Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-12-11

follow The conn eCllon 0l IueWaier WIN i'"'0'''N
by means of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad,
aud with OHIO by the James River AMI hanawha
Canal and the Central Railroad, at all problem
nl;cal there would be reason for hesitation III
prosecuting these enterprises. are happily engaged
in works. about the success o which there Is no Sad
ow of doubt, and the profit certainly to accrue from
which warrant the largest expenditure in their con-
sruction. We have now something more lhall vague
CONJECTURE and speculative reasoning To point "ui 'le
results of such en,erprises The lest o experience
has been fully applied elsewhere,and The wisdom "i
iudicious system of improvements oeeh es'aoi'sHeu
beyond all dispute.
The three grea, lines Of improvements looking tn
cop,mu,r,tnn Win The wesLare the James River and
Kanaw ha Canal the Virginia and IenneSsep ana HE
Central Railroads IN my last annual Message, nrg-
ed upon the Legisa NE lie p"lIcy "i C mi itlIng
the James River aud Kanawha Canal 10 The ONO
river have seen nothing Slnce I" change l'lat u
pIunn, hut Il great deal lo strengthen ana conn W -"
The point ii, which this work Is proposed l" '""'n 'e
Dino is the hest one To he found from lis sources I"
IFS mouth. for water communication WIN Ihe Az
l,u,ic .raboard. This Improvement will afford
S,uihern wafer line Of transportation for the heavy
protlucts of the West, which must he, Tor a long
period of the year, without a competitor, owing To
the ice m The waters North of il. Such articles ol
commerce "a would pass upon Canal IN preference
Ia railroad would prefer this, Tor the reason mat
would lead rd the nearest Atlantic harbor, ami con-
seuuenlv The cost upon II would be 'he least sor III
ternal or domestic transportation. canal hoal al
Columbus, Ohio, laden with pork hemp, Iobacc"
ur iron, would greatly prefer gong to Norfolk upon
tins canal, passing through the lakes ana 'ie Erie
Canal To New Y ork if The market was as good al
ihe nne place as the olher tor lhe simple reason
that the distance would be greatly shorter aud The
,.,.,. NsI,,n hN
from ,he dangers of the lake The market would he
os good at Norfolk as New York, because The
trade would be intended for foreign nations, and ol
cnurse the foreign price would renlae that al The port
y, which i, wniIi be purchased far transportation.
A common standard would regulate tie phce al hoth
Dnrls and would of course render 1t unli"rm' IL Is
pInn therefore that such trade as would prefer wafer
carriagp and as reaches New orr from 'le Hear'
of the Ohio would find lis way 10 the ocean ro"gl
", he means oc er canal But The trade OF
OH, and the West. is not by any means the only
;r,lncemput offered for the romp pletion o tins work
will hazard the opiuion that the lImber "i our i"r
es,s bordering upon the line "l Ihe canal and access
sble 10 i, by wav of the upper hanawha or New
River and its tributaries. will ~ lew wears prn""ce
to Virginia IL larger sum n' money 'hah Tie wh"e d
mount required for completing lie canal d"uo' u
!, America there are to be found such forests Tor
sbi iD-buluu = those growing lI INV "'' ''''' va '
,ry rpC.rred to- The complexion "i this work would
l, nc, - rhorouuharr for The transportation "' coal
c La rohfc mines ul KarraW ha. Coal and Guy!
a,,,n,,e rivers To- No,fnlk. which would make that
c;,, ,hp depn, whence the whole S'eani-nafhe {" 'he
Al,r,c would he supplied VI h !ne The discovery
o canpc1 coal in Ihal quarter "l me State III large
nuDnli,es and "i the most superior
bevnnd Gouht the fact that. with cheap mode {"
TRANSFORMATIONS the best fuel in The world Tor steam
wouId he supplied al Norfolk cheaper than at any &C.
ces.hIe poat on the AdnIlc border. ne coal ana
timber tra,e from the Western part oi our own oa'e
yould alone make the stock IN This Canal productive
During the coming year The Canal VIII De com
1,oI T., Rurhanan. a distance of a 194 miles; which
will leave Ia In be constructed, III orcer l" carry
!, 10 the great falls of Kanawha. ! am OF "pInI"n
ina, The general interests of the Safe souId he pro-
mo,ed bv continuing ii a, once Ia C"vInslon, aud
=, ;,rrnvinv The navigation of lhe karawha as To
allow s,pnn,hnafs oascPnd that river To The great allS
The constructions then. temporary measure, ol IA
,l,nk road between those two points, distance "l
some one hundred miles, would give l" '''S WORN
almost monopoly "fIhe transportation between New
York aud Cincinnati for the five months during
which the Northern canals closed by lce' as wen
MS considerable share of II throughout Tie year
becauSe il would then present The cheapest l'he "'
,r,rsnnration hrW zen the Atlantic seahufn an" N"
cinna,i, that through the Etlt canal only hchg eA-
,op,eI The pnr,aue between C"vw9on and Tie
Kanawha falls Is already lolerahIv well graded, and
will REQUIRE cnmparavrlv, lluie l"r'hPr expense I"
f. !, fora plank Suprrstiucure. The present grading
e known To he far superior t0 that "l Inc national
road over which such large quantities "l produce
ars supplph Ia The Baltimore aud ON" kaI'r"ao
The completion of lhe water line To C"Ving"'' 'he
construction of such road, and The redncn"h "I
,cls upnn the canal. would in NV opinion, 'mmedl-
,,i, ,,, Ihe revenues and credit If The company M
;, surh condition as would secure the speedy com
pp,ion of the entire wa'er line.
There are many who doubt the eXped'enry OF con-
tinunU the canal,and who consider railroad eN'eh
sion or tins line o Improvement liore eNPe"'eh anu
nractirable Without intending to diSparage ''''S
,uer species Of public w"rk, to oppose the com
netion of the Central railroad asa distinct enterprise
/ think itmy tlniy To CHE The experience oi other
har have embarked arge IN canaI-,in "ppoSI-
INN to these views THIS duly is 'he more InPera-
tive rs erroneous opinions prevail extensively "P""
the subject in Virginia and sentiment "i
.r,I boSuI,v seems exist towards Inc cahal aho"s
,he friends of other Improvements. hor""9" '",'
nation upon The subj ect would remove lhls PrtJ'"oe
and mite the friends of these works IN support Z"
,hc canal as am Improvement destined to i"rnisn
,o,o. falling commerce end prosperity TO ''el' "'''
Ir,hs sx,erieuce of similar works IN other ola'es
should I've found to require an anan'""','e"' V: w..
canal. i, should he abandoned without "e>''s'c"'
bur if it should appear from full and thorough l"'I
nation AS to their operarionshal The p"Ilcy Is "'S''
vigorously pursued-and only unwISe when pursue"
with observation-disclosures and dlSrust-lilsea" "' a"a"
doning we should push forward Ihe work. al" 'i"'
with the spirit and energy which is necessary 10 lhe
success as well of this of every other great under
taking.
New York enjoys, most of all other States, the
,dvnr,aces of this species OF Improvement, and reaps
morernlIv than any Other the henrt of AN early.w'Se
aud energetic policy respecting them ihe tolls up
ON the Erie canal in lS25.lhe first wear during wrn
it was opened. amounted to S492664. !" 1919
they reached 962 1872 ,loIlars.-Durng The twenty