Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-11-02
THE RAIL ROAD MEETING ON WE'D
NESDAY NIGHT.

Mr. LYONS on taking Inc Cndil, REMARKED 'hd1
he thanked the meeting Tor its kindness in select
ing him 10 preside ever lis deliberations. he
should No, make them speech, Tor there were
gentlemen preseut W no had come for that purpose
He could no, sslp saying, however, hat he re-
garded this work as The great enterprise Oh Inc
Stale AMI ohe that must elevate i.e fortunes ahc
The destiny Of the Commonwealth that no por-
lion OF The Stale was So Vilaiiy lhseles'ea d. ne
citizens OF Richmond, and be regretted that so III.
rle zeal and service was manifested By our people,
in This great measure Of "deliycrance and liber-
ty." Mr.. LYONS here concluding, introduced
r. G MoRRIs, Esq, Of Amherst county. MI.
nj. said thai his Road had been so frequently IL
diculed il no, s,igmatised as a hum5us, mat he
was somewhat embarrassed 10 know how 10 COM
mence and how 10 present this enterprise TO the
minds of his audience, SO as 10 escape The charge
of exlrayaeance. lie said he was no enthusiast
That he had never undertaken any Thing that he
did not succeed in.
lie remarked. that Baltimore had ever been
anxious 10 reach Southern terminus below
Wheeling, Tor the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
and that that Company had long struggled 10
obtain The fright OF way" for that purpose, and
thai she had yielded up this object with great re-
luclance. Ii now became The interest OF The peo.
cinnali connecing with the Baltimore road al
Wheeling. Judge Hall, he said. had guaranteed
that il the peope OF Virginia would construct
this road. The citizens Of the Queen City would
form connexion al GuyaLdoltc. From Gin
cinnal Railroad now in progress would con-
meet us with ST. Lnuis. A parl OF This vast en-
terpise has already been completed. tie said II
was necessary that Richmond, The capita oil the
Sale, should take $500, 900 81 this stock, or II
must fail
He could sec no wise or valid reason why II
should noi-lhal no measure was so important 10
il. and none would pay 80 we'll. He said that
The amount Of produce shipped per annum upon
the Western and Southwestern waters amounted
10 S30O,0O0,000. The population he put down at
5000, 000. He said that il was found that when
flour was shipped by an eastern route 10 New
York, i, brought from 60 10 10 cents per Dbl. more
than when shipped through the Gulf Stream
Sixteen millions Of wheat was shipped from The
| Western States 10 The North last year by the
| Ohio and Erie Canals, while only six millions
was sent To New Orleans. He commended that
produce could al all times be shipped cheaper by
| railroads than by waller, except by sea. To sus-
tain himself in this position, ne referred IL The
annual transportation upon the Great Western
and Reading Railroads.
He commended that The Richmond and Ohio
Railroad would have the preference over all rail-
roads designed 10 connect The East with The Wesl.
Five months Of The yearthe Lakes are closed and
the Canals also, leading 10 The Eastern and Nor
thern ports. The Great Western Railroad from
Boston 10 The Lakes, the Erie Railroad iron New
York TO the axes, The Central Railroad from Phila-
delphia 10 Pittsburgh, and the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad from Baltimore 10 Wheeling, from their
Northern position must ever, in The Winter sea-
SON. encounter difficulties from ice and snow, from
which The Richmond and Ohio Railroad would
be exempt He here entered into calculation
as to the increase of population and produce oil
The West, as certain guarantee Tor Inc success
OF this great enterprise. He proved, from me pre-
sent amount oftrave anduansroraton OF ireights,
that this road would receive 81, 100000 annually,
and Weld dividend of 20 per cent 10 the STOCK
holders on the capital invested
He maintained that il the Baltimore and Ohio
| Railroad, with lis main STEM only hall completed,
now transported 1000 passengers per annum,
this road, when half finished, for its superior ad-
| yantages, would transporla greater number; from
| reliable calculations which he had made when
The road was completed, it would yield 10000
dollars per annum 10 the stockholders. He con-
| tended that this road would not cost more Than
| I6 600 dollars per mile or 100000 dollars 10
complete il. In proof Of this, he referred 10 esi-
mates made by Moncure Robinson, &. Greet
and L. M. Provost, Esqrs., engineers Of eminen,
| Judgment and ability. He said that The grades
10 overcome were lower and less difficult on this
road than any OF The great rival enterprises de-
signed TO connect The East with The West. be
argued that The citizens Of Richmond had greater
interest in the work than the stockholders Them
selves. He here referred TO what the Erie canal
had done for New York and 10 the following ar
lcle from The Charleston Mercury, showing The
value of real and personal estate Of Boston, since
the opening of the Western Railroad and the ei-
feet Of railroads upon The prosperity Of 'na' CITY.