Western union. (City of Hannibal, Mo.) 1850-1851, 1851-05-29
Hannibal and st. JOSEPH Railroad.

advantages TO follow its completion. Seldom,
indeed, does il happen, that road i, projected
with such advantages; of 50 great length
draining such an extensive region of productive
country, where the cost and difficulty Of con-
,,ructon are so small. Those who shrink
from embsrkng in this Road, are not tho mer
who have tnrneled mountains, and excited the
admiration Of the world by their enterprise.
They belong to a class who would keep mil
lions Of wealth out of country, TO save few
cents Of The few dollars they possess.
The Road would drain the whole Of North
ern Missouri. 1t is not probable, if this Rail-
road were built, that pound Of freight would
ever be taken down, or brought up the Missouri
river, i'll the trade of any point on the north
side Of that river; at least from any distance
above the mouth. This would be the case, TO
great extent, even if the navigation of that
river were not beset with difficulties of the
mos. iormidaLl. nature. The St. Louis Lieli
gencer, remarks upon this point, in an article
copied last week: 1--WE trust those who are
interested in the Hannibal and St. Jose phi Road,
will 90 10 work with renewed energy. Let
them JuiH their Road, and then Hannibal wW
become The great mart for the Missouri riccr
iradc"
Upon the subject of the capacity Of steamboa,
navigation to compete with railroads, we find
some facts in an able report by A. G. Morton,
Esq, chief engineer the Atlantic and ST. Law
renee Railroad 49, copied into the Raiiroad Jour
nal, of Sd inst
Experience shows that where the railway
aud steamboat come in competition, the former
uniformly commands the mass OF passengers,
| We have numerous instance, IN our own and
eighboring States, which have demonstrated
this in the most satisfactory manner. We have
steamboats, between Portland and Boston, yet
the two lines of railways carry nine .tcn!hs Of
the passengers that reach Boston from the East
although the fare is usually double that of the
steamboat.
When the New York and New Haven rail
road was proposed, it was an almost universal
opinion that it could not succeed, from the fact
that it was located along the shore Of Long
Island Sound, and would have to sustain direc,
competition with steamboats, of the most superior
character for speed, elegance an! comfort. Up
to that time they had supplied the connection
between the cities above mentioned
Tho splendid steamer Connecticut Ind &C
compished the passage in the short time of
three Lours and forty five minutes, equal to 81
miles to the hour. 1t was thought that the
dangers o! the passage were not greater than
by railway. as the Sound was land locked be-
tween these cities, nilording a navigation more
safe and free from detenlions than most rivers.
Beside, this, the road having Il considerable
extern, Of 40 fee, grades, with many draw bridges
and bu, single track, it was supposed that it
! would DO suhjec, to delays and dangers not
often encountered on other roads, and conse
quently the mass Of passengers would prefer
taking a steamer. 1t was also urged that tho
steamers, even with their magniiicen, accom-
. inodations and sumpuous tables, could be sus.
tanned by rates which would be ruinous to Il
railway.
In opposition TO these opinions, the railway
! was built, ard when completed and opened for
3, travel, there were two first class steamboats,
running TO New Haven, one 10 Briigepor, and
one to Norwich, touching at The intermediate
+ towns. A, the present time there are no frs,
| class boats on the route, and bu, two freight
, boats and although their fare ia but half tina, by
= the railroad, they carry very few passengers.
There are now running on this railway five
passenger trains each way daily between New
Haven and New York, and one train each way
daily between the latter place and Bridgeport,
: besides other trains running less distances. IN
: addition to this there have been three frrish,
/ trains each Aay daily for portion o! the year.
This illustrates in a iorciblc manner, the ca
pnbili,es of railways 20 compete with steam
: boats not only for passengers but for freight.
/ In this case il is not a simple division Of the
business between,he two modes Of conveyance,
. but i, amounts to almost complete monopoly OF
the business by the railway. There were
E transported on this road during the year 1850,
( 652 l22 passengers, and its net receipts are
equal 10 per cent. Oh an average cost Of
*56 600 per mile. The superintendent of Mi,
. road says, a. am well satisfied that the ques
!. ton is fully settled IN this route, that steam
boats cannot be sustained in competition with
the railroad"
= The HUDSON river railway i, located on the
4 immediate banks e that river, from New York
; to Albany, distance of LA miles, and is sub
1 iec,ed to competition from steamboats, which NJ,
= universally admitted to be ihe fastest and most
= magnificent steamers in the world. The navi
Il CATION is unsurpassed Tor safety and the bcaul,
=. Of the scenery along its banks renders The sal
up this river the most attractive OF any perhap,
u on this continent.
Two months after the road was first opene,
t from New York to Peckskill, a distance of 4:
miles, an account was kept Of the number U
passengers that left and arrived hy the steamers
{ at Sing Sing, Dobbs Ferry, and Yonkers, for {
$ days in succession. This showed ,hat IN,
railway carried abonl 81 per cent Of all III,
passengers, notwithstanding the fare was nearl,
doablo that Of the steamboats,. While III,
;, railway was in operation no further than peeks
@ kill, the fare from that place to New York, wa
~, hin. hnats nj fir = pb,r mad ~