The republic., 1853-05-28
Southwestern National Route.

wav of Wheeling. The time between the tw,
cities is seven days and two hours. This is
vary we'll for a navigation that is as crooked as
3 still. worm, and liable to the usual variety o.
interruptions resulting from snags, sand-bars
fire, collapse, and explosion.
But will Baltimore be content with a mai
time of seven days to New Orleansl VIII
Baltimore bs content with an outside lin,
which distributes at Cincinnati and Wheeling
travel of which she might have monopoly
We call the attention of that city to con
nexion with New Orleans which will reduc'
the transit between the two cities to less thai
than three days running time.
Baltimore, we will preface, has, like othe
cities, the disadvantage of looking chiefly to {
single line Of interior communication to effec
every thing. The Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road, like the Erie, James River and Chesa
peake Canal, is expected to secure the trad
and travel from almost every quarter. 1t is :
Western road with a rich trade area yibutar,
to it; but it never can conduct the travel of tn,
South or Southwest against the various compe
titors now contending for it. Nor will the con
kersburg mend the matter. We make n,
measurement of distances which are perfect,
familiar to US, but we appeal to the map. Tha
addresses an argument to the eye. All routes
from Baltimore to New Orleans touching tn,
Ohio at any point are elliptical. They car
only hold the travel until some more direcr
route shall be opened
But we can point out a mail route from
Baltimore to New Orleans which is alike in
evitable and immutabls
We are informed by political history tha
some time about the year 1924 powerful eff
fort was made to interpolate the construction Of
works of internal improvement amongst the
duties Of the Federal Government. toll.
some system of turnpikes was proposed, and
In part constructed; amongst others which at
tracted much interest, was projected s'Post
route between Washington City and New Or
leans" We shall not give the report of Gene
Tal BERNARD, the Distinguished engineer, VIII,
measured the gsodetic distance between tn,
two points. After having made an elaborat,
survey of the whole intermediate country, he
recommended fthe nearest post road practicable
from Washington to New Orleans"
These reports, with the accompanying ma ps
are of record in the documents of that day, and
ought Immediately to be republished by the
Baltimore journals. We derive from them,
however, the principal facts which establish
our position:
/. The airline between Washington and
New Orleans is only 900 miles.
2. The route recommended by way of Knox
vile and Cahawba is estimated at ,056 miles.
3. There is now continuous sectional rail-
road chartered from Washington to New Or
leans upon almost the Identical route recon-
mended by General BERNARD. The distance
between Baltimore and New Orleans by this
route is less than ,25O miles,
The railroads constituting this route are
all under construction, and are making more or
loss progress according to their local abilities.
Those which have been opened bid fair to
realize the most sapguine expectations of their
friends.
Their completion is question only of time
Even if no foreign aid be given they will com
plete themselves. Occupying the nearest loca
<
Orleans and New York, with ruling grades Of
less than seventy feet, crossing the Blue Ridge,
Allegheny, and Cumberland without tunnel
this route must take the travel and mail Ira
yersing the region most varied and productive
for its length in the United States, constructed
with cheap provisions, local superintendence
and slave labor, this ''SoUrHwEsrERs Ma
rIoSAL ROUTE" will enter upon competition fol
the through travel with these advantages
l. The shortest distance. 2 Lightest grade
3. Cheapest construction. 4. Greatest varie
ty of staple products
Upon the basis of these facts and argumen
we affirm that there will be in five years
greater contrast between the present extraordi
nary mail time of seven days and the schedul,
time then required by the Post Office Depart
msnt, than there was between the twenty
three days which in the days of General BrR
EARD used to separate Washington from New
OrleanS, and the thirteen days to which h,
proposed to reduce it.
We call the attention of Baltimoreans to tn,
subject for the following reasons: This sec
tional route will pass the concentrated com
through the city of Baltimore. She will nov
get but her dividend at Cincinnati and Wheel
ing. 1t will be important 10 the whole lin
that there should be as little break of gauge
and as few porterages and transhipments a
possible. The experience and influence o
Baltimore could do much towards convincing
interior localities, to which railroads are novel
ties that their true interest consists in offerin
no impediment to through travel.
Many of these sectional routes would be tn
better of city subscriptions, if it were for moth
ing else than by way Of advertisement, and t
convince the local interests of their nations
importance, and thus encourage them to ae
promptly in completing their works. We ca
the attention of Baltimore, and particularly
those entsrprsing citizens, Messrs. ADAMS
Co., who know that there is a Southwest an
a California, and know the value OF time an
the weight of insurance. Let the burgcma'
ters take their spectaces and look over Dn