Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-05-05

With tolls of four mills per ton per mile, as
assumed by Mr.. Cabel, it would require trade
equivalent to a through tonnage of about 6OO,.
600 tons per annum to pay all the expenses Of
maintaining the line (say $500 per mile) and sic
per cent interest on capital Of fifteen millions o.
dollars, which is about the sum the whole work
will have cost when completed. Can any mar
doubt that a much larger amout than 100000
tons would be delivered annually at the Western
terminus of the CANAL exclusive of the whole
contribution ofVirgin:a herself? Yet these are
the elements of the calculation which it be-
hoyes the legislators of the State to make in de-
termining the propriety of continuing the cana
to the Ohio:
1t now, the cost of transportation by canal be
compared with the rates of charge on the most
succe ssful railroads, it will be seen at once that
the former is more than one hundred per cent
cheaper. The charge on the best Northern rail-
roads upon agricultural products does not fall be-
>1ow three cents per ton per mile, which is more
than three times the cost of canal transportation Bur
supposing it to be reduced to two cents it will be
more than double the cost of transportation by the
canal
From these premises the conclusion is irresisti-
Bile, that, if Virginia wishes to draw the vast trade
of the West through her own territory, she should
not fail prosecute her water line. But there il
another view of the subject which places the poll
cy of the State in still clearer light.
We affirm the proposition, that, since the legs-
aon of the winter just past, there is no hone that
railroad TO the Ohio would secure the trade of
the Ohio Valley from the competing routes And
we make this appear by a very brief statement of
facts
We published, a few days ago, an article from
the Baltimore American, showing the expectations
formed by intelligent men in Baltimore, Cincin-
natl, and the Pennsylvania Legislature, from the
fact that the Legislature of Virginia, at it. late
session, granted the right of way for railroad
connecting the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad with
Parkers6urg. Ohio stands ready to connect Gin.
clnnati with that point; and, by what is called the
"Straight Line Railroad" from Cincinnati, through
Parkersburg TO Baltimore, the distance is shown
to be only 576 miles, making difference in favour
OF Baltimore over Philadelphia (by the Pennsylya-
MIA Central railroad) of lo2 miles, and actually
causing the "Straight Line Railroad" to present
the nearest route from Cincinnati to PHILADELPHIA
by miles.
Now the distance from Richmond to Guyar.
do'te' BY our Central Railroad, through Coving-
ton, we cannot make less than 435 miles, and the
distance from Guyandotte to Cincinnati is about
100 miles, making the whole distance about $50
miles. Let US suppose This distance to be pre-
ciseiy equal to the distance from Baltimore to
Cincinnati of SIG miles. Richmond has the dis.
advantage of being far behind Baltimore in cani.
tai and population, and moreover, of being in fact
no seaport Norfolk is the true point at which
our calculations should be aimed, and NorfolL
would be farther from Cincinnati than Ra,,noro
would be, by very nearly the whole dis.
lance between Norfolk and Richmond Ia II
reasonable to expect that with an Improvement If
the same kind, Norfolk and Richmond wopld ho
able to divert the trade and travel from the sune.
ror and shorter route to Baltimore and tho
more Northern cities, whittier both are now tend.
ing?
We solicit the earnest attention of members Of |
our State Convention, who are understood TO be |
contemplating some constitutional provision for |
carrying out wise improvement policy. If they
wish TO see all Western Virginia and Underwater
Virginia, tributary to Baltimore, let them SANCTION