Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1853-09-23
Railroads---Their Necessity as a
Means of Wealth.

Means of Wealth.
In the present state of railroad progress it
would appear supererogatory to attempt dem
onstration of the necessity of the ''iron road, +"
politically, commercially, and socially CT show
that facility of intercommunication increases
such communication, creates business, begets
sociality, tends to the dissemination ofcnIighten-
ed views, and by uniting all these advantages,
promotes the growth wealth. and prosperity Of
the country
1t isa selfeyident proposition that accessible
ty promotes population. The history Of our coun-
try is an enduring disqualification of this fact
As facilities Of intercourse increased the area Of
our settlements extended, until the entire conti-
ncnt has been embraced within our borders
Cities and towns have sprung up in the midst of
the wilderness, and the wilds have been made to
blossom like the rose and if canals, rivers, and
plank and Macadamized roads-the restricted
means ofmtercommunication enjoyed before the
introduction Of rairoads-hayc sufficcd to render
this country 50 prosperous, what may we not an
ticipate when the vast undertakings now proec-
ted shall have been completed ?-whcn the auTif-
erous shores ofthe Pacific shall be connected with
the rocky barriers ofthe Atlantic by iron bands,
and the treasures Of the East and The islands Of
the seas shall be transported thercup0n, to find
ready market among the dwelIcrs Of the West
That railroads VIII hereafter be the means Of
INSTRUMENTATION Is equally evident. They
are Che best and cheapest means for promoting
accessibility; they can be built wherever the
people Wilt and By their means time and dis
lance can almost be auuihilatcd. The expert
cncc upon the few completed roads has demon
stratcd their utility and fitness f5r the purpose
for which they were designed. And the compile
tion Of these few roads has made the baiIding Of
Others compulsory, or those sect.cus lacking IN
auch facilities must consent to sit sulsnely down,
and witness the rapid development in wealth and
prosperity Of such sections as keep up wi,h the
progress Of the age.
Wherever raiiroadshayc been built in this coun-
try, the inevitable consequence has been 10 en-
hance the value Of property ia the neighJorh0od.
Depots have been established along the lines for
the reception and shipment Of freight; and from
these simple depots fourishins towns have grown
up, magic like, and anomalous rs it may appear,
but in few instances producing any diversion Of
trade fsem place to smother, seeming rather
to create Of themselves business for thcInscIycs-
thus, by facilities Of communication adding to
population, and by population adding to the
wealth and prosperity ofthe country.
Not unfrequently does 1t occur that these de-
pos are established in the vicinity Of mines here
toforc unavailable, for want Of means Of traaspor-
tation, as is the case in many Instances within
our knowledge. So soon as the roads are compile
ted, and these laisse1 brough. within ,hc reach
Of market a town at once springs up, and the
heretofore waste lands become not oaly sources
Of wealth to few, perhaps, but Of competence 10
many.
And when these roads are opened through an
agricultural country, afIcrding means Of ready
and cheap transporJion to market, the farmer at
once becomes independent He IS not compelled
to haul his produce through almost im}sassable
mudholes, sloughs and ponds, to market, where
he is constrained TO dispose Of 1t a unrcmuncTa-
ting rates. rather than haul 1t home again he
can quietly wait until it is called lor q his own
door, or until he learns from the papers that is
to his advantage to ship TO a distant market
Few persons are aware of the difference in the
cost Of transportation between the ordinary wa
gon and the rail. In one Of our exchanges we
some time since found the following table, in
which is given the comparative value of ton Of
wheat and one Of corn at given distances from
market, as affected by the cost of transportation
by railroad, and over the ordinary road =