Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-02-10
vorcs or rHE rsorLE or RocKBRIpsg

ey. II only tate possession few days since,
and meset ~ rr~-ea II, esSse the final disposition Of
/ tie s0eleet ;, he Legislature
We ss,ag minds the belief that the As
ssSy ~ s warn without rcernsilerng the question de-
sScS adversely SATURDAY last least OF doing
yAirS the sae Ridge Canal former condition.
ree rea. ~ TIA, rCs'Sa have iust OF complaint
s>s, Sse' eoad,tSn than they were SO
Sss- sst tse~e well .etiorth in the
sasscS aSSs~caI that need not enlarge upon them.
~ The SSNESAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA.
Asr neenns q the etussus - Rcekbdge the Court
SSse SsU0tsy toe sha d,y Vt January lsi6, the
eevssDeS appointed committee to transmit TO the
Nererel ASScN, the scCNnrsnN INC proceedings and al
Sehsl The people " ESekhrdgc respectfully to
uPca vcot honorable s>y toe passage OF law ma
klas sprcSrNspSn authorizing law Tor the extern
The Jsnee HsvcS canal Buchanan. other
post between sueAsnsa AMI lynshNurg, may for the
present u-SS eSredient
Nout nnemorlsss wceiS respectfully call the attention
Cenevs Assensy the previous aud present
diaoa large end erule region Of Western Virginia.
ShCee nSss route 10 market uPSa the waters OF James
River
Uodct the pasSnce and cpSrsOa ol the Of October
l7S4 10, clearing ana improving the navigation OF James
yonuNns tAoy caG possessed imperfect aud harardous
succ roe the Alcghany mountains to the city
:" SiShmono. The passage oi the James rver through
the gorge ~ tho Blue Sidgc all up 10 ls26 was
the obstacle to that navigation In ls25 the
General Assembly with hbcraly becoming generous
sad Commonwealth INSIDE provision tor the eonstruc
o canal throaeh the Rlur Ridge IN order protect
the prcc5y, and lives Of their fellow citizens. and without
re;,rrnee 10 arising from the receipt Of tolls.
THIS ~Otk completed m lS21-and from that period
10 lsIc the PSVpis II in the
JSyment ct safe and eonven ano, where nth
there had been annual sScrces property Lie
In the lsi0 and al the James River and Ksnswhs
Complain, with the enlarg aud Of
the eAna. demolished all the works the mountains, aud
IN dong his greatly impaired aud iujared the old suics
~ the rNer 80 that this dav all the improved
diuon ct the country, and the Increasing developments
ITS mineral wealth. We are IN better coalition than
were hiy wears sgo.
Your memorial ST, Of the mas, OF prejudice
which has m the last few years accumulated against
great central improvement and whilst they lament
has been denounced splendid failure" before IL has
penetrated the region II Intended IN relieve thew
notrePess the EXPRESSION OF mornheanou some
OF hos who were loudes and boiest IN professions OF
rrudshP and predictions OF its ultimate and
esats-are no~-at the improvement ha reached their
farms and storehousrs, and them all that e6hness
could ask, the lou and dest condemnation Ii
such personals well others who influenced by
the :, honorable and patriotic motives, deceived
public mind by promises md predictions which have
YET been reaAzed- the If
OF three OF thus work has fulfilled the Snuepa
tons and hopes OF friends, msgcay produced that
which only could be expected from the completion OF
enure wuTk-ought therefore, aud parentsl leg
ture 10 close their and against evidence and
snmeut as TO the justice and policy OF It, further Proseeu
| toni
We believe that the James River Canal had not been
arrested at LSnehburg Ito which point there had been
V'ousy safe and simple naVIga but had been pushed
beyond the Blue ridge the ren agricultural and
81 region eli" toe valley; that the would have
demonstrated eie this the wisdom aud foresight Of those
who IN - ~ere Its patrons and advocates well those
who have sustained since aud would this day have
cured 70 such public appreciation would have insured
! Its nna and triumphant success.
We beg leave call the attention OF the General As
sem5y To the condition aud resources VI only small
ton OF Western Virginia wing contiguous the Blue ridge
viz: Rockbudge and Boteiour aud part of tie CoJniy
OF eghany, district, containing about 10000 Touls.
From authentic aad official statistics obtained tom the
IernIouden OF The Blue RI, canal who entered upon
the duties OF his office IN 1885 and lett siO Al he
only data accessible u.s. derive the following facts.
We take the various subjects which passed aud paid
toll IN the mountain Tobacco, whiskey, -four.
grain, iron, bar iron lime hemp, OIL plank shingles
&c &c butwo items the prominently lour ard iron.
From the 2yh OF June 1885 the 18Th OF June le36 the
following amount OF flour, iron and bar iron passed
through the untain cana Flour IL 524 barrels; pig Iton
l22Ut tons bar rOn J3l tons. 1t Is to be noted tins
aud all subsequent statements OF the amount of products
thus passing the mountain canal very considerable pot
ton OF agricultural productions were transported Rich
mond LyucIbarg and Seottsyi.e by wagons And this
day your menOraistS believe that a. least two thirds OF
the flour OF Rockbndge conveyed m the manner
In 1889 there IN like passed through the
cana: Flour ~ 225 barrels. iron 53g tons; bar iron
II 4SI4 ton; total IN -. 1864 tons exhibiting falling oil
from 80 ct iron and large increase ia -four.
IL 1870 there .ur, 81 S23 barrels; pig 6l2 tons
bar iron. 4I2s; total Of iron lU2i3 ions, exhibiting
larger nceSse IN one year Of flour and small increase
iron. There the county OF Bor.our four furna
N ces IN operation and three Others progress
also Two iorge In Rockbridge there three furnaces
and four iOrges la Allegheny furnace anu FORCES
In addition these, several other furnaces will undOubled
y be speedily erected provided ths General Assembly n-
al dcae purpose extend the canal above Lyncbbarg
IN One OF the names attached this memorial that Of gen
eman largely engaged, and famiary with
iron oPe atoms this part Of the State and for whose
ments all who know him will vouch; he u tina
from the results Of last year, the 10 furnaces and forge
IN operation and the three furnaces
ng and will soon begin to operate there will be manufac-
ured by them IN the present year 1851 housanC
Ut pig aud bar exhibiting
duclion Of iron from 1910 OF one thousand pr CT
Du1ng last year I5 the gentleman referred manuac-
uTed upwards O thousand tons, aud other
ishmen ihai OF Shanks Il Anderson Of Boteout manu-
featured still larger quantity viz. eleven hundred
Demons rating that ACCOMPLISHMENTS manufactured sing
ie ~ The last year, than manufactured by all
either OF the years 1889 1870 Your ailsls d.
not know what limits 10 place upon the mHoral wealth
the region referred to-One thing Is certain, that is on
limited by the flu OF forests. Moreover
u experiments and tess have demonstrated that lh
IRON OF this region OF Virginia. for all the purpose
- OF man, as well the numerous aud diversified
n which mechanic art apply IT, together with it, adnrs
bic adaptation for and other national Objects Is un-
surpassed by any iron IN the world
Rejecting oil speculation as To the amount Of iron which
would be manufactured ~ years hence the even
10 OF an Improvement being made alone adapted cor.
"a fiaRe OF pig ron and placing the tonnage amour
which will be made the present year, viz: 200 TONE
supposDg Tonnage OF oil other articles to be tou,
that Of iron, and we have the Of ton
., mage furnished by small dstnctof Western Virginia
I 2O.OOn tons This amount subject To the Of tol AZ
- Eed by the law VI ls2j providing for the
the canal through the Blue Ridge, would yield a revsnu
- exceeding $4,000 II the productions OF three couote
no would pay tolls to tho mount Of SlOOOO,
WHIST would be the revenues derived from the West
To- south West # the improvement pushed Buchanan
MI Charles EIet distinguished Engineer, 10 th
d service OF the James River & kanawha Company, biz
report dated October 3Oth. 1888, us the basis
his estimates, The Of the canal being extended
from Lyncbhufg 10 Buchanan. that this ton
. mage would amount $4,000 II this estimate 50
pfoSimaes what % w be, obvious that withou
. imposing bufthensone tolls, work would pay inter-
: Get upon It's cost greater than per cent?
Your memorsis's beg far and unimpassioned consid
Grafton 1T this subject and results, whenever the cana
reaches into and siy deyeupes the mineral region 10 the
Influences whca nc construction Of the South Western
road u have upon IT, the result Of an enter Prise which
hos ever been contemplated by tho people VI Rockbdge
q make lateral canal from the mouth of the North
to Lexington, whenever the James River e. Kanawhs Com
pany's works shall reach the North River. md by Nhicr
the trade and productions n the ~ Bath Pocahon-
ta'' Randolph and the upper end of Augusta, will be
acttd 90 the waters Of Jsnes vsr irgeter with the st-
mulyus thclmpfovcmcnt would give u every depaumcn
Of human enterprise aud industry, aud The consequent in
creased tonnage upon the ascending niyRiupn; and can
be doubted hntthe extension Of the improvement 10 BIC