The Democratic sentinel and Harrison County farmer. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1851-1852, 1851-09-10
From The Htt'ttrsh ComHrere'al Journal.
Steubenville & Indiana Railroad
Company's Report.

Indiana Railroad Company. The document
is such thorough condensation of important
facts and statistics that we regret our inabil-
ity to publish it entire.
The report opens as follows:
'Since their last Report, the Steubenville
and Indiana Railroad Company have been
actively engaged in securing and, as far as
in their power, pefecting the numerous i'm
portant objects demanding their attention,
prior to the letting of the work for graduation
and masonry. Surveys have been made,
and the most careful comparisons instituted
between the several routes presented to our
consideration, from Steubenville to Coshoc-
ton. The paramount consideration which
has determined all such questions has been,
the interest Of the Road as through line,
designed to connect Central Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois, with the Pennsylvania improve
ments at Pittsburgh, by the shortest and
best Railroad that can be constructed for
that purpose. No local object, howey er de-
slrable in itself, or whatever collateral ad-
vantages might be secured byit, has diverted
us from this main purpose; and we are not
without evidence that this course, in the end,
will harmonize and secure the local interests
which seemed to conflict, in some degree,
with the object in view. Some delay, how
eyer, has occurred from the necessity of OBJ
tanning all the facts in reference to compare
tive distance, cost of construction, and tacili-
ty Of working the Road, in order that all
these questions might be determined in such
a manner as to. give rise to no future necessi-
ty of correcting errors, resulting from def
cient or incorrect data This delay has been
"a necessary result from the .nature of the
questions involved and our desire to deter
mine them satisfactorily to ourselves and
Justly to the interests of others.
cit is with great pleasure that we acknowl-
edge the liberality and public spirit with
which the right of way has been granted on
nearly the entire line of the Road, without
charge, and in the few cases where damages
have been asked, a willingness to submit the
claims to the arbitration Of disinterested par
ties, without litigation or embarrassment tc
the Company. Thus one of the most cx
Ipensive items and vexatious questions tina
arises in the location and construction O
Railroads has been disposed of without trou
bic, and with but little cost under any cir
cumstances."
An account is here given of the subscrip
tions, which have reached 81 200, ,OCO
A series of tables are given, showing tht
wealth of the country through which tn,
Road will pass, thus affording fair idea o
the way-business that may be expected. B,
drawing parallel lines, which leave an arei
Of l24 miles on each side of the Road, as th,
space which may be fairly allowed for loca
trade, it is found that this will approximate
sufficiently near for practical purposes to th
area of the seven counties through which th'
Road will pass. The agricultural and min
eral products Of these seven counties ar,
therefore given. Including all the agricul
tural resources and products, we have tota
value of $12, 5000 An estimate of tn,
surplus of this product which would be ex
ported, reduced to freight, gives 245, 87(
tons. This is without any estimate of tonnage
from coal or manufactured articles,
In the tables to which we have alluded,
comparison is given between the resource
Of this Road and the most successful Obi
Roads now in operation. This shows tha
the Ohio and Indiana Road viii have greatl
the advantage. Another set of tables shoy
that in reference to all the interests whicl
make up the resources for local trade, tn
ratios of the counties traversed by the Steu
, benville and Indiana Road are largely abov,
the average ratio of the whole State; ant
also, that the ratio of population is create
than that on any other line represented, witt
two exceptions, which are as follows:
"Little Miami-ratio Of population to a
square mile r 12
Columbus and Cleveland do 6
Steubenvile and Indiana do 6
i "The Little Miami Road derives its larg
ratio of population from the city of Cincinnat
and county of Hamilton. To obtain a
equivalent advantage for our Road, tits onl
necessary to connect 1t wih the city Of Pits
burgh. Without this connection, the onl
other line which exceeds it in the ratio {
population is the Columbus and Cleveland
which is in the proportion Of Ga to 62; willis
in most articles of agricultural produce, our
is in excess"
We here turn back to quote some interes
ing statistics
| "From authentic documents it appear
! that there are 1900 miles of railway con
lpleted and in operation in Massachusetts, ;
an average cost of $4,000 per mile. !
the year 1850, these 1900 miles Of Roa
: transported 2, SOC, 900 tons of freight; or a
'laverage of 3l4,166 tons foreyery. 149 rnile
: of Road, counting both way and throug
business. The average profit realized
!, about8 per cent, from freight and passer
,. gers. As our Road will cost less than hal
! say $4,000 per mile, the profits realize
{ from freight would be nearly double. Th,
149 miles Of Road, costing IS, ,0oo, ,0oowou
: have local freight trade of 245,670 ton
: And New England Road 149 miles lon
: costing $6, 705, 600 has, as its entire freigh
ISIS, 1863 tons, The difference in our fav'
n lis in the ratio Of about to 8, or 25ths
! an excess; counting only the local freig
: business of the one, against the entire freig
business Of the Others and excluding fro
that local business one source Of freig
I. (coal) which may, in time, equal all that
;. lderived from other sources. But open |
'sslnew outlets and channels, of trade, and Il
y present agricultural products Of Ohio, Int
: ana, and Illinoise would be doubled al
Z quadrupled in q few years. We have,
Z sdcxample, on the line Of our Road, 2a6. q
" acres Of land IN wheat, out of 1898, g.
|acresg and yielding d04fs2l2 bhshel
which Is equal tosaboat o. aeresuntofeye
rel 100 in wheat Now n acres, in wheat
lklevery 100 is by no means large propt
tion this would at once doable tie Prcdu