Richmond semi-weekly times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 184?-1853, 1851-01-31
COAL ON RAILROADS AND CANALS.

OF our readers valuable suggestion made by
highly sagacious friend of the improvement 0
Virginia, that the abundant quantity of Came
Coal, recently discovered in Central Trans-Alle-
ghany Virginia. should alone induce the State to
adhere perseveringy to the policy of completing
her great water line continuously to the Ohio.
We now insert from the Railroad Journal the
official statement of the Anthracite Coal Trade OF
Pennsylvania, during the years 1849 and 1850,
and, from the Miners Journal, published at Potts
vile in the midst of the mining region of that
State, some instructive remarks on the probable
course of the coal trade in the year 1851. The
exhibit of the quantity of coal sent to market in
l849 and 1850, serves to show the vastness of
this inland commerce. The remarks of the Nj
ners' Journal are valuable, because they inform us
ofthe greatly superior capacity of canals to trans
port even coal, which is, OF all heavy tonnage the
best suited to railroads. 1t appears that " The
rates by canal,'' including, we presume, both the
tolls and freights, "wiU be 95 cents per ton less
than BY Railroad" and " the rates by railroad will
not exceed $3.50" The rates by canal. there
fore, must be about IS cents per ton, or but little
more than one third ofthe rates by railroad The
length of the Reading railroad in "a miles.
The cost of transportation, being $3.50 for the
whole distance, is about 1.60 cents per ton per
mile. Surprising coal transported by the canals
to pass over the same distance, the cost of trans
portation by canal is not quite o.59 cents per ton
per mile. Now the Reading road possesses ad-
vantages in the character of its grades which are
enjoyed by no other railroad in this country. For
most of its length the grades descend in the di-
rection OF the trade and engines are of course able
to draw greater loads. Moreover, its fixtures for
receiving the coal at the mines and discharging it
at Port Richmond contribute greatly to reduce its
charges. Still we see that the canals underbid it
to such an extent that it could not possibly retain
its traffic, but for their inability to accommodate
more than limited portion. In the past year,
the navigation was interrupted for several months,
and their tonnage was necessarily considerably re-
duced
Let us use the facts thus ascertained to deter
mine the true policy of our own State. Itwould
be folly to expect any railroad over our noun
tains to transport coal at as low rate as
that charged on the Reading road, viz: one cent
and six mills per ton per mile. But assume that
it would, and that the canal would transport at the
rate of the Pennsylvania canals, viz: six mills per
ton per mile. The distance from Covington to
the Ohioby the canal route is $40 miles; and the
railroad would probably take the same. Take
the distance from Covington to the camel coal
region to be 100 miles; and the comparative cost of
trans portation would be as follows:
By railroad to Covington, at cent mills, 100
v m csnai 10 Rcbmond a, mills $50 miles 50
asa
Whole distance by canal, at 6 mills, 44o miles,. Ga
Difference per ton. 81 90
The water line, therefore, would save ST. 80 on
every ton of coal brought from Kanawha, which
is equivalent to the enormous sum of Ssl,900,00O
on tonnage of one million, or $950,0O0 on
tonnage of half million.
1t is the distinguishing popularity of canals
that the cost of transportation upon them dimin'
ishes in almost exact proportion to the increase OF
their trade whilst railroads are subjected to con-
slant expenses which disable them from putting
the rates below certain minimum. Hence, if
our water line were completed, the Company hay
ing charge of it would only have to determine how
lowio put theos in order to secure the coal trade,
and they could afford to adopt those tolls, although
they would be ruinous to railroad. The rates
above adopted from the Reading railroad cannot be
safely taken as the basis of our estimates. A
Virginia railroad, scaling the Allegheny mountains,
baya fo charr
per mile which would make the cost of transport
inc ton of coal from Kanawha to Covington
IS 10, and the whole cost to Richmond, at least
ST. 20, which not even the camel coal could
bear
Similar comparisons to these might readily be
made for other articles of trade besides COIL
Thus, with general trade of one million OF tons,
the whole cost of transporting barrel OF flour by
the water line, including tolls and freight, would
he about as cents. By railroad of the same
length, at cents per ton per mile, it would be
about Sl As. The relative charges on canals
and railroads were stated by Mr.. Cabell, in his
last report to be in The proportion Of one TO three
and we have never seen that position successfully
refuted. 1t is this great and radical consldera-
ton which causes us to adhere steadfastly to the
water line, and we cannot believe that the
stockholders in the James River and Kanawha
Company will forsake it.
From the Railroad Journal, Jan. 10.
PEN NsYLVANIA COAL TRADE FOR 1851.
We give below the official quantity OF Coal sent TO
market in the year 1850 compared with le49'
1s49 1850
c.,,v,L;u R.ilroad IFS ,9I8. ..... 423 ,977
''""Y N"' Canal 4s9 20S. 1888 ,030
Total .l,6O5,l26 l7l2!OO7
c.u.,,ro o'"'' 79 299. 10 9l9
1858 ,425. al 1872 1926
r,, SOL 246. 722 622
Lengu' .nn "a 454 24O. 55O,417
La ckaTanna' 259 OSO. .2ls,665
Wh keSIo;e $3.50, 1921
S 1ua,non - 25 325 -. 81 1853