Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1847-12-23

carry out the improvement to Guyandotte
thus affors!ing common stem to two g'ea
objects, and saving large expenditure toih
State. This Scheme will effectually secnr
Virginia to herself, and realize Dir long cher
ished hopes and expectations
The adoption of this Route, so highly com
mended by the feelings, the pride, the dhtie
I and interests Of Virginia. is resisted upon tht
ground of its assumed impracticabiiity. PLY
steal diff culties, insurmountable in chara cter
are alleged is intervene. That these Difficult
ties are great will not be denied; but thai
they are insurrnountable is not the fact
! am thoroughly satisfied that they can be ov
| ercone at reasonable cost. and that tina
| cost should be incurred. An eve to on
Northern neighbors will dssipate all doubt
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad compa4,,
are prosecuting similar work with energy
and zeal. They have already expended, Il
the completion of l73 miles of their road
| S8.oi8, 500; making an aggregate of 81 5000.
600 for the completion Of their work, inferior
in many great and important Advantages te
the one proposed. Massachusetts has con
nectec Boston and Lowell by railroad only
25i miles in extent, al ali expense of SIS.
1856 GA per mile, though those cities were
previously connected through the Mddlesex
Cfe'isei' one HAS connected DOSton Win PROV
idence by railroad, at a cost of S5l, 44o So
per mile, xhA also with Albany by railroad
~ 2 miles of which cost S78,4l9 80, and
l56 miles, 52.473 dollars per mile. New
York is connecting Albany with her grea,
city by two railroads. ne throughout its whole
extent, coterminotrs with her noble Hudson,
encountering enormous difficulties in its con.
struc.ion, which dwindle before her enter
prise and will. She will also sonE connect
the same city with f'uifal" by railroad now
rapidly proceeding to co npletion, although
the connection air eady exists by the finest nat
ural and artificial Improvements of the age.
Pennsylvania is also in motion, and arduous-
ly engaged in ehecting the connection be-
tween her great Eastern and Western cities.
by a contiguous railroad, and her efforts will
soon be crowned with success. Such efforts
judcous|y conducted. have ever resulted in
wealth and power. l will not ask what we
have been doing,fo am not content to make
nv answer Fl ON the past. But I will ask
what shall we do2 Let us adopt the Northern
route have mentioned, an! push it with en-
ergy and zeal to its completion. 1t will gro
tect us against the further intrusion of North
ern enterprise-secure the business and at
tachlnents of our Northwestern counties
give us wealth-arrest depopulation, and
sustain, strengthen and elevate the name of
which we boast. Shall we be deferred from
undertaking the task of securing these great
, results by the phantom apprehension of phys
ical difficulties difficulties SO unworthy of
regard, and inconsderable in amount that
they can be subdued at an expense of $780,
| 900 mile-a sum not one half the cost per
mile of several Northern roads,
! I have. gentlemen, deemed it my impera
! tive duty 10 present these views for your
/ consideration, and so urgently recommen |
them for adoption. If have one master pas
sion. it is love OF my native State; bat in this
case. the promptings of patriotic devotion,
are, humbly hope. happily blended with the
conclusions of enlightened wisdom
/ l cannot pass over in silence the great ques
tion which discussed somewhat at large in
my last message. I mean the project Of a
railroad from the town of Buchanan, through
the Southwestern portion of our State, to the
: Tennessee line. 1t is difficult to estimate the
internal wealth which this Improvement will
develope. Penetrating, as it does, from it.
start, country rich in all agricultural pro
ducts, with almost every contiguous mountain
bank of minerals uniting With these local
4 and inestlmable advantages a most impor
tant connection with other States, it will be
difficult to estimate its real and intrinsic val
ue. repeat the confident opinion, that the
] first ten miles of this road will support itself
and, apart from great public considerations
this enterprise will be fully justified as ;
mere pecunsry investment
In selecting Buchanan as the Poin: of com
mencement Of this work, I look to the char.
acter of the country through which it passes
/ afording. as it pre- eminently does all the ele
ments of support so important and essertia
/ <b -
In this company the State has already, direct
! " or indirectly. invested S5,6l5,224 SO, to
which will be added, in the course of the
| next two years, under an act passed at your
last session, the sum OF S988000, making 9
sum total of Se,603, 224 SO Nor is it to he
overlooked that the State has had to advance
since the lst January, 843, the sum OF S2oS,
I 431 88, to complete The payment OF the cur
trent interest due upon bonds endorsed by he'
for said company, and that there can be bu
little doubt that we shall have similar CLAIMS
upon us, unless we promptly adopt wise and
( vigorous policy. 1t is then clearly our dut,
to foster and sustain the important work. ane
I to make productive the very heavy capital we
have embarked in it. Nothing can accom-
| plisll this important work SO yeffectualiy as
the proposed improvement. This great road
I will cost less money il commenced at the
point proposed than a, any other that can bt
be selected, and thus profit and econom,
combine to commend it to your favorable con
sideration, especially as it will descend The
valley to its intersection with the extension 0
the Louisa Railroad on the line have recon
mended, and which | hope, will receive you
early and favorable action; [ therefore
earnestly recommend the construction of
. railroad from Buchanan, through South-wes
tern Virginia, to the Tennessee line
. L am happy to inform you that the Jane
river and .Kanawha company will complete
its canal to its terminus at Buchanan within
. the estimates. deem it unnecessary t
comment upon this report, which will be lait
before you, as it is merely speculative ant
asks no new legislation. [See Doc. No. -
On the 9th Of March, lS47, the Legislature
passed an act for the extension OF the Louis
railroad, the first section whereof author re
said company to increase its capital stock thu
sum OF S250,000, for the purposes therein ex
!: pressed. Understanding that said compan.
claimed the right of adopting any route
might prefer, and that it was probably inten
ded to adopt the route by Charlottesville, til
i. Board of Public Works deemed it their dut.
| ~l, asia tHoIr in