North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-04-05
p1LEIGH AND CASTOR ROAD.

rt last Petersburg South Side Democrat makes
.-onr anneal to the people of Petersburg, and es-
.;.uv the merchants, to come forward with their
49,. If subscriptions towards the reconstruction
'I p.Ieigh and CASTOR Road. That paper truly
!. ont off the trade of Carolina and the counties
T;-r;n, CONTIGUOUS to Carolina, and you cut off
w.. .r,e,v which supplies Petersburg with its lfe's
tIood ,, The people of that town, and its intelli-
ront merchants particularly, are no doubt well con-
SD Of this fact; and hence the general surprise
.w,;tsd here by the backwardness OF that place in
,o,;on N the reconstruction OF the ROAD. we
that thus far, Petersburg has subscribed only
.hont eioht thousand dollars to this work 1t the
-,,rDrise he destined to succeed, not less than one
Snnded thousand dollars must be subscribed by that
community. This is the sum put down by all who
mode calculations on the subject here, together
18th ono hundred thousand dollars more, In Norfolk
I'D IN the line beyond the County OF Warren.
W. b.ve heard il intimated that portion of the
o,,o of Petersburg, Jealous of the advantages which
Tc.u ,,rs, derive from this work. are Indifferent
:, .nd willing that it should fail. They calculate
l.rnoIv increased trade from the South Side
p..d and from the Plank Road running up towards
, Roanoke while they content to go back to the
od svstem of wagonng in place of the CASTOR Road,
thpFfh
roliDa trade. Is this SOL We hope the South Side
Democrat will inquire into the matter and give the
facts on the subject
All things considered, the people OF Raleigh have
already subscribed very fair amount to this work.
The subscriptions here have reached, we learn, some
v thousand doIlas and they can be Increased to Sc
ventv6ye thousand dollars, if that amount should be
fund INDISPENSABLE to the charter. When the
ORIGINAL charter was granted the people of this place
subscribed to The amount Of at least one-half the
value OF their real estate; they have recently taken
one-seventh of their real estate in the Central Road,
and now they have taken one-tenth OF their real es-
tate in the Raleigh and CASTOR Road.
What is Granville doing Do gentlemen IN that
County suppose that eight thousand dollars, or four
times eioht thousand as their share OF the sub
scriptions will ensure the Road!
We have heard the fear expressed, by gentlemen
well informed on the subject that if the CASTOR Road
should fail the building of the Central Road will
be thereby seriously put in jeopardy. We hope not.
If the CASTOR Road should go down, should become
only Plank or Turnpike Boad, the produce of a
large portion of our interior by the Central
Road, would at once seek outlet at Wilmington,
and in process of time also Beaufort; and in adj
dluOn to thlS, the trdVel lot sixty OF seventy 0Ss
from this point and above TO Godsborough, would al
once be considerable. That travel would increase,
as it would be easy matter to run from HILLSIDE
rough, for instance in FIVE hours to Goldsborough,
and thence North to Petersburg New York. Be
sides, we trust the day is distant when we shall
import our goods into our Cities and whether
imported into Charleston, Wilmington, Beaufort, or
Norfolk, they might be transported inland along the
line of the Central Road, with much more ease and
Promptness than many seem TO imagine. So, after
all, the rebuilding of the Castor Road is matter for
the consideration especially of Petersburg and the
Counties North of this, to wit Franklin Granville,
Warren, and Northampton.
If it be true that Petersburg fears the rivalry of
Norfolk, in case the CASTOR Road should be recon-
sructed the fact is the strongest argument that could
De addressed to the people of the latter City in favor
of the Road. We it stated, few weeks since,
that the people Of Norfolk would be called to the
polls to vote upon the proposition to subscribe one
hundred thousand dollars to the work but, of late
we have heard nothing of this matter, or as to the
probable result of the contemplated vote. We should
be pleased to hear something on this subject from
some of the Norfolk papers.