Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-07-08
IxscnnnRa. June 81. 1888.


SIR: My absence rum i"i9 -
vented an earlier reply 10 the reh'a's' IL o''
paper of the 9Th and 9TH.
With regard to The points III dispute a,n
perlectly satisfied to leave them III me ha"'s :
of those whose decision will have the iorce .,
Iaw--but believe il will be conceded 'h". l
have RI hit to be heard, IN sell defence asai"''
AN article of the character { I The one now De-
fore me. BY argumenIs,whch shall present,
~ show 10 be most transparent sophistry, anu
npwarranted assumptions OF facts and princi
pies as being established by rail road exPefl'
ence, which, can show, are not estaoiisheo'
| am made TO appear ignorant OF the common
PSI subjects connected with rail road economy.
Wby such a course was pursued towards me
nm wholly at loss to conjecture unless 1t was
thai. by no other means, conld your cause be
defended. III am compelled, In answer 70
such an attack. to occupy space rather great
err than that fraction of column. filled by my
communication which, with reluctant courtesy
you admitted into your paper, plead In ex
teaualion, the fire mortal columns, which We're
required 10 crush me.
stated that "when there is much tonnage
10 transfer, large force must be employed,
and twenty hands can transfer the loads oil ~
cars in one hour TIE bring about The necessa
ry conclusion you had to adopt the absurd IDEA
that these hands would be called on to work
only one hour in he day, and he idle all the
rest of the day. Was it not the common sense
Interpretation that "where there was much
freight to transfer" the large force to be em
ployed' would be employed for the usual time
of ten hours per day? | shall be much dlsap
pointed ifthere should not arrive at Covlng-
ton daily 200 loaded cars. instead OF one hun
dred which you state as the expectation Of the
friends of the road Ii so il will hardly be
though good economy 10 let 20 hands work one
hour and lie idle all the rest of the day. The
arrival Of your freight trains will not occur all
at one momen.but must be distributed through
the day. The cost of transhpment per ton
will not be increased with an increase in the
quantity oftonnage, The contrary it is gen
orally admitted that the operation may be more
economically conducted on large scale than
on small one--thus your multiplication of my
| cent into 10 cents falls TO the ground. Now
| ask was this a candid argument or sophis
tryY Again you take my posuIate that the
freight train will be delayed one hour and you
assume that this is equal to 80 miles OF distance
Is not this almost too broad farce 10 be palm
ed on the world Did you, Mr. Editor, eveI
know freight trains to run 80 miles per hour
Ii you have, your experience must be much
more extended than mine. Freight trains on
the southern roads generally run 10 miles pei
hour. On the Virginia q Tennessee road, now
under the control of Mr.. Thomas Sharp, they
run GO miles in hours. On the Baltimore
Ohio road they run from s to 20 miles per hour
TIE following roads have adopted the rates Of
speed per hour annexed to their respective
names, as governing their freight trains
Northern road N. Y. % miles Concclicu
River k. X. 10 miles; Cheshire road 0 miles
Boston u Worcester lib Boston q Maine
IL Lowell IL; Norfolk county ~: Norwich
and Worcester l. Old Colony 125, Weston
road l5 All superintendants rail roads are
n favor Of slow speed for freight trains.
Was this assumption of 80 miles pei hour
for freight trains, candid argument or so
phlstry, or ignorance
In contending that the delay Of a few hours
IN transporting me re tonnage is of serious val
ur, Imagine public opinion would be very
much divided | am at a loss to ascertain the
measure OF such value, unless it be the in teres
at the rate OF 3 per Cent. per annum, on tn,
price of a barrel of flour for the time it is de
iayed. Certainly the practice of the worl,
does not Indicate very high appreciation o
this delay. There is now a canal from Alba
ny to lake Erie, and line of rail road by the
side of it. think it would be safe to say thai
20 tons are transported through the canal fol
every ton that passes over the railroad & vel
II will be seen that tonnage could pass over
the rail road at Is miles per hour in 22B hours
and would require 1874 hours at % miles pei
hour TO pass through the canal.
Here is loss of III hours. and if your nv
pothesis is true that delay Of one hour il
transporting bbl. of -four is a disadvantage
equal 10 80 miles of rail road, the owner of the
flour voluntarily lncurs an injur, in this case
equal to 1880 miles OF rail road transportation
What will this be in dollars and cents You
ridicue the idea OF my assumption of l cent
per ton per mile as the cost Of transportation
am yoa fill a column to prove thai the charge
on the Va. & Tenn. Rail Road is Al cents Der
ton per mile. You do not say that this is The
cost of transportation, but yoa leave it to be
inferred. But will take it for granted that
yyto'a would be willing to place it at cents
| his, Tor $3.50 miles will be $1,000 for ton
or $50 90 Cents for n bIl If tho