Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1850-12-13

we are happily engaged in $Fxs ah,ui tl,s s,,f..E
cess Of which there i no saaew 81 doaat ana
The profits certaniy To aecre from which var
rantihe largest expenditure 1 their eonstrs,e1ioa
We have now something a5reShan yaqne CON
lectnre and speculative reashife Il. point.out the
results OF such enterprises The test az experi.
eace has been fully appliedelse where. and The
wisdom Of Judciuus sysffn Of IMPROVEMENTS
been established beyond allaispate.
The three great lines Of Improvement lookiH
TO communication with the Nest. are tha Janles
River and K4naNha Csnd. The Virginia a.
Tennessee. and the CenlraI RAILROADS. 10 III
Ind Ind saaqn Aaae:ahaf q the ONO Fits ssTe
seen notlng since 10 Grange that opinion but a
/ great deal TO strengthen aud confirm it, The
1 point al which this work is proposed to touchthe
Ohio, i Ehe best one y Be found irora it, sources
+ TO its mouth, Tor "a water communication with the
4 AhaEtic.seahoatd This impruv ment viii afford
! SonrherI VA Q lrue OF trau~puri atloa Tor the
4 heavy pfodurts oi the West, which mast be- Tor
long period of the YEAR, without d Competitor,
! owing to the Ire IN he waters north of it Such
| articles of conmetee as would pass upon canal
in prrferenr 70 a. railroad, would prefer this fiji
/ the reason L a. it woa lead 10 the nearest At
lanlic harbl r,.tld nFequen,ly the coast upon Il
I would be the least FIR internal aud domestic
I transportati ion. canal boat al Columbus. U
laden with pork, Temp tobacco or iron, wonld
/ greatly prefer going 10 Norfolk upon this canal
/ 10 passing through the lakes and the Erie Canal
10 New York, il the matket was az good al The ono
place as TIE other for The simple reason Tat the
distance would be greatly shorter andthe naviga-
7 ton much safer from interruption BY ice and
from the dangers bf the lake. The market
would be as good al Norfolk as New York. be-
cause the trade would Be intended r-foreiun
nations, and Of course the Photographers would
/ regulate that at the port al which il would be
purchased for transportation. common stan.
dard would regnltte the price at both ports, and
would Of course render il uniform Ills plain,
therefore, that snrh trade as would prefer water
carriage, and as now reaches New York tromthe
heart Of the Ohio, wonld find its way to the
/ ocean through vi ginia, BY means Of her canal
+ But the trade o. Ohio. and The West, is not BY
any meansl The emily inducement offered for the
i complexion OF this work. a viii hazard the
opinion, that the timber OF our forests bordering
upon he line OF the canal. and actessibeto thy
way Oft upper Kan&wha, or New river and IT'S
tributaries, Twill in al few Years produce 20 Nir.
ginia a lager sum oil money than the whole
amount required for completing the canal |
doubt il in America there are TO be found such
forests tQr ship-buidiua as those growing in the
section of country referred to The completion
Of this work would also open thorougtilare for
the ransportation Of Goa from the prolific mines
Of Kanawha, Coal and Guyandot'e rivers TO Nor
( fokwhiehwoud mskeHfiat city the dcpotWhence
the whole steam marine 81 the ATTAINING would
be supplied with fuet Tie discovery d camel
coal ln atquarter Of The State, in large quaint.
ties and OF the most superior quality, establishes
beyond doubt the fact that, with cheap mode OF
transportation, the best fuel in the world, for
steam would be supplied at Norfolk cheaper than
at any accessible point on the Atlantic border -
The coal and timber trade from the Western part
this canal productive
Daring the coming yearthe canal will be com
pleted to Buchanan, a distance 81 1874 miles
which will leave la to be constructed, in order
to carry il to the great5falIs OF kanawha ! am
OF opinion that the gene al interests of the Stale
would be promoted hyc nlinuing Il at once log
Covington. and 30 improving tie navigation of
the Kanawba as 10 aIlow steamboats, 10 ascend
that river I'd the Great tails. The consHftiPn,
then, as temporary measure, Of! apank road
between those Two points. distancee t some sne
hundred miles. would give TO this work almost a
monop " If the transportation between New
York and Cincinnati.fpr The five months during
. which the Northern canals are closed by ice a
we'll AS consider b. share Of II throughout the
year ;bacause it wqud then present the cheapest
line Of transporapn7 bel ween Tie As'anflc. sea
board and Cincinnati, that through the Ere ca
nal only being excepted The portage between
Covinrtnn and the KanaM ha falls is already tnle-
w. little further expense 10 tit il for plank su-
perstrncture ThApreSen grading i known 10,
be superior 10 that of the ma enal road, over
which such large Quantities of pr dnce are sup
+ Piled to the Baiumpre. a#d Ohio Railroad The
J. completion lot the water line 10 CUvngtoa the.
construction of such ia road, and he reduction OF
tolls upon The canal, Ropld,,ln my og>nsn, I'M.
4 mediatek put 3he revenues and credit otthe com
/ panv into snch Condition as would secure the
IL. IL He sata lima
/ There are many WHO doubt the expedency Of
f continuing the canal and who consid "a iroad
exteneinn ot this line of Improvement more eXpe-
/ dent and praclica ble. Without intending dis
paragp this 'latier species Of public work, or 10
/ oppose The completion oi the Central railroad as
I a distinct enterprise, 4 think il my duly 70 cite
the experience 81 other States, that have embark
ed large in canals, ln opposition To these views
i THIS duty isrhe more Imperative. as erroneous
apiuldns prevail exiFBkivefy upon the suFIaci IN
Virginia, and sentiment antagout7m and hos
tIity seems to exist tow rds he cana Bamong Tie
friends OF other improvements Thorough ln!or-
malion upon the subject would remove this pre-
in1tce and unite the friends Of these works ~
support ol The canal al an Improvement destined
10 furnish never failing commerce and prosperity
10 them ALI
Ifthe experience If similar works insether
States should be soundt 10 require an abandonment
Of the canal, il should be abandsued wlttout hest
taliou bull Il it should appear iron full aad
thorough Information p to tGeir oper atoms, tsal
4 the policy is wise, il vigorously pnssued-aHd
only nnwise when pursued with hesitation, lan-
guor and distrust-insIead If abandoning We
sEsould push forwardth work. and that With TIDE
spirit and energy which is necessary 70 the suc-
cess as well ofthis as OF eseryother great under
taking.
New York enjoys. most Of all other States, the
advantages OF this species Of improvement, and
reaps more tuliy ,Iansny other the beneii1 Of .
early. wise and energetic policy respecting hem
Il The tolls upon the Ere canal in 1925. the frsl
year during which Il was opened, amounted Il
S492.664. 10 I8Ia Il u reached s., 1862 1872 -
Duriag the twenty hVe years Of this canals ope.
ration, that State has, encouraged by the results
ofthis leading experiment, constructed the Cham
plain. the 0swego. the CavuGa and Seneca, TIT
f,hemung the tennessee Valley and tse Oneidf
Lake Canals, the Seneca River Towing Path
the Oneida River Improvements, and the Cayugs
Inlet She is also constituting 245 additions
miles 81 canals, andeniarging The main GTle tfunl
al a cost considerably exceeding bat OF its orr
nal construction Tie income from these latera
works sweIled the total receipts the State iron
her canals IN lS49 TO tie immense sggtegate q
3 S3442. goo. The expenditures upon these work
during the year, according the report OF th
Canal Commissioners, zee S6s5,So3, Whiea
LETT nett profit Of S2,T57 .l02 from the year.
operations The Comptroller reports that on til
S0th of September, IB49, the entire cost Of III
New York canals, inclu5ing the sum 81 s ,624
74S. expended IN enlarging the main work. ha
been S33 aI4l5s !; thar thts enlargement bein
incompleie, had as YET effeeted no aagmeniatisl
+ Of me annaa, receipts but that, nevertheless.