Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1849-01-24
FROM TIL. s,cnaosp r,ass.
SOUTH WESTERN RAILROAD.
To the Editors ofthe Time, :

money for internal improvement, notice one for
subscription by the State of three fiffhs of the
amount necessary for the construction of railroad
from Lynchbury to the Tennessee line and anoth-
or for the construction Of railroad State account
from Buchanan to the Tennessee line. BY way of
exhibiting the comparative merits of these two
pe,ing schemes, Il would respectfully submittie
following facts for the consideration of the Legisla
ture.
LIST. Surveys and estimates Of the cost ofralroads,
on the lines above indicated. were made IN 1887,
by MIR. w. Is. Thompson, under the direction uf
Mr.. G.. Crozet, Principal Engineer. See 22nd
annua, report of Board OF Public Works, from page
81 to page 81.
%. BY Mr.. Thompson's estimate, il,c cost Of
railroad from Lynchburg to the Big Lick, 81 miles,
would be ST. ,O92, 427 !; from Bic Lick to the Ten
nessee line S., 500 ,632 from Buchanan TO the Big
Lick 1854 1896; aud whole c.s! from LyDchLurg 10
the Tennessee limo So, 6S3, 070 and from Buchan-
an TO the Tennessee line $2,94l ,97S; showing
difference iii favor OF Buchanan of $739, lOl.
Sd. Three ffths of the cost Of railroad from
Lynchburg TO the Big Lick make $685., 455 from
which deduct 1884 $50 whole cost Of railroad from
Buchanan to tho Big Lick, and the excess of three
ffths Of the cost Of railroad from Lynchburg to
tho Big Lick the ,ohoe cost of railroad from
Buchanan 10 the Big Lick, is shown TO DO S30l,-
1879 And the average cost Of a railroad, from the
Big Lick to the Tennessee line, according TO Mr.
Thompson's estimate, being Sl4,3l2 per mile, this
excess of SS0l ,l20, would make 81 miles Of that
portion of the improvement. Showing tina; three
Gtis of the cost OF 4 rauoad from Lyuchburg the
Big Lick, would pay the tc'iolc cost Of constructing
\ railroad from Buchanan to point AZ miles
West of that place, and n miles West Of the Big
Lick.
18th. Take $500, 900, instead ofthe estimate o.
MIR. Thompson, as tho whole cost of railroad from
Lynchburg TO the Tennessee line, and make tho
like proportional difference in the cost of the road
between the points above named, as are made by
Nj "A a., a.
LynchbuIg to the Big Lick is shown to tie SAL
500; from Buchanan TO the Big Lick S240, 800, and
from the Big Lick to the Tennessee line Sl,755,-
500.
5t Three fifihs Of the cost of railroad from
Lynchburg TO the BIG Lick, by this estimate make
f44,90O; from which deduct S240.50O, and the
Of three. ffths of the cost of the road from
Lynchburg to the Big Lick, over the uho!e cost
from Buchanan to the Big Lick, is shown TO be
$204 400; and the average per mile, by this
estimate, of a railroad from the Big Lick TO the
Tennessee line being $0,7l5. This excess Ct
$2O4 ,1OOs would pay the cost of making twenty
one miles of that portion of the improvement
Showing that, by this estimate also, three -tfls of
the cost of railroad from Lynchburg to the Big
Lick would pay the whole cost of railroad from
Buchanan to point AZ miles west OF that place,
and II miles west of the Big Lick.
9th. Three. fifths of the cost of railroad from
Lynchburg to the Tennessee line, by this estimate,
make 100000 Deduct this sum from S 999,
600, the whole cos. of railroad from Buchanan to
the Tennessee line, by the estimate, and he
excess of the whole cost OF railroad from Buchan-
an to the Tennessee line, over three itths of the
cost of like i'm from Lynchburg, is shown
to be $780, 900.
7th The James River and kanawha Improve
ment is in progress of construction, and will in
a short time be completed from Lynchburg tC
Buchanan.
The State owns halfthe original stock in
this Company So 500, 0OC
And the Company owes debt to the State.
and guaranteed by the State amounting 3.2l22 0t
Making an aggregate Of S57I2,2 POI
And the productiveness Of this large sum to the
State is dependent upon The revenue to bc derived
from this improvement
9th. the tonnage Of tho South West is esfna-
ted by Mr.. CrUzet at 100000 tons per annum,
which he regards as ga very moderate estimate
(See report referred to above.) If Buchanan be
made the terminus Of tho railroad this ton
mage will be brought opon the canal at that point
If LynchbuTg, IL will De brought upon the canal fifty
miles lower down, and the tolls on it for that dis
,ance lost TO the James River and kanawha Com
pany which at one cent per ton per mile, would
amount to the sum of $4,000 per annum--a reye-
nue. alone sufficient, to say nothing Of the
from the railroad to pay the accrning interest on
the above named sum of $4,000 and leave i
balance of 10000 to be applied every year 10 the
payment Of the principal
9th. The tonnage of tho South West will con-
sist mainly Of iron and other heavy articles Mr.
CroZet in his report above referred 10, expresses
The opinion, in view of the large amount Of traye
from the South Western States, expected to be Sc
cured upon this line, that the profits from travel
will he such 10 enable the company to transpor
these heavy articles at the rate Of cents per tor
per mile. Putting transportation on the railroad
at this rate and putting transportation the cana
at l : cents per ton per mile, which is about the
present rate on pig iron, and higher than it will b,
tn ba he rat O,h lgc
after the large accession TO the tonnage thai will
be secured by The completion Of the canal 10 Buch
anan, and the construction of Il railroad from tha
point 10 the Tennessee line, and the cost of trans
poraton per ton from the Big Lick to Richmond
by the two competing routes, will stand as follows
From Big Lic. Lynchburg by railroad 50 miles,
From Lynchburg TO Richmond by canal, I46 e" 2,i.
S4,5;
From Big Lie: to Buchanan by railroad, 26 m. S OF
--3,o o:
Difference in favor Of Buchanan. 81
And this saving OF 81 cents per ton on 100000
tons amounts to $J7 600 which would be saved
every year 10 the Southwest, according to Mr.. Gro
zes estimate Of the tonnage, by bringing their pro
duce upon. the canal at Buchanan, instead Of a
Lynchburg.
II is evident, therefore. lst That it is not neceo
sary, in order to secure railroad to- the Southwest
to obtain the aid Of Lynciburg capital by making
that point tie Eastern terminus Of the Improvement
as the difference IN the cost Ut the improvement
against Iynchhurg is more than would be supplied
from the capital Of that place. even should THEN
subscription be as high as $500 900, as heretofore
promised. 2ndiy. That the loss to the State in
revenue from her Investment in tho James Rive
and kanawha Improvement, by making Lynchburc
the Eastern terminus Of the railroad instead q
Buchanan, would greatly oyerbaIancc the differ
between the ,choie cost oi his road rorn Buch