The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-05

Nearly parallel to the Atlantic coast of the
United States, from Maine to Alabama, runs the
range of mountains known as the Allegheny or
or Appalachian chain The eastern bases of these
mountains are not distant from the seaboard
more than a hundred miles, and they form a
very formidable obstacle to the construction of
railroads between the great eastern cities, and
the interior In nearly all the great enterprises
which have been undertaken with the view to
effect such connection, great additional expense
has been incurred to overcome or to penetrate
this mountain barrier In the plan first adopted
for the general system of State improvements in
Pennsylvania, it was proposed to effect the
crossing of the Alleghanies by means of in
clined planes, with powerful stationary engines
ut their SUBMITS The planes were built and
have been. used for several years, until expert
ence proved that their operation was too slow
and too expensive to maintain successful
competition with other methods of conveyance,
and other improvements have since been finished
designed to supersede them. The railroad from
Baltimore to the Ohio river, is carried over a
passage in these mountains where the elevation
is upwards of three thousand feet, and part Of
that height is overcome by tunnels, varying in
length from one-sixteeuth to four-ffths of a
mile. The road from New York to Albany,
along the banks of the Hudson, has three tun-
nels. The greatest work of this kind yet pro-
posed in the United States is the tunnel through
the Hoosack mountain, which, if executed, will
be four miles in length, and fifteen hundred feet
below the summit of the ascent. The cost is
estimated at $200O,000. On the road from
New York to Lake Erie, tunnels have been
avoided by very expensive works, which over
come accents of l,40O feet.
No authentic statement has ever been given
Of the capital invested in the railroads of the
United States. but we have the means of form
ing an estimate upon which much reliance may
be placed The railroads in operation at the
beginning of the present year may be assumed
to have cost $348,OO0COO. The amount in,
vested in the lines under construction it is i'm
possible to estimate with even an approxima-
ton to correctness. Their cost, when com.
pleted will be considerably less than that of an
equal length of road now in operation; for the
reason that the greater number Of new or I'M
finished lines in the West or South, where, as
has been shown, the cost of construction is far
below what it is in the Northern and Eastern
States.
The management of the American railroads is
entirely distinct from the administration of
government. Their concerns are managed by
corporations, which consist of a president,
secretary and directors. Each of the directors
must own certain amount of stock. They
are chosen by the body of stockholders, who
have votes in proportion to the number of
shares they hold The directors choose one of
their body president, and appoint the secre-
tary The president and secretary have gen.
ernlly liberal salaries, but the services of the
directors are gratuitOus.
The rate Of speed on our railroads is not so
great on those of England. The ordinary
velocity of a passenger train is twenty miles an
hour, but on some routes it is as high as twenty
eight and thirty miles. Express trains, on such
occasions as the conveyance Of the President
message, frequently maintain, for long distances
as high a speed az forty five miles an hour
And on one road, that between New York and
Albany, forty miles per hour is the regular rate
for all passenger trains.
The fares or rates of passage are not uniform
In New England, the average price rer mile
for the conveyance of passengers, is under two
cents; from New York to Boston it is two and
four.tenths; from New York to Philadelphia
three and four .tenths from Philadelphia to Bal
timore, three and one tenth. From New York
to Cincinnati the distance is S57 miles by the
Northern route, of which 143 miles are travelled
by steamboat. The price Of pas sage for the
whole distance is $l6 so, being slightly under
two cents per mile. The lines between Balti-
more and Cincinnati soon to be opened, will