Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-05-12
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the distant inhabitants can neither exercise
the privilege Of social enjoyment, nor the
advantages of exchanging productions Pc
culiar to each other. If any doubt existed
as to the force with which the necessity for
these facilities operates upon communities,
States and nations, it would be sufficient to
look to the appropriation of individual and
public means in every civilized country,
from remote ages to the present time
Many great works of the ancient Chinese,
Romans, &c, down to those of modern
Europe, might be cited; but our own free
Republican States are not without exam-
Piles of remarkable merit. 1t is by the ia
cilities Of transportation, that the superb
bundant products of the rich lands Of an
interior country may be carried to some
Comparatively barren spot, where rlses
Aourishing city-a link in the chain Of com
merce, which connects the producers with
the distant markets of the world; and by
which the necessaries Of one class are ex-
changed for the delicacies of another, and
each enabled to enjoy the productions OF
ALL Thus the rich fields Of Virginia pro-
duce the tobacco, the corn and the wheat
for the enjoyment and subsistence OF men
in distant countries; Saxony produces the
wool, and England manufactures the cloth
for the ornament and comfort Of our per-
sons, while the guarries Of Italy furnish the
marble for the commemoratlon OF our nom
ored dead! Yet we are not without the
means, in our own broad territory, OF pro-
ducing most of the nccessarles and even de-
licacies Of life; and when our natural re-
sources shall be fully developed, we shall
have an abundance to spareto foreign coun-
tries.
But such has been the comparative con-
dition OF expense between foreignand home
transportation, that we have sought sup
plies, three thousand miles across the track
less ocean, for articles profusely dissemina-
ted over the whole Commonwealth. The
interior sections Of the State have been de-
prived of the just fruits Of well merlted In
dustry, because the products oflabor could
not be brought into fair competition with
that of other countries in the general mar
kets. Ii people cannot transport to, and
from, the most advantageous places OF pro-
duction, they need not, and cannot long
continue to produce! Of what avail, then,
that the interior mountains of Virginia con-
tain iron enough to supply the world!-
Plaster to enrich her fields foreverl Salt
enough to preserve nation, and Marble
to build the pyramids of Egypt, or COM
memorate our honored dead, (though as
numerous as the inhabitants of those an
cient catacombs,) if we cannot transport
them, within our own State, to places OF
use or consumption, and continue to seek
our supplies, in distant landsl When thou
sands Of human beings We're perishing in
Ireland for bread, there was corn enough
in the interior of Virginia to have saved them
all, which could not be transported to the
seaboard, even for the enormous prices
then oflered-And such would have been
the case, had starvation existed in a sec
ton of orr own country instead of ireland.
There was no difficulty in Transporting the
grain when once brought to the seaboard.
We have been led to these reflections by
hasty perusal of the report of the State
Engineer on the Canals of New York of
the 9th February last, just published.
Great as have been the advantages of the
Erie Canal to the State, and the whole of
the States spread over the Western waters,
it appears from the report that those advan-
tages have only been half attained; or, in
otherwords, that by the enlargement ofthe
canal, now more than half executed, the
expense Of transportation will be reduced
so per cent! 1t has been ascertained by
weighing 46T canal boats that the average
laden weight is 102.01 tons; average light
weight 29.3s; leaving for average burden
1868. Assuming, therefore, the boats to
be so tons, and the burden so, and the ac-
tual cost ofmoving each boat between AL
bany and Buffalo to be, for towing IA cents
per mile, and captain and crew, IL, making
25 cents exclusive oftoll, and that the cost
of moving the large boats of 224 tons load
on the enlarged canal, will be fraction
under As cts, the engineer ascertains the
actual dimlnutIon of expense to be &c per
cent.
The engineer says, the "cost Of transpor-
tation per ton per mile on the present canal
is 3 4 mills, and that it will be on the enlarg-
ed canal precisely two mills per ton per
mile, making difference of sc per cent"
He quotes from report of the Canal
Commissioners for 1888, in which they say:
agricultural productions are now car
ricd on the Erie Canal, exclusive of tolls
for nine mills per ton per mile, and mer-
chandize for Is. In boats towed on the
Hudson river by steam, the articles first
mentioned, are charged eight mills. and the
latter 10 mills per ton per mile 1t is be-
lievcd that on the Erie Canal, enlarged as
now contemplated, the present expenses
OF transportation exclusiveof tolls can be
reduced .ftiy per cent" The Engineer
adds that the cost of transportation will
be diminished at least fifty per cent. by the
ENLARGEMENT, when all advantages are
| considered.
1t Is to gain these advantages Of cheap
internal transportation, that the Governor
of New York, and a majority of the As
sembly, have attempted to overleap the
Constitution of the State, by creating a
debt (which is forbidden,l to finish the en-
largement before the means already PROV.
ded can effect the object. Upon the i'm
propriety of thus tampering with consti-
tutlonal provision, to gain time in cxecu-
ting valuable work, or TO making a little
popularity, we have already spoken.
But we have word to say in reference
to our own Canal, which is not without en-
couragemt to our people in the interior
particularly to those West of the noun
tains. We are informed that there are
boats upon the Canal which carry ITO
tons burden, and make round trips be-
tween Richmond and Lynchburg, in ten
days, at current expense ofeishty dollars
or 27.4 cents per mile; being a small frac-
ton over % mills per ton per mile. Thus
it will be seen that the capacity of our Ca
nal, for cheap transportation, is superior to
that of New York in the present condition,
\ nd Will nat b., rnnch ir,forior aftor IL, or,