Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-12-24
THE TWO LINES.


has already excited good deal of discus
SION, and may have the effect ofgreatly de-
laying the completion of the enterprise
We supposed at one time that the route of
the Central Railroad had finally been agreed
upon by common consent, but the Virginia
and Tennessee Railroad Company have set
up counter pretensions. This Company
was originally chartered simply for the pur-
pose of constructing railroad from Lynch
burg to the Tennessee line. Subsequently
another Company was Incorporated for the
construction OF the Southside Railroad, lead
ing from Petersburg to Lynchburg, and cross
ingthe Richmond s Danville road at Burke's
in Prince Edward. By means ofthese vari'
Gus improvements. when completed, there
will be railway connection between Rich
mond and Chrlstiansburg, from which place
the Lynchburg and Tennessee Company
are now urging the construction offs branch
to the mouth of the Greenbriar, instead of
| the extension of the Central Railroad to the
same point Col. GARNETT, engineer OF the
road, in his late report to rhe Company,
states that the proposed branch will afford
shorter and cheaper connexion between
Richmond and the Ohio, and one of better
grades, than the Central road. He is taken
up on these points and his arguments refuted
by Mr., SHAW, the engineer appointed by
the Board of Public Works to survey the
route of the Central road from Covington to
the Ohio, in letter addressed by him to
the President of the Central Railroad Com
pany.
In reference to distance, Col. GARNErT
makes out the difference in favor of his line
to be seven miles--the whole distance be-
ing about four hundred and sixty. Mr..
STRAW, however, shows that the difference
is only little more than four miles, which
may be still further reduced on a final loca-
ton. In his calculation of cost Col. GAR
NETT assumes that the Lynchburg Compa-
nv have the means to complete their road
to Christiansburg, and that thus contlnu-
Gus line will be formed from Richmond to
that place; while he presumes the Central
road to be completed to point only six
teen miles West of Charlottesville. But
the facts are that some thirty or forty miles
! Of the Southside Railroad next to Lynch
burg have yet to be provided for; and on
the other hand the Central Railroad is now
under contract for twenty miles west OF
Staunton, to which place it is expected to
be completed during the next year. On
the question of grades, Mr.. SHAW shows
that the Genital Railroad has de cidedly the
advantage of the other line. At Covingten,
moreover, the heavy tonnage of the Cen
trail road might take the Canal and thus have
the advantage of water transportation for
ninety miles more than if conveyed to
Lynchburg on the Virginia and Tennessee
Railroad.
Col. GARNETT commits great mistake,
Mr.. SHAW thinks, in supposing that Rich
mond can be made point IN the transit of
passengers from the great West. From
Cincinnati to Baltimore the shortest route
would be by the Central Railroad to Cor
louisville, and thence on the Orange and
Alexandria Railroad. This route can COM
mand that travel, and the profits derived
from it will greatly reduce the cost of ton
mage to Richmond and thus "enlarge the
sphere of its inland commerce." but if the
Virginia and Tennessee road and its con-
nexion with the Ohio be substituted for the
Central road, the Western travel will inev-
itably be transferred to the Baltimore and
Ohio road, and the branch down New River
will have been made in vain.
Mr.. SHAW expresses the opinion that
all the trade commanded by the Virginia
and Tennessee Railroad will eventually pass
by Richmond s take shipping at City Point
or Norfolk, and therefore he thinks Rich
mond should encourage the Central Rail-
road as means of diverting the trade of the
West from such destiny. The possibil-
ity Of tonnage leaving the Central Rail-
road at Staunton for Baltimore, or at Cor
louisville for Alexandra, which has hereto
fore rendered Richmond adverse to the i'm
provement, may be efectually precluded by
the construction of a Railroad from that
place to the deep water of York River,
distance of forty miles. At this point "a
place would spring up" says Mr.. SHAW,
(Which would be the Piraus of Richmond,
and confer on it advantages unknown to
any Southern city" The distance from
Stanton to the Capes of Virginia by way
of Richmond and York River is 1872 miles
less than by way of Baltimore, and ia less
than by Alexandria. Thus the terminus of
the railway on York River, accessible to
vessels of any size, being one to two days
sail nearer Europe than Baltimore, as we'll
as nearer the Western States by means Of
the Central Railroad, would possess advan-
tsges with which that City could not COM
pete.