first place, descent OF
nearly 200 feet must be- etiected-irom The high
level Of The glades along The abrupt slopes of the
mountain, down 10 Cheat river This descent
presented me considerable difficulty in The loca-
ton of the North western Turnpike, and would
require The railroad 10 wind along the spurs OF
the mountain for from fifteen 10 twenty miles
lmmeiiately along The Western bank Of Cheat
river rises the Laurel mountain, equally precipl |
,ous, and no less high than the Cheat mountain
|! may, perhaps, be passed through by tunnel
of some length, between the rayines OF tribua-
nv of Cheat river on one side, and Of cores |
pondng one of the Monongahela On the other !,
Following, then, this river 10 the mouth Of Bufa-
10 creek, the route NAV pass mp il, and over con-
siderable ridge, 10 Fishing creek. and thence 10
the Ohio, encountering all along, from the Back
bone steep and rugged slopes, enormous cliffs, |
and what is worse, hills liable to immense slips. I
Those acquainted only with Eastern Virginia |
can form no conception OF The formidable obsta. |
Giles in the way of any kind OF improvement in
the formation OF Western hills and valleys.
The fourth terminus is Pafkersburg, which j.
proposed 10 be approached in Two different ways;
the firs BY descending, as on The other routes, hy
Cheat mountain, 10 the river Of the same name,
overcoming, al more Southern point The ridge
between il and Tygars Valley river. thence pass
ing one to The West fork, among the broken hills
Of Harrison county, and taking Clarksburg in The
way and finally reaching the Ohio, by connex-
ion with some of the tributaries OF the Little ka-
nawha. In all this region yon have 10 encounter
ground OF the character above described, deep
and tortuous valleys, high and numerous cliffs,
and above all, precipatng hill sides, which,
when broken into, losing their support and cohe-
sion. occasion those numerous slides ALREADY
mentioned. which frequently not only overwhelm
the road. but carry il with them down 10 the base
of the hlI and when this happens 10 be washed
bv stream the whole is soon swept away. ms
difficulty, which We have found formidable IN The
construction OF common roads, will necessarily |
prove a hundred times more SO in works, the
small graduation Of which must keep them snS-
pended for miles along these abrupt and treache-
r,us decIivies, moi unrequenily within The ac-
ton of undermining streams, without The Possibi- |
l,y of stunning bad places, as with common
roads, By resorting 10 steep grades.
will now speak of The last approach to Par
kersbure; have reserved il, 10 close what relates
lothe Baltimore Railroad because il connects with
the route towards Richmond which propose ana
ysine. On this route, il appears 10 be thought
,ba, The Top of the Allegheny should be attained
somewhere on the Slaunton and Parkershurg
Road, al the head Of one Of The branches of The
Sou,h Branch the Potomac, probably The Laurel
fork of the North fork of The South Branch
Then, il understand The plan correctly, The line
should be sustained along the top Of this range OF
mountains, heading these by The various streams
I will presently describe, and thence descending
down TO and along lhe Little kanawha TO parkeIs-
hue lfihis nlan is feasible a connection with