Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-02-05

cidcs whciherhe loses or wins. Virginia
requires no gambling: her credit is good:
she contains all the elements witiin her
self Of making her people great. The
present Assembly of her Legislature hold
her futurc.in their hands, and we trust they
: will be faithful, and judge according to
common sense and every day evidence:
Cor instance, the most illiteraie man amongst
us knows well that he cannot drive hea-
Wy team over a high mountain. with the
same ease as on level road. consequent
ly for every foot Of rise he has to encounter,
he must add more strength TO his team to
overcome IL, whether that team IS composed
Of horses or oxen The cost therefore OF
going up steep ground is greater than on
level ground. and certainly much greater
when ascending mountains.
We therefore do not understand Mr..
Shaw's theory when he tells us that rising
grades of los feet per mile, ans! for dis
lance also Of FIVE miles are. after all. but
slight obstacles. That means can be found
to.nanage to travel over such grades Is
without doubt. but at what costI For as |
said before of horses, so it is with Locomo-
live power. II is a mere matter Of dollars
and cents If therefore the working OF a
line Of Railway is costly. the public must
pay for it. Paper Railways look very nice
with rich colors and long MINDED reports
but we should think "Punchs," railway
Engineer for the moon would hardly. al
This time Of day come forward with rising
gradian,s Of los feet to the mile.
What are the American AMI British En-
ginecrs doing at the present time. with the
heavy grades they were compelled to GO
over on their first constructionsi Are they
not reducing them at an enormous cost
But the blame did not rest on the Engineers
hut rather with the land owners no wer,
adverse to Railways at FIRST. Then. the En-
gincer had to carry his work through the
ground pointed out to Hmm through the
ground he would himself have chosen
The value and the use of Railways have
now become SO apparent and necessary
10 the business Of the world that The
Engineer is not bridlcJ but can choose his
way. Ii is evident therefore that any En-
gincer offering severe and expressive OBJ
s,acles that can he dispensed with, is moi
doing justice TO his company or 10 the pub
lie generally. To overcome gradians OF
los feet to the mile is just The same as hav
ing so many more miles added to tn" jour
ncy and cost.
As to the extreme power required Il
propel tram on ordinary grades
] will give two or three instances, OF
the English Railways. On the St. He
lens and Runcore Gap Railway, about l.
miles from Liverpool, mostly used ior
shipping coal. the Company were com
PEELED to erect n stationary engine on an
incline, mot however. l05 feet per mile,)
at great expense. The toll while this ex
listed was 2 cents per ten per mile. hen II
yielded no profit on the outlay. A more
liberal feeling. however took place be
tween the land owners and the Company
The Railroad was made inlhe proper place
the engine and inclined plane dispensed
with. and the Company after spending
nearly $500 900 dollars, found they could
reduce their tolls, and have a dividend
Sincclhcn the tolls are reduced to one hall
cent per mile. the dividends still increas
ing and finally it is expected the charg,
will only be one fourth Of a cent per ton
per mile. The London and North Yves
tern Railway Co, are spending $1,000,
900 of dollars, tn ob,iatc severe grade,
aud TO shartcn their Road Is miles. Tn,
Monmoulhshre Canal and Railway Com,
pany have altered all their tramways IL
Railroads. introduced powerful locomo
lives, and from one penny per ton, per mile
for transporting Coal, they have reduce,
The tolls 10 something less than one hal
cent per mile. This alteration has been eff
fcctcd at an enormous cost; probably $40,
O00000of dollars will not covert. ! couio
bring host of similar alterations all to ID,
same effect. that of reducing heavy gradi-
ants. not only in Britain but in America.
Ia the face of such testimony, Mr.. Shaw
advises the State To- 60 on with the con-
struclon of the Central Railroad, as III,
preferred route We have not the slis htcs
Objection hattie Central Railroad COMPANY
shall carry thor Improvement to The moutl
Of the GrcenLrier river, but we shall Ger
tanly oppose it, as the preferred line.
The clear and satisfactory evidence o
the gradiants of the Lynchburg and Tea
ncssce line. being superior to those Of III,
Central ana none OF the gradlan's on The
tennessee line to the mouth OF The Green
bier. beng Too severe Tor common Loco
motives gives that me decidedly The pre-
terence over the Central TO the same point
Inc tact also, mar The completion OF The
fine to Christiansburg in short time i.
so much donetowardS ieaching the uhio
inexcess "t the Central aud The cost OF
constructing The remaining length being
'sss inan the cost oil the central me- gives
the tennessee inc certainly the prefer
ence' ard as Governor Johnson recon
mcnuS ana we highlN approve, thai those