Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-05-12

nor New England for lime and plaster; nor
Liverpool for salt and iron, oYthe Italian
States for marble. We may rival Saxony
in the production ofwool, andold England,
and New England its manufacture
Blue Ridge Tunnel.
The subjo;ned extract from private let
ter to the Editor, dated April goth, contains
some highly interesting information con-
corning the progress Of the great Central
Improvement, in which the State at large
has SO deep an interest:
Il have just paid a visit to the Tunnel
and Mountain sections ofthe Central Road,
and am grati6ed to say the contractors on
each are making steady, ifnot rapid pro-
gress. They are all in good spirits and
progressing very energcucally. On the
east side Of the mountain they have pene-
trated IT'S feet from the mouth of the tun-
mel, and thro' a rock perfectly solid and OF
the hardest Imaginable kind. tits fgree-
nish cast, interspersed with numerous par
ticles of flint, and has a strong smell OF
sulphur. The corners of the pieces frac-
tured out are SO hard, as to cut glass. The
speed made at this part of the tunnel is a.
bout feet per week, or SO feet per month,
which is fully equal to that made on any
one shaft of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road Tunnel. The tunnel too, is finished,
as they progress, for the arching, ARRAYS
the most expensive part Of such work, Is
entirely superscded-the natural masonry
here being strong enough to sustain Mount
Blanc. On the west side of the mountain
the heading has been carried forward about
80 feet, and the grading or footing about
the same distance. Here the stone is not
entirely solid, small veins of clay being
sometimes found separating Its masses
The hardness is nearly equal to that on the
east side--yet the blasting is more etiec-
tive, inasmuch as these veins or assures en-
able the powder to throw out very large
blocks of the stone. The roof of the tun-
mel is not solid-yet the engineer thinks
that by the use ofiron bars Lent in posi-
ton to fit the arch, it can be made perfectly
secure and the great expense of arching
with brick be saved. l say with brick,
because stone of suitable kind cannot be
obtained at point nearer than five or sig
miles-the stone generally in the Blue
Ridge being of shapeless character, and
SO hard and brittle as to make it impossible
to dress it. Very little interruption, none
indeed, has been caused by the water,
which it was feared would impede their
progress. On the east side, there is only
a slight dripping from the arch, and on the
west the whole amount Of water is very
inconsiderable, and is as yet readily con-
veyed off at the side III shallow trench.
The descent being towards the eastit may
be they will be compelled to raise the wa
ter on the west side from one level to an
other-so as to cause it to run off, The
work on the west side between the tunnel
and Waynesboro, nearly three miles is I'M
der contract and is being energctically pros
ecuted. The engineers have nearly com
pleted the survey of the gapbetween Blair
Park and Woodville, and expect to have
it ready for contract in few days. The
heavy work on the east side of the noun
tain is progressing rapidly. To see the
magnitude of that part of the work, the
tunnel itself almost sinks into insignifcance
The cuts in some places are from so to IS
feet deep, much of it thro solid rock and
the fills across Robertson's Hollow and
Dove spring hollow are about s. feet high.
One tunnel of 800 feet in length is progress
sing very well, 800 feet Of it having been
accomplished. Isuppose there's no work
in the United States where similar diff
culties have been encountered saving
and excepting the New York and Dun
kirk Road, the last rail on which was
laid last week throughout its entire ex-
tent, was 10 have been celebrated on the
22nd inst. The officers on the Central
Road are indulging in the anticipation of
finishing their road to Staunton by next
November year, except the tunnel,which
1t is expected can be completed in some
thing likethrec years. A short portage of
mile and half or three-quarters, will en-
able them to make their road useful and
profitable, before this great work is finish
cd. 1t will be a great day for Virginia
when this mighty barrier has been levelled
and two people have been made one
Should the Convention not adjust the basis
question, this Union of the two sections of
the State by iron bonds pW."-Rep. Id
A CURIosITY-WhileG Governor Brown
was in Key West, says the Tallahassee
lFlorida) Sentinel, he was presented by
Hon. A. Patterson with miniature bust OF
General Washington, found, ten years ago,
IN the npi1l hnrhoo1 I'M n