Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-09-19

think II merits. and use your influence in laying
il before those who are interested in IT,
Yours with sentiments OF much esteem, &c.
GILES SANFORD, President
lawns CAMP, Secretary.
1lARRrsnuRa, April 20, 1S46.
GESrLEMEN.-My public duties have pre-.
vented an earlier scknow ledgement of your
letter of the 18th ul,imo, in which you have
bcen pleased, on jeholf OF the Erie Board of
Trnde, TO express your appreciation Of my course
in the State Senate on the question of granting
to the Baltimore and Oho ra il road company the
right of way TO Phtsburg; and TO invite my co.
operation in urging the completion of the Sun
bury and Erie rail road beg 10 prescn, my
hearty thanks 10 the body which you represent,
for this valued testimonial OF its respect. and 10
assure you that regard the great work in which
northern and northwestern Pennsylvania are
so deeply interested, ms one Of the highest i'm
| portance TO the common welfare OF our people
! II is now more Than hslta century since
! your beautiful harbor was purchased by the
State, for the benefit Of the merchants of Phila.
dclphia.-Sbortly after its cession to rcnnsylva.
| mia, Governor Mifllin strongly recommended
the construction Of canals ond turnpikes to con-
meet It with that city and other important points,
with view Of securing some OF tho advantages
Of the immense trade that is now poured upon
your Finland seas" The Engineers of the Ge.
neral Government have repeatedly referred To
Il in their official reports, as the most valuable
harbor on the Lake, and one of the greatest
commercial importance. Again nnd again has
the attention Of our merchants been invited 10
II as an acquisition which would enable them,
with little enterprise. TO place Philadelphia at
the head Of American cities. The Snnbury and
Erie rail road company has been organized for
several years under one of the best charters ever
granted by our Legislature, md a superior
route for rail road has been surveyed. in part
located and made rendy TO be put under contract
But Phadelphisns hnve stood aloof, and have
been content TO boas; of their "narural advanta-
ges." trusting in them exclusively, until Boston
and New York, overcoming by their enterprise
all their natural disadvantages, have stretched
their iron arms to the Lake-buita magnificent
city on it's borders and now hold in their grasp
a trade that requires for its accommodation
some i've hundred steam and sail vessels. with
an aggregate of more than one hundred thou.
SAM tons! And it is a curious fact. that goods
sold in Philadelphia are carried at some seasons
of the year through the city of New York to
Riff 10 mil tha, L..l.
to the tor west; thus making a circuit of nearly
seven hundred miles, with three trans shipment.
before reaching point on the Like with, our
own State, distant from Philadelphia by the
route Of the Sunbury and Erie rail road fol.
hundred and thir'y-iivc miles only!
All ofthe extensive improvements in the Yves.
tern States north OF tina Ohio were made with
the view Of furnishing to the country bounded
by that river and the Mississippi an outlet for
It's productions by way Of the Lakes, instead of
confinng the outlc, TO Pntsburg and New Or
leans. Such was the object Of the great OHIO
canal f:om Portsmouth To Clevrland--lhe MIN,
the Chicago nnd the Wabash canals, and such
is the object of the rail ROM, now neail compile
ted, frem Cincinnati TO Sandusky. Through
these avenues a large amount OF the productions
oi the great west is poured upon the Lakes. and
carried around Philadelphia. by way of Buffalo,
to the city of New York, often for tho same
price tina, is charged for transporting similar ar
ticles up the Ohio river to Pn,sburg only
The Sunbury and Erie rail road would strike
point on the Lake east Of these western i'm
provements and 265 miles nearer to Philadel.
pha than To New York through Buffalo, and
one hundred miles nearer than To the same c..
~ by the way OF the New York aud Erie rail
road.
The grades on the Sunbury and Erie route
are much lighter than those Olthe N York and
Erie, aud the road itself, constructed of the best
materials and in the niost substantial manner
worked at much less Cost.
The nearest route from Erie io the city Of
New York would be through Phladclph by
way Of the Sunbury md Erie road, and produce
and passengers conld be carried 10 New York
cheaper over the pennsy ylvania road, than by eli.
ther ot her own routes.
A reasonable ground is therefore presented
for the belief, that the great works of the ives.
tern States already referred To- would be fee
ders to the rail road by which il is proposed to
connect your harbor with PhIadelphia, and tha,
such an Improvement would carry Ia that city
an immense amount of produce. aud travel, that
tao nix a, Al,