Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1853-12-20

c,rcE or TIE CONVICTION AND ONO ROAD
We have tccn requested 10 give place IN our c0'a"ns
,o r,Iovirg views Of Charles Ele', Jr, Esq the Chief
Ein,c, of Inc Virginia Central Rail Road on The subject
# the ur Of the Covnscn and Ohio road. iheY arc cx
from the last Annual Report Of the Central Rail Road
Company aud will doubtless receive the consideration DUO
10 the distinguished source from which they cma'ae:
GAUGE OF TIE ROAD WEST OF CoviSGToN
Tho SUCCESS of YOUR work. ,he Central aii ltoad) 1t has
,on b.rn suopuscd is in great degree dependent the
gauge of The road from CoSngon 10 Tue omo. IN thls
opinion however have not orcnIree; LOT Whatever may
b The gauge G frs. established for that line the public con-
W nence and necessity will compel return 10 'nat OF the
Central road as connection Is lol'ncu win the
| works of Kentucky and ONO
ran now no longer regarded for discussion The
development OF the policy Of nose western eompa
place tho whole matter beyond inc reaeh o future
controversy.
each In the course cven but apparently without pursu
ing any fixed or plan adopted two distinct gauges
viz: 5 feet aud feet sE inches euaee' ;.,.
Now il is o somew hat remarkable ana very important
foc that oil the roads OF Virginia designed u snare Inc
western trade which lie the south OF James rVs nave
adopted The fec, gauge; and maj all Tue ho fe nr
es gauge: while the roads il the sonthe1n pat oi eh
lucky and Tennessee adopted the eet OF me
southern Virginia roads and those In northeIn hSueSy
have atoo,cd the eet SIX inches Of tho northern virginia
roads, -. f t.o,. ,,o,o f,,,
,o,e or ViIvnin than ,hs since by connecting her north
ern family Of feet sH inches gauges with the nolhen
cluster Kentucky roads, she secures 10 ner own ahu
hoard an outlet for tho trade which will be COLLECTED o
tina, extensive net work Of western lines without oreuA
bulk And further by connecting her southern lny
feet gauges with the southern cluster OF S a.u
TENNESSEE lines ha wing tracks of tho same ~ld she aSo
secures the trade Of that portion OF tho southwest "c
traycrsed by lines OF feet track 10 no! own Po'ts
Under such Of facts il would DC strange
lion inJcr5 that would propose nser, link OF narrow
track line of the southwestern roao onu cogpe,
transhipments of all the commerce OF sou.sh ill.,; If
| LaE,xa IL
wide gauge On the Central line 10 compel oionA W u
and anshpmen of oil the truvel products and suppes
northern Kentucky before they can enct ''s No., ,,or
It's not 10 be Supposed either, That they VINO arc n
esrd in the Central line will be go ambitious Oh moo
poly as to wish interrupt The passage OF lhe @
trade of the roads south Of james River ny Inserting ~
of narrow gauge the Lynchburg and tennessee foau ~
divert t business the north or that Inc interests
"a, have al much doubt of the euccncy OF the tahc vi
the fertile southwest which is to be brought forward oy e
roud sustain that line as TO seek 10 nIcpos
impednents and compel needless 1nnshpmeh's ou '''
Central route. e,,.,,
NV own confdenceIn the RESOURCES OF The Southwestern
road has mover failed have never considered necessary
fo tina, work to encroach upon the GROUND o. " c'"''a
nriphbor 10 insure it The most liberal support
Indeed there Is clearly tndc enough belonging 10 cach
secon of The State 10 the proper roads OF Inc Sec
on and doubt that we shall all be suiceniy en-
Moved in extending several lines and putting mem
proper condition receive and pass The iae OF leif e9
male commerce 1t flows nto our respective channels'
II has know, been suggested that %ccr gauge man
that which has become almost universal in this country and
in all Europe is innsicay better than ihal which 10 10
general use. do not know that slouia ueny VIC 'ue'
that the question here.
But the problem not now rsain what would be the
best gauge for rail road but which les! ot the Co'lns
ton ard Ohio road connecting ns II docs win system OF
roads of narrow gauge at It's Western extremity and another
system OF the gauge spreading over bill Nonefn ano
Central Virginia, at its Eastern end.
If the question still and open one, believe
that should be inclined recommend Blk icet gauge from
Richmond Cincinnati there 10 connect win inc Six iee
gauge leading from Cincinnati 10 81 LOUIE and from 81
Louis wes,wsdly and thus obtain an advantage over ell
competitors North South But THIS question OF intrinsic
superiority hus been orecose4 by The net work narrow
gauges extending from the Western border OF virginia
through Northern Kentucky end Southern Ohio 10 Cincin
natl: and these our cars must pass.
know il is often conendcd that will not great
dissnces even if The gauges made continuous But
there is really pracca difficulty in the wur and The day
ia not distant when they will traverse the plains lfon the At
laplIc 10 the Pacific without lransipncnt.
|, probable however, that the through cars VIII not De
owned by the separate whose roads constitute the
through lines but by the individual or associated transpof
ters will provide their own stations Tor repairs Even
now 10 avoid lransEipmens loaded with freight al
Philadelphia and cored over the Wilmington and Baltimore
road crossing the Susque;unna the top OF ferry boat
drawn through b. of Baltimore by horses and cent
over The Baltimore and Ohio road Wheeling They will
also forward from Wheeling 10 Cincinnati at ST.
Louis as the roads leading thther are finished
To secure continuous gauge, and narrow gauge TOO,
from Philadelphia Cincinnati the Pennsyvania rail road
company have recently subscribed sioooVo 10 ad Inc con-
et,nc,ion Of road from Wheeling ~ Cincinnati through
Ohio he terminus Of which AGO miles from Phil
adelphia and tho rcmoter terminus more than 650 miles
distant To the cbjeca continuous eauge-the
city Philadelphia in her corporate capacity has subscribed
$500 COO TO the Hcmphed road forming part
of the sa Me line. And interest in the trade
and travel OF Kentucky tho Pennsylvania rail road compa
nv and merchants of Philadelphia, have subscribed the
stock of road ha, Snlc be constructed tho Tenn
syvunia 2auec passing beyond the Satc ncroaa por
ton of Virginia. than Two hundred miles OF the
territory oil Ohio, and twice crossing the OHIO vor 10 &C.
cure the advantage OF continuous gauge into heutucky
Tho President Of the Cincinnati Marietta and Wheeling
Company Ohio in his recent report, congr.tulotcs the
stockholders that his company by these subscriptions has
no, only secured uabruken gauge to Phiadepho but
that in consequence Of tbs adoption OF the feet az inches
pnnpe for the Covinaon and Ohio road by Virginia. they
would BIO ube also send forward their freighted
from Cincinnati and southern Ohio by the Kauawha branch
OF the Central road and bridge the Ohio without
transhipmeni, 10 Richmond.
While tho intelligent President of this Ohio road 10 The
most practicu comprehensive and busnesske report thus
points out advantage OF continuous gauge through
Virginia. NATURALLY supposng the question 10 have been
tied here az every motive o! prudence and economy
clearly settle it s Il BIO supposed that Virginia will dis
appoint his calculations by unnecessarily nlcrpo,ng
trapshipmcnts on the line Two transhipnens serving
earthly purpose orco of and away from her borders
that Western trade which the State 10 spending millions Of
dollars secure ]
The certainly too prepos,erous for further discus.
sion and think tho quenon has been virtually setled by
the adoption of feet SH inches gauge, the road from
Big Sandy Msysve, and Its extensions North and West
through Ohio and Kentucky.
-se-
fCrn,, tI., Wnehn Nnioo