The North-Carolina standard., 1849-03-21
AMERICAN RAILROAD JOURNAL.


AMERICAN RAILROAD JOURNAL.
The following brief but instructive article in reIa-
ton to ssRailway connections, = we copy from the
last number of the American Railroad Journal:
: tsRAILwaY CoNNEcTIeNs. As 1t is not within the
scope of the General Government to construct any
system of internal Improvement in the shape of Rail-
ways for the purpose of facilitating commerce, all
the enterprises originate with the several States and
have for their primary object the advantage of the State
to connect important points, accommodate the bus
ness of particular section But the trade and COM
of the country being entirely independent of
State lines requires for its convenience system of
railways co-extensive with, and to the wants
of the whole country; and this influences Is gradually
guiding the independent and apparently caprlcloqs
Legislation of the several States into order and
metry, and uniting these various systems into one
harmonious whole. ~
These connections are opening new era in the
value and usefulness of railroads. When the roads
of the different States shall be united, the iron rail
will become another electric wire through which any
persons upon line of railway in the most remote
part of the country can touch every section of the
Union. The manufacturer in the extreme north can
forward his products directly his southern wes-
tern consumer, and thus, it were, possess con-
slant market at his own door, And in turn, the south
and western planter and farmer, can distribute
their agricultural products among their northern
sumers, as they wanted, without being interrupt
ed as they are by the unnavigable state of the
rivers from ice in the winter droughts In summer
These connections are rapidly going on. The
New York and New Haven road. which has Just
been completed, has united the railroads Of New Eng
land and the Middle States. The vast amount OF
travel which passes this road shows the lmpor-
tance of this connection: Over it, trunk line,
the New Y York merchant and manufacturer may now
forward, direct his customer, in almost any part
of New England, without breaking bulk; and receive
in return the products of that section. The compile
ton of the Hudson River road will open direct
Iao with ernad nf M
the Lakes. Pennsylvania is busily engaged in'con-
necting her extensive system of internal improve
ments with those of Ohio, and Ohio Is uniting her
self with those of the States still further west In
the SOUTH the Wilmington road is being extended to
the South Carolina roads. Her roads connected
with those of Georgia. and this latter State is extend
ing her railways to navigabe point on the Chata-
hooche, with view of ultimate extension to Mobile
and New Orleans. In twoyears from this time there
will be line of railway from Maine to steamboat
navigation on the Chattahooche- afording contnu-
inland route Of railroad and river navigation from
Portland to New Orleans, with the exception of a
short distance along the Gulf of Mexico. Charles.
ton will soon unite herself with Cairo, at the juno
ton of the Ohio and Mississippi, by means of the
road which is now in construction through Tennes-
see and Mobile is also connecting herself with the
same point. From Cairo road will soon be con-
| structed north to Chicago on lake Michigan. which
is to be nterseced various points by the great lines
running east and west, through Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois. Thus with other principle than the laws
the Union is being fast bound together with these
iron bands; and every road in the country, the most
insignificant and remote, is becoming more valuable
from every dollar that is expended upon the roads
with which it is connected and every additional mile
railway constructed enlarges the sphere of useful
ness of those already built All engaged in this work
are co-aborers together for the good of the whole.
| It is impossible but that the best results should
follow from thus uniting together the various parts
of the couny-results, the value of which not to
be measured by the ordinary standards of dollars and
cents, but of social and intellectual progress
1t will introduce different sections of the country to
each other,t and uniformity Of ideas, views
and interests; and when men come to understand
another, mutual confidence and good will succeed
that suspicion and distrust which universally attends
to state of unacquiantance and isolation and thus
all engaged in this work of railway construction
are fulfilling double mission, and advancing the in
teectual and moral as well as the physical good oi
their fellow men. -:- s;ai - ~ ~. % e.
This valuable work-the Railroad Journals pub
lished weekly in New ork City, and is devoted to
Steam Navigation, Commerce. Mining, and Manu-
factures. Terms, $5 per annum in advance. Ad-
dress Henry v. Poor, Esq. Editor, 81 Wall Street.