Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-05-16
Shoe Us he Diffrence.

1ho DeihoCrhCS oi Virginia. the Enquirer ana
Mr. Caskie inclusive, have always resisted the
reception of the S37 900 which fell to the share
of this State under the Distribution act of s4l,
on the ground that said act was unconstitutional.
They obstinately refuse to soil their palms by
! touching one cent of fund which, as they al
lego, has the odour If unconstitutonality about it.
Now be it remembered that law appropriating
money for the improvement of Rivers and Har-
bors, is also yiolative of the constitution 10 the
eyes OF these gentlemen. But do they refuse on
that account to accept the benefits of such law!
do the Democracy of this city, with the En-
quirer and Judge Caskie at their head reject the
$4,000 given by Congress to improve Jane
River! So far from this being the case, they
take the money joyfu!Iy aud thankfully. When
the River and Harbor bill was pending the De-
mocrats of this city united with the Wings, and
sent on special committee to endeavor to obtain
from Congress an appropriation for the improve
ment of James River, and political capital is now
sought to be made for Mr.. Caskie on the q ound
that he mainly Instrumental in getting this
appropriation. The Democracy and Mr.. Caskie
admit that we have no constitutional right to the
on what has already been granted, but like Oil.
yer Twist. ask plaintivey for "more" We con-
TESS our inability to understand how the men
who shrink with such horror from the distribu.
ton fund.- should grasp with such eager delight the
appropriation for james River. Is there less of
bribery or of unco nstitutonality in the one case
than in the other!
RAILROAD SAT- ETY. SIGNALs.-We were shown
yesterday by the inventor, Dir. Clayton, of Nor
folk, the working model of a system of self-ac-
ling signals for railroads. The signals are de-
signed to be placed along the whole line of the
road and will efectually give notice of the an.
proach Of train They divided into sec
tons of two miles, with signal posts at eyerv
half mile AS the locomotive enters on the section
it strikes key which Immediately sets all the
signals two miles 10 advance, and as it leaves the
section it passes an elbow raised above the
track, the depression of which returns the signals
and leaves them ready for the action of succeed
ing train The sections overlap each other for
half mile, aud the signals one section are
thus always set before those the section
which the train is leaving. are closed. By this
means it is impossible if the signals are watched
for the two trains to come within less distance
than Il mile of each other without the fact being
known. Tae working arrangements of the plan
are simple aud not liable to get out of ORDER
whilst its cost is estimated by the inventor at not
more than thirty or forty dollars per mile We
| learn that the model will be submitted to the
Directors of our railroads for their Inspection
| Bait Amer.
BRIDGING RIVERS FOR RAILROADS.
| At the present term for the United States Cir
cult Court now in session at Columbus, judge
Mclean pronounced an interesting opinion, af-
fecting the power of railroads to build bridges
over navigabe streams.
| 1t seems that railroad company has been
| formed for buildinga road from Cleveland West.
| by way Sandusky city, to some point on the
I Maumee river; and in order to do it, it was ne
eessary that they should cross Sandusky bay. at
II point some short distance below the mouth of
the SandLsky river A party who owned pro-
perty. and mill aud large tannery a short dis
lance above the mouth of the Sandusky applied
to Judge Mclean for an Injunction to restrain
the construction of this bridge. There were
| others, but this was the most important question
| in the case.
Judge Mclean hell that whore the bridge was
| constructed 10 such way not to Obstruct nayi.
| CATION it was not improper or illegal to build it,
Aud in this case he expressly held that the proof
showed that the bridge 1.-THE pan of which was
submitted) would not obstruct or in any way in
terfere with navigation. The bridge is draw,
which is worked pivot The space left for
the vessels to pass was, in the opinion of large
majority of Witnesses amply sufficient to admit of
free navigation. The Judge remarked that the
Supreme Court of the United States. in the
Wheeling bridge case, had held that that i'm.
provement could be constructed by draw at the
west side Of the bridge, 10 such way as to make
the bridge constitutional, proper, aud right
Upon the authority of that case and to meet the
spirit of the age, and in view of the proof in the
case, the Court held that bridge might be con.
structed at the point indicated, and 10 conformity
to the plan accepted by the Board of Public
| Works. Cincinnati Commercial
| PIIRI Il SpEALINn