Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-01-23
FW III THYHUt'
REPLY TO nCAUTION"

An extracl is made bv Caution" from the mo-
npy article ot the New York Herald OF the 10 h
Dec. 1913, in which the E.or, after summing
M me old dehls, accumulated interest, &C c,
charges tha New York and Erie Railroad Compa-
nv Hila haya. expended S3, 10000 upon 200
miles i! roat, or SIS $50 per mic TINS Is !he
charge; bu, the Editor, II seems. IS not certain
that i i, true AMI conc udes by say ing:
at is ot little Consequence 10 Us what cuns'rnc-
lion Is put upoa the course we have pursued IN
the premises; ii anything stated Is not true, We
arr prepared 10 make the necessary CORRECTION =
The whole ihing is contained in nutshell. Inc
company had SIX millions Of dollars all OF which
has been expended in lie construction 81 one
hundred AMI iurty-sx miles OF road. !! iaIs IS
uot ;fge. Il would b. well Tor the company 10 a..
count Tor lhe expenditure If The money more sat.
is,actutily, as il has been ficialy announced
thai here were no iunis on hand e meet debs
which are about falling Tue"
II Caution" hal taken the trouble 10 glance
a, III American Almanac for 1919, he would
have asceflained hal all he otnrr Railroads, oGln
n single AMI double tracks in hs >iale ot New
York, 81 far as ,hey are fully reported, amount 70
675 miles in !eos.h, AMI cost m the aggregate
SIT 1891, or ab n, $4,000 per mile. Again:
IN page OF i, apprars hal The cost Of consIruc-
lion ami equipnt.nt 4! tie Virginia single rack
roads is Sc 266 4I9 an The aggregate cnS,h 3J3
mic making the average co-I per mile aDou
SIG 800 These Instance, are only given u >hoS
ma tna statements !; "Cau'ion" ongn, moi 10 IN
4tcc me- Legislature T. paass .bore eRibGth'ns tas
.Stqtc IN an enterprise 5ased rpm such AZ est
ma,c"
Caution" asks. GLOW is il possible tina, a
railroad in Virginia can be built Tor less than one
fourth the cost OF The n Y and Erie Railroad?
Tn. answer is plain. "The difficult approach
to Lynchburg" is but for comparatively short
length OF road; this is more than countcrbalsn.
ced by many miles of level ridge, extending 10.
wards The Blue Ridge. The Blue Ridge is pas.
scd al point where the mountain laps, as any
one may see by looking at the position oil bu-
ford's Gap, upon a large map Of The State
hence in effect the survey passes over hish
ground between two mountains. After pass
Ing the Blue Ridge, the line continues IN the
! valley Of The Roanoke, and for long distances
upon The fats of that river, until The passage
over the Allegheny is accomplished, by ascen-
ding ElIiotls creek and descending Meadow
creek and Little river The name Allegheny
is sufficient 10 alarm all cautious persons not
acquainted with the real features oil the coun-
try; but in fact the Allegheny, as crossed by The
line, is merely ridge connecting the main ran
| ges OF mountains, which run \. and ). W i
(see map) and does not deserve The name OF
| mountan at any rate cut Of only 10 feet IS
necessary at its summit. hfter the Allegheny Is
| passed, The survey is extended throush the val
eys Of New River, Cripple Greek, the South
and fiddle Forks OF The IIos,ou, and parallel
| with the main CHAINS Of mountain raages. The
grading for long stretches Of III, "li'eys viii
not cost $1,000 per mile; it Is - these long
stretches + level or gently undul,iing ground
that the average cost Of the road is brought
down 10 a sum which may appear mall TO those
| unacquainted with the features oil the coun ~
and these features cannot be understood D,
travelling the main Stage road, which IS prob
ably the route, il any. taken BY Caution.