Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1850-05-30
AMERICAN AND ENGLISHIPoN

We continue 10 lay before our readers an.
al evidence TO sustain the view, we en,er,a;,'
TO the policy, which should be adopted bv "a, as
President and Directors Of the Virginia and "e
nessee Rail Road Company, in all future con,r.1'
Tor rails. In the N. y. Journal Of Commerce -
May 18th, 1850, we find the following: ~ Vi
"Ihe iackawana Imn Co., whose works a,e = =.
near the termination Of this road (he Iggeit,s nsed
rad, already manufactures thousand Ions 'li.
non per year, and has never ceased is operai "ad
from lis loca ion and other advantages can -. -, and
as successfully with The English manufacturers "'e
other establishment, in the country The i'm NJ ~. any
iabshmen, much preferred the English ,a auS es
the propeios have been enabled to obtain laue I and
advance, at prices from five TO ten dollars per In,
The prices OF foreign rails in this markei.p aOo'e
Thus we find, that large rolling e,,,lr.,
ment, producing ten thousand tons of rails a,
ally, is kept at work in Pennsylvania. bv ea a,Ho
purchasers for its production, at an adyanca '"g
the English prices OF from fire 10 ten dollars A.. A.,
which we contend for, is thus proved 10 be so,l '
economyin State, that has expended mor eY oai
ital, in internal improvement, than any S,a,o
the Union, except New York. III
We find confirmation again in the last ANN,
report of l.. p. Grant Resident Enginec, ~ ,i
Georgia Rail Road and Banking Connany' ' nc
says; -ne
at is TO be regretted that the quality of i'm, n
this pattern,F, o theCIawshay' 'brand prcb,s1 VI
Davis Brooks Co., is found be inferinr man J"
rails bring too brittle 10 Withstand the ordinary defect
under the weigh, Of large class Freight Engin,
therefore deemed prudent 10 make If conInnons hos
lngS 81 timber. in renewing the remaining eiyht m,
which work is now in progress" ~
We do not profess TO be either practical or Tho
oretical Engineers but we would venture tho ~
sertlon, that a continuous bearing of wood which
MIR. Grant regards as indispensable, will cos,
more than eight dollars per ton on the iron re.
CURED to lay mile Of road. In renectno mo,
this passage OF Mr. Grants report We beo orr
readers to be assured that Davis, Brooks * Co
are among the largest importers of iron in the c;,v
OF New York. and stand as high as any mercan :
tile house IN that, or any other, city, of the Union
Crawshay's works. in Wales, are, with the excen-
ton OF Sir John Guests, the most extensive !,
that country.
We find also, in another part of the same re-
port, this remark:
81 he establishment OF rolling mill for the manu(,c
ilre ct railroad bars, at ne point accessible from
the various roads in the STATE. would enable the Railroad
Companies to bring their old iron once into use nv
manufacturing into heavy bars for their own roads oI
for sale 10 enterprises. It would protect Companies
to some extent from inferior quality of railroad bars
such as have been thrust upon them of lac BY Enolh
Manufacturers. This subject seems me to be worthy
Of your consideration"
In the conclusion of Mr.. Grants veIv in.
teresting report, we find the following:
"Thc failure of iron rails is mainly from laminalon
which is the crushing peeng up of the top layer com
posing the rail pile by Of impe feet welding Yo
will readily understand that this effect destroys the sur
face Of the rails and renders them al unfit f further
use on the Road and this may, and frequently does o Cur
before The rails have lost two per cent of weight from ac
iual wear or ABRASION
Estimating the average limit Of service If the iron
rails now on the whole road. l2 years. and lass Of L.
per cent OF weight, we arrive AT the ullwing appox-
mate result
Present value Of 2 700 tons now on the
Road at So per ton. sos, 80 90
Probable value Of It ,19j tons Of old Iron,
rated at $50 per ton, 322. $50 90
Value OF deterioration in twelve years, $375,G5O 90
Value of deterioration per annum in round
numbers $4,000 o0'
Really, this is an appalling calculation coming,
as it does, from such high authority We beg our
readers, especially such of them as are Stockhod-
erS in the Virginia and Tennessee Rail Road Com
panv to reflect upon it, and to keep il in mind till
next November when they will have it in their
power, by instucting the Board of Directors, to
avert from our railroad so great an evil as must
result, five continue TO purchase inferior rail-
road iron from England. What is the practical
result to which MIR. Grants calculations lead ?
None other than this that by the use of inferior
quality railroad bars, such have been thrust up
on them OF late by English manufacturers to the
extent of Il, 700 tons but little more than dou-
BILE the quantity already purchased for our road -
we abstract, annually, from the value of the prop
erty of Stockholders, thirty-three thousand dol
lars. The more we reflect upon, and the more we
investigate, this subject the more steadfas are we
in our opinion, that looking to the recent decis-
ion of our Board OF excellent and intelligent Di-
rectors, merely in an economical point of view,
it was truly unfortunate. Unfortunate, we mean,
to the Stockholders themselves, as Stockholders,
irrespective of any interest they may have as cit
liens, in the general benefits which would assured
ly have resulted 10 the whole country from this
TO the Tennessee line. if the money sent to En-
gland to purchase iron, had been expended in
our own country.
ITEMS.
d. The Nicaroruo troo Nv hoe honp ratified Inv