Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1847-09-30

osS""iS 0to'"HdlJ qua VIII IHCItdSt III
numbers, from the greater field opened
TO the enterprise of the people, and The
many new branches Of trade that would
De opened by the increased facilities
offered by the railroad, The wealth OF
the farmer would be increased, his la
Dor being rewarded by handsome adj
disional profit amounting TO the differ
ence between the high charges on
transporting his crop to market by
wagons, and the low charges upon ,h.
railroad; for the farmer living nenr Sa-
lem has to pay tax at presen, upon
his crops amounting to upwards Of &c
per cent. upon his saies.s The prices
paid IN that nelghborheod for haulage
upon wheat to Alexandria, George
town, or the Falmouth markets, is &C
cents per bushel, upon -four rs cents
per barrel, upon corn II cents pei
bushel, and oats II cents per bushel,
and they pay 81 per ton on plaster
Now, by railway, those very farmers
could have their crop carried to marke,
for the following charges: Whea, a: 6
cents per bushel, -four 20 cents pei
barrel, corn 5 cents per bushel, oats 4
cents per 5ushel, and receive their
fpla's'er at charge of only 50 per ton
for freight. / will suppose that far
mer living near Salem has 400 bushels
of wheat for market; the charge upon
hauling quantity of grain to MARKET
BY wagons will be $50; butif he had
the privilege of sending his crop to
market BY railroad, then the charge
would BE- only $24, thus leaving a clear
gain of 500, or nearly per cent. inter-
est upon 81 ,000 But when We con-
slider that our farmers seldom realize
more than three per cent profit from
their lands, there actually will be saw
ing equivalent to the interest or profit
upon land valued at 81, 900, or in OH
er words his farm will be increased in
value 81 600 by the saving in trans
portatlon of wheat alone; yet there will
be propoI'ionate saving on every ar
hcle he has for market, on his plaster,
iron, salt, fish, &c., and you will see al
once that this railroad would offer a
handsome annuity to every farmer l:v
ing convenient to It.
These advantages vii! be still great
er to the farmers living under the Blue
Ridge, in the neighborhood of Paris
Farrowsville, or Chester's Gap, and
yet greater to those living in the Valley
around and above Front Royal; for the
farmer living at FarrowsyilIe or Paris
pays at present 25 cents per bushel up.
/ on the haulage of his wheat to market
I by the railroad the charge would bs
only s cents; the cost upon flour is S
per barrel, by the railroad the charge
would be only 80 cents; he would thus
save upon the hauiage O. his wheat II
cents per bushel, and upon his flour 7(
cents Der barrel, and so the advantage
! to the farmer increases, as he lives at +
greater distance from market. Again
another great advantage will be, tina
a railroad vii! enable the farmer 10 senc
his crop to market altogether or in such
quantities as may suit his convenience
and wants, and at such times as he ma,
wish, there being 40 stoppages or hin
ORANGES from rain, cold, or ice. To
build the Alexandra and Shenandoah
railroad is to offer an annuity Of $50
TO every farmer within twenty miles o
fit, who lives 40 miles Of Alexandra. -
Some persons may think that | have
moderated the charges for :ransporta.
ton. | will state that those, charges
may be even less than | have named
for upon the Boston and Albany rail.
road, barrel Of -four is carried tbs
whole distance between those cities fol
% cents, and in the report Of Richard
P. Morgan, ESQ.,, the Engineer of the
Galena and Chicago Union railroad
lately made upon The surveys Of tina,
railroad, to The Directors, he states the
cost of transportation. upon -four be-,
tween Galena and Chicago at only Is
cents per barrel, distance of 1872
miles.
In former communication sketch
ed the route of the proposed railway
from Alexandra 10 Parkersburg, and |
now propose to notice the cost of con
sfrucsion ofthe line from Alexandra 10
Martinsburg. and the probable amount,
Of trade and the revenue that may Be
expected upon that portion Of the pro
posed railway between the Shenandoah
river and Alexandra.
In estimating the cost of grading The
railway, propose to take MI. Charles
b. Shaw's estimate Of the cost Of graz
Ding the Falmouth and .Alsxanslrix