The republic., 1851-04-14
- y~~+r n - N
BaltinAore and Ohio Ratlxead.

. @~e@s@A.0&v
The following oemmuaieatioa from Mr.. IAtsohs.
the chief engineer Of the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road, Submitted to the first bvanrh of ths city
resolution of inquiry to the probable time Of the
completion Of this great work: G at % FHAa
ENorsEER's Orvrcn, B. 4 on. r.. ~
BALrinoRs. April Z, 1854.
J. J. TuaNBn, esq, ftitt t''t ~
Director on tls part qf tks city, Re-:
SsR; have the honor TO acknowledge the receipt
Of your note, of the 22d Of March, with tho follow
ing resolution Of the first branch of the city ooqn-
Gil. passed on the l7th of the same month: IRE
sotoed, That the directors the part of The city OF
Baltimore in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany be requested, at their very earliest convent
ence, TO report to this branch at what time IN thsir
opinion, said road will be completed To- the Ohio
river at Wheeling; sid report 70 be accompanied
With such practical data as will show The correct.
meas OF the conclusjons TO which they may arrive''
have just returned from passinE over the whole
line Of the road between Cumberland and Wheel
ing, which will enable me to answer the inquiry Of
count for the delay In my reply. n sN
When tho road west Of Cumberland was COM
menced In May, lS4s. its completion to Wheeling
in June, 1852, was promised, with the understand
ing that there would be no check from want of men
or money. This promise could have been kept but
for the necessary change OF route near the western
terminus, which will have been the cause Of several
months delay. II 10 now expected that the road
will be opened to Wheeling in December, 1852
The reasons for expecting this result derived
from the general state and progress Of the work in
it's several parts upon the several sections Of the
line, which are briefly noticed AZ follows:
There have been five succcssive leftings upon the
inc-the first in April, l649. and the last in Decom-
Der, lS60-by which different divisions have been,
from time TO time put under contract ns they could
be made ready, and as the character Of the work
upon them requirod-and now the whole route Of
two hundred miles is in progress Of construction.
For the first twelve months there was Surplus Of
lotr h.~k~ 49, 49, 49, =
scarcity, which has made constant efforts necessary
TO keep up supply but for this the % graduation
and masonry" would have been in . more generally
forward state. The sections, however, on which
the completion of the road depends have been kept
nearly all the time well furnished with hands, 20
that there will not have been much delay expert
enced by the deficiency of labor upon the lighter
ter will be that some of it will have been finished
more hurricdly than could have been desired. This
remark, however applies to parts Of the graduation
only, (such as some of the earth embankments,)
and not to the masonry or other mechanical work,
which will have been built with all the caro- neces-
sary to its pcrmanence and complete finish Not
withstanding these difficulties, tho plan proposed
for the conduct of the work in its several depart
ments has not been. thus far. materially departed
from. 'F .sfi3 tsfrs
At the beginning Of the work in ls4s, it, open
mouth Of Savage river, thirty miles from Cunber-
land, was contemplated; but the unavoidable de-
lays attendant upon the adjustment Of location In
conjunction with that the canal extension 70 the
same point, together with the sickness prevailing
in the Potomac badly during the autumn Of 1919
and 1850, made that impracticabIe, and the idea
was abandoned the moro readily, nothing Of
TSuid Ts have been gained y M
the rails west Of Cumberland was, therefore, post
poned until the present spring, and IL steadi-
y adsancing. upwards 81 iix miles being now
carrying the iron materiaIs Of the track. ~ SOC
AZ the whole line to Wheeling is TO be pushed
forward in this way, BY transporting the iron over
clearest and readest idea of tho progress and tmc
Of compilation Of the whole line TO say, that no do
lay in the progress of the track from this tio forth
is anticipated, and that tho laying of 1t will adj
month. This, counting from the frst Of April in
slant, would lay the whole 200 miles from Cumber-
land to Wheeling in twenty months from that date.
of the line to Wheeling cannot be delayed beyond
that month il there be no failure in the supply of
labor and Of means to pay for IT,. These are the
only contingencies, and, 30 far AZ they arc under
the way. 3ht astflt
am not expected to speak of tho financial part
Of the subject. In regard to the labor, ansay
think the worst Is past. We have now about @ as 500
men and 500 horses upon the whole line-making
about % men and four horses per mile. This force
would be very inadequate to finish the 200 miles by
the end of 1852, were the work only now begun;
but 1t has 80 far advanced that concentration of
labor upon the heavier jobs midway and near the
west end, will soon begin to take place. and their
progress will thus be accelerated.
In speaking of such of these ms are known to the
board and to the community hero as are remark
able for their magnitude, will statc-( leach Sec
tion being, about q mile long, and its number,
therefore, showing its distance from CumberlAnd)- )-
that
The tunnel on section 80. and the very deep cut
on section 39, will be finished in July.
The summit cut, on section 45 will be passable
in August.
The tunnels on sections 65 and 6s will be fnishsd
in June.
The remaining very heavy sections east Of Cheat
river may be passed in September.
The very high bridge walls on section n will be
in condition to support the track by October, al
though not fully completed for some mouths sfter.
wood tunnel on the S2d section, will be ready for
at least one track Of rails in the same month Of oc
tober. -tH gfs3
The great tunnel, just named, of four thousand
one hundred feet in length, will be finished in De-
cember next. sts.t
The high embankment ON the s3d section will
be made ready to carry the track by the same
time. ~
Beyond this point, (s3 miles from Cumberland,)
the work is comparatively light, until we reach y
the heavy work let December last from section 16I
to section l93 upon the line substituted for that
their original estimate of the time Of opening the
road to Wheeling. But from this work no delay
in the advance Of the track so as to accomplish
that final result in all December, 1852 10 appro-
hended. ses $50
1t fortunately happens that, on this long line of
two hundred miles, there but six viaducts Of
large size. The first of these ut Cumberland 10
finished; the second, over the Potomac, on the 3lst
section, will be completed in May; and the third,
over the same river, on the 30th section, in July;
the fourth. over the Youoghcny river. on the 65th
section, in August the fifth, on the 10th section,
over the Monongahela river, near Fairmount. on
the l23d section, some time next winter. AL the.
minor bridges and culverts with their superstruc- 4
lures, will Be completed in time.
The water stations will be ready fast a. needed,
and the depot buildings, engine houses. and shops
also.
The materials for the track will all be furnished
in good time. -rs
OF the 21 900 tons of rails required, nearly
Is 600 have been delivered at Locust Point, and
the remainder will be before the end of the present
year.
The advance of the track will carry 1t TO Pied