Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-12-08


The grcs, reduction in the cost Of trans
portation, which, only few years ago,
was six cents per ton per mile. and is now
variously estimated at from one to two
cents per ton per mile. is one of the most
wonderful as well as gratifying features in
Railroad progress. Only 22 years have
elapsed since the invention Of the locono-
tive. on such plan as to be practically
| useful. If such rapid advances have been
made in the economy of its operation in SO
short time, we may confidently expect
farther Improvements, and very few
years may see the present rates oftranspor
'ation greatly reduced A correspondent
Of the Philadelphia Ledger says: "Thc
Reading Railroad employs in all, about
1900 persons, at salaries and wages res
| pectivcly of about 100000 per month, or
S720,000 per annum. 1t consumes mate
rails IN value of $4,000 per month, or a
bout $4,000 week, causing in all icon
sumption of materials, salaries and wagcs,)
an annual outlay of 100000, all expen-
dcd on its own ground. Some ofthc items
of lis manufacture are particularly interest
ing and striking. Thus, it manufactures
80 wheels day to perpetuate its machine
ny and cars, and requires annually from
seven to eight hundred tons of new rails,
for repairs only. 1t consumes daily 45o
cords of wood, and evaporatcs, in the same
space Of time, halfa million gallons of wa
ter. Yet with all the expenses Of the road,
the employment Of so many hands, the
consumption Of fuel, labor, repairs, &c,
the cost of transportation falls short of 60
cents per ton, such is the enormous guam
tity Of coal brought down every year for
consumption. Indeed the Reading Rail
road transports more tons of merchandise
and receives more per mile than any Rail
road in the world, and exceeds, in this res
pect both the Great Western aud the Lon
don and Birmingham Railroad in Eng
land"
This has been copied to show the cx-
trcmly low ostof transportation under the
most favorable circumstances. This road
is 100 miles long, and the cost of transpor-
tationis G2-l00 of cent per ton, per mile.
This low cost is owing to several causes
which do not ordinarily exist. First the
extraordinary amount of tonnage carried,
secondly, It's homogeneous character con
sisting chiefly Of coal, thirdly, It's being
transported the whole leugth of the road
and lastly, the fact that this great bulk of
coal is carried either on level or down
grade over the entire distance, sleu ing con
clusively, the influence Of grades on the
cost ot transportation. One improvement
IN the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, its
increase of guage over any other road,
heretofore, completed in this State, nlny lie
safely estimated as an advantage Of two
and a half per cent, on be cost of transport
tation and probably more. This guage is
five feet, and mi ht undoubtedly have been
enlarged still more with advantageous re-
suits; but it was thought best to mike it
correspond Nth that of all the roads lead
ing from this IN the South West. There
are only two roads in the United States Of
greater guagr, the New York and Erie,
has width Of six feet. Many believe
that this is too great, aud that the true point
of maximum effect, and minimum cost hes
between FIVE and six feet. The extremely
low tariff offreights now established on the
New York and Erie Railroad, will soon
test The value of iioirF laa.
Long Railroads can transport at a much
lover cost per mile than short ones, be-
cause in the FIRST place, larger amount of
tonnage may naturally be expected. and
smaller rate of profit will make an equal
amount Of gross earnings, secondly many
items of annual expense ona Railroad are
fixed quantities, and do not increase with
the length of the road The third reason
is in fact the ground the first. The area
OF country tributary to a road is bounded
by lines commencing al the beginning of the
road and diverging from the line of road
on each side, until the other terminus is
reached This law however, is often nodi-
fed 10y other considerations. In conse.
qnence Of this, reduction Of freight, at a
point distant from the Depot of delivery
has a much larger area Of countryto act on
in stimulating increased production to com
pcnsate for lower charges.
Ia adjusting the rates of freight on dif
lcrcnt articles regard mus; be had to their
valaes. It would be folly to charge on
bale Of silks no more than on a barrel of
Hour. The same rule must prevail in this
case which governs merchant who sells
some things at a large. and others al
small profit. Some articles will bear
much higher charge than others without
affecting their consumption. There are
things which should be carried al very near
cost, and IL necessary. III less than cost
For instance, concentrated manurcs, such
as plaster and suano, should be carried
certalnly low enough to promote and OK
tend their use even If that should lie less
than cost since the Consequent increase of
agricultural productions will pay the com
pany Ter transporting the manures.
The charge on dry goods is Of very lit
tie consequence compared with expedi-
ton In Transporting them. On the roads
leading from Boston, New York, Philadel
phia and Baltimore west, there is not