The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1851-01-15
Fen ihs FsysiifslHs phEHeI,
Tas Raleigh and Castor Road, and its
Continuation South.

Among the few legislative docu-
ments which. for love or money. can
BE- obtained by thes outside barbarianss
Who live beyond the precincts Of the
Capitol. we have been interested IN a
Repart Of Mr.. Fox, the Engineer en-
ployed by the Governor to examine in
10 the condition Of the Raleigh and
CASTOR Rail Road.-that existing dis
grace to the State. and future blessing,
4 our Legislature can be induced to
cast lis bread upon the waters" with
a little Of the foresight and faith which
a Legislator ought TO exercise in mat
tiers Of more than temporary vale and
use.
After avery minute description of the
dilapidated condition Of the road. (which
no one who has travelled over it will
require Us to cOpy.) Mr.. Fox proceeds
TO show what will be required to put it
in perfect order, with U rail weighing
IS lbs. 10 the yard. The whole expense
he states at $3.50 500, less Sal $50, the
value of the old iron now on the road,
leaving the actual cost, s5O9, 05O. This
is exclusive Of cars and locomotives.
lie then proceeds to show, that with
the reduced expense for repairs and
running on a good track, and the GER
tain increase Of travel and transporta-
ton, the road would pay, on a mode
rate estimate, an interest of more than
per cent. on 5000. 900. which would
be about its cost TO the State If the above
sum were laid out on il.
lie then comes to an interesting view
of the subject-a view which would be
sufficiently important likewise, il we
could hope that the means were at com
mand to push it TO practical result.
We extract that part Of the Report. as
follOws:-
I" But this road should be viewed in a
more liberal light, and not looked upon
merely as an isolated work depending
solely upon its own resources for sue
cess. 1t is emphatically an important
link in the great chain Of Rail Roads
connecting the North and SOUTHEAST
and West. Its local position is more
advantageous than that of any other
road in the South. II is tho leading
line to the outlets of our Southern trade,
seeking Northern markets, connecting
the improvements Of the West with
Norfolk. Petersburg and Richmond.
A straight line drawn from N. York
to Branchville, the diverging point on
the South Carolina Rail Road, passes
very nearly through the towns of Peters
burg, CASTOR, Warrenion, Raleigh,
Cheraw and Camden; line Of Railway
carried in this direction, will be without
rival for shortness, cheapness and
speed. II passes through high and
healthy region, avoiding altogether the
miasmatic swamps Of The coast, and
sufficiently distant from the seaboard
TO prevent all danger of interruption
during a time Of foreign war. This
route requires but the connecting link
from Raleigh to Camden to complete
it. A line has already been surveyed
bya skillfnl engineer andreported upon
as Offering unusual facilities for con.
struction. In this report it is stated
that the highest grade is under As feet
to the mile, and ninty-three per cent.
Of the road is straight line. The
whole distance from Raleigh through
Fayetteville to Camden is 100 miles.
That this route must eventually be
made, there can be no doubt. The
travel and mails for the South require
il nov. Were the Raleigi, and Castor
Rail Road in good order, a large amount
of the Southern travel would now pre-
fer the route through Raleigh, and
thence by Stage coaches to Camden,
in preference to that which takes the
sea. To almost all those who live in
the interior, the ocean, from its suppos-
Sc danger and actual cause of sick
ness, is source of apprehension and
Inconvenience most Of these would
take any good route to avoid the evil.
The distance by the present roads
from Petersburg, via Raleigh and Fay
PtteNlle, 10 IimutH anu lidiSnNlilc,
is 4u5 miles, Of which 1856 miles is by
stage coaches, These coaches were at
one time run through from Raleigh to
Camden in thirty hours; allow thirteen
hours for the railways, and we have in
all forty-five hours for the trip from
Petersburg to Branchyille. The dis
lance via Wilmington and Charleston
is 46l miles. Of which $50 is sea steam
ing. The time now occupied is forty
one hours. In comparing these two
routes, we have in one instance 100
miles Of sea steaming, with its conse-
guent dangers and uncertainty, against
the regularity and safety of coaches
over remarkably level road, with a
difference of only four hours in favor
of the former.
With railway connecting Raleigh
with Camden, the whole of the through
travel would pass over the Raleigh and
CASTOR Rail road. This travel has been
increasing at very rapid per eentage
annually since the opening of the South
ern roads. The receipts from passen-