The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1847-06-08

connection, however, TO get Pittsburgh TO
surrender this charter. They dreaded
this connection. They knew it was the
shortest and best route between the Allan
tic seaboard and the waters OF the Ohio.
As to waiting for any more favorable
Legislation from Virginia, Mr.. Stewart
thought it was idle. That State was ma
king her James River and Kanawha and
other connections with the Ohio, and it
would be her policy to protect them from
any thing in the shape of rival. He re-
garded the present as a crisls-one in
which we should use our efforts to save
the charter and secure the connection with
Pittsburgh.
Mr.. S. then entered into comparative
view of the route to Pittsburgh; and the
route 10 Wheeling, and showed conclu-
sively that the former was by far the shor-
test, cheapest, and In every point of view,
the most desirable. He also dwelt forci-
bly, upon the advantage to be derived from
the great trade which flowed into Pitts
burgh from the country North and West
of her, and adverted to the fact that near
ly the whole trade of Cincinnati and the
other towns on the Mississippi and Ohio
rivers in ceming up would pass Wheeling
and find its way to Pittsburgh, more
important point; the rate of freight being
about the same to either city.
lie also alluded to the fact that even
now, although our road was only finished
to Cumberland, and we had TO wagon a
great portion Of our trade distance of
one hundred and thirty miles to Wheeling
at the rate of mile and half an hour,
frequently employing one hundred wa
gons in its transportation, East and West,
we successfully compete for the western
trade; he therefore submitted. if the con-
nection between Baltimore and Pittsburgh
was formed by continuous Railroad,
could there be any successful competi-
tion?-The western trade and travel
would then pour into the lap of Bali-
more. You would thus secure forever
the trade of Pittsburgh with ler immense
manufactures and increasing population.
now amounting, in the city and adjacent
towns to about 10000, with from 800 TO
400 steam engines IN daily operation;
100000 of dollars Invested in iron;
100000 in cotton; and 100000 in
glass manufactures, supplying western
merchants Oh their return from the East
with iron, nails, cutlery, cotton, glass.
&C., which cannot be supplied at Whee-
ling. Fish creek. or any other lower ter
minus. Extend. therefore, your road to
Pittsburgh by the Youghiogheny, the best
route in the Union, where you find alrea-
dy the concentrated trade of three rivers
the Allegheny, Monongahela. and O.
hio-with her Lake connections at Erie
and Cleveland; and where Cincinnati,
Columbus, st. Louis and other Western
cities will hasten to meet you, and avail
themselves of your Railroad, the shortest
and best TO reach Baltimore, Philadelphia,
n. Y York and Boston to the North, and
Washington and other cities 10 the South.
Mr.. S. said that Baltimore could look
10 no further legislation from Pennsylva-
MIA or Virginia-that they had both en-
tered earnestly upon the prosecution OF
their own rival routes. Pennsylvania
had granted most favorable charter, not
to Baltimore, but TO her own citizens to
make Railroad from Pittsburgh 10 the
Maryland line.
Virginia had granted a conditional char
Ter 10 Wheeling, and il is now for Balti-
more to choose between these two routes.
From the reports Of your Engineer (, ii
appears that the Pittsburgh route is 4s
miles the shortest, and by about one-half
the cheapest. The route to Fishing
Greek being estimated at upwards OF 81
100000, and the route direct TO Whee-
ling at 81, 100000 more-making over
So, 100000: while the route to Pittsburgh
is estimated at about $4,000,000.
This is owing to the great superiority
of the ground over which the Pittsburgh
route passed. From point near te Cum
berland, uniform inclined plane was
formed by the River to Pittsburgh; this
river had cut down and subdued all the
intervening mountains over which the
Cumberland Road now passes-the Mea-
dow Mountain, Keitzer's Ridge. Negro
Mountain, Sdeling hill, Woodcock or
Chesnut ridge, and Laurell Hill. All
these mountains, by means of this river,
had been subdued and cut down to one
continuous, graduated inclined plane for
your Railroad. The grade no where for
one hundred and thirty miles, out of l57
miles the whole distance, exceeding 26
4-lO feet per mile, and averaging less than
ten. s
Nature has thus done more work TO
your hand, in removing these mountains
out Of the way-not by tunnels but by a
thorough cut-than all the men and mo-
nev IN the United States could accom-
plish in fifty years.
For this route you are offered mn un-
conditional charter, and $750,000 to take