The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-04-16
baltimore and Ohio RaiIroad

The following communication from MIR. Latrobe, the
chief eng neer of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad was
submitted TO the first branch of the city council OF
Baltimore Thursday, in answer TO a resolution OF In
quiry the probable time of the completion OF this
great work:
ESGINEER's OFFICE, B. AND O. RAILROAD,
Baltimore, April z, 1851
SIR have the honor TO acknowledge the receipt OF
your of the 22d OF March, with the following
luton Of the first branch Of the city council, passed on
the nth OF the same month:
Rsolped That the directors on the part of the city of
Baltimore in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company
be requested their very earliest convenience TO report
to this branch at what time in their opinion said road will
be pleted 10 the Ohio river at Wheelng said report
be panied with such practical data as VIII show me
correctness conclusions which they may arrive
l have just returned from passing over the whole line
Of the road between Cumberland and Wheeling, which
will enable TO the inquiry OF the resolution
satisfactorily while it will account for the delay in
my reply.
May, 1919, its completion to Wheeling in June 1852,
promised, with the understanding that there would
be no check from want OF men or money This promise
could have been kept but for the necessary change Of
route near the western terminus which will have been
the Of several months delay II is now expected
that the road will be opened TO Wheeling in December,
1859.
The reasons Tor expecting this result derived
from the general state and progress Of the work IN ITS
several parts upon the several sections of the line, which
are briefly noticed as follows:
There have been five successive lettings upon the line
the first in April 1s49, and the last in December 1890
by which different divisions lave been, from time 10
time, put under contract they could be MADE ready,
and the character OF the work upon them required ana
now the whole route OF two hundred miles is IN progress
o construction For the first twelve months 'here was
surplus of labor upon the line but since then there has
been scarcity which has made constant efforts neces
sary TO keep up supply. But for this the graduation
and masonry would have been IN more generally for
ward state The sections however, which the COM
pe,on of the road depends have been kept nearly all the
time well furnished with hands, so that there will not
have been much delay experienced by the deficiency OF
labor upon The lighter work. The chief inconvenience
respecting the latter will be that some of will have
been finished hurriedly than could have been de-
sired This remark, however, applies TO parts Of the
graduation ony-such as some OF the earth embank-
nens-and not to the masonry other mechanca work,
which will have been built with all the necessary to
its permanence and complete finish Notwiihs standing
these difficulties the plan proposed for the conduct oi me
work IN Its several departments has not BEEN mus Ia
materially departed from.
At the beginning OF the work in lsi9, it's opening last
fall to the Piedmont station, near the mouth oil Savage