The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1853-09-29

AArAtNN Ahbht 4AD fOI~
lowing afdele, which We iaks from Ire Bal.
tInOre Pafio, Speaks Ia ths hIrbsst terms
of praise and shows tbat The HOekIs1 Val.
ley Rail Rroad Il not one Of purely tocal
character. but that IL stretches forth lts
arms aud iHiImately connects me interests
Of the East with the interest Of the West,
and opens y a great boroagbfsfo that viii
be hailed With rejoicIsgsf from tae Ohio riy-
er 70 the city Of Baltimore:
BaDimors szd Ne Rail Rogas Wsss.-n
was anaOpnced last week that the Boards Of
Difeetofs oflths Cincinnati and Marietta
and the Cinclnuati and HlIlsburough Rail.
roads, had consulted an agreement TO a.
malglmate the two lines. The interest of
the city of Baltimore 10 this movement Is
one Of mnc moment. We understhnd
that its result will be Substantially az, fol-
lows. The SO miles u the HiIlsborough
road from Petersburg to Jackson, Wilt be
abandoned, anaa connectiol OF the two
lines will be made at the latter place, IIs.
miles from CiDcihnati, There will be sub.
stitnted for this 66 miles OF the Marlborough
road, 81 miles Of the Marietta road and.
this. last will be connected on the west by
a link Of 10 miles with 'he HiIlsborodgh
road at Jacksons and on the east with the
North Western Virginia Railroad at Park
efsburg by a branch ~ miles long, which.
distance Of 10 aHd ~ miles, being added
to the 81 miles, makes IS miles blythe con-
sottaation route fromeJackson to Parkers-
burgb, an increase Of 10 miles over the
Hillsborough route proper between those
places. But the anal .amation, whose
terms, Il would appear. have been shaped to
suit the loci Interests Of Marietta, does not
contemplate Parkersburg as any more a.
point In the great route from Baltimore to
Cincinnati. A line is assumed to be built
eastward from Marietta tor point on the
North Western Virginia Railroad from go
to 40 miles east Of Parkersburg, and upon
this line the through business is TO pass via
Marietta, leaving Petersburg and the
western third part Of the North Western
Railroad with the river and local business
to sustain it..
The question being naturally asked, what
is to be gained by this measure by which
Marietta and her linet to Philadelphia, built
with Philadelphia capital, are to be favo. ed
at the expense of Parkersburg snd the
North western railroad to Baltimore, built
with Baltimore capital, the reply is that a
couple Of miles of distance may be saved
by the Marietta route, to save which a road
Of either Is or rs miles, according 10 its
point Of intersection with the Parkersburg
road, must be constructed. There is indeed
the further inducement that via Marietta, no
discrimination is to be made against Balti-
more or in favor of Philadelphia, except
what the continuance of the trade and trav-
ell some 80 miles farther on the route to
Philadelphia and SO mnch nearer the al
tracing power of the Hempield road, may
effect. The Marietta company, in its lasl
annual report (re-published recently in
Baltimore) makes indeed fair promises of
impartial accommodation to both cities, but
we may web mistrust the promises of a
company, however good the faith in which
they may be made, when their ful6lment de-
ponds upon the magnanimity of our COM
merciai rival, whose moneyis to make the
roads of that company.
We see, then, that by the consolidatien'of
these companies, our Baltimore interests are
not favorably affected-frst, because our
route to Cincinnati is elongated 10 miles:
second, because, in order to obtain even a
partial security against discrimination, we
mus Lsubmit to a-serious abstraction Of bust
ness from the western sedtion of our North
western Virginia railroad, and be obliged to
build an otherwise useless road Of IS or 25
miles inlenglh, in orderto effect this very
subtraction.
If, in this new state OF affairs, we were
without an a alternative. our confidence would
be seriously shaken in the immediate value
Of our Ohio come ctions west Of Parkers-
burg. Bat happily at this juncture, another
outlet opens to us in the "Coiumbus and
Hooking Valley Railroad" to be organized
on the goth ofthis month under the general
railroad law OF Ohio. This road is intended
to connect the capital Of Ohio with Park
ersburg by a line 0 fabout le0 miles, through
Lancaster and Athens-will pass for most
ofthe distance. along the beautiful valley of
the great Hockhocking river, with superior
grades and easy curves. 1t will be con-
structed more quickly and cheaply than the
corresponding section OF the Marietta road
which crosses the valleys and rfiges of the
intervening country. The Hooking valley
railroad will give us the best connection at
Athens with the Marietta line to Cincinnati,
either through jackson and Hillsborough
or through ChillicotheAif a connection on
suitable terms be permitted; if not, we shall
have, through the Lancaster aud the Cincin-
natl, Wilmington and GAINESVILLE railroad, a
through route to Cincinnati, but 10 miles
longer than that offered by the Marietta
company under the consolidated line. The
railrord will be completed between Lam
caster and Cincinnati next winter or spring,
leaving but 10 odd miles to be built between
Lancaster and Parkersburg-and Me. first 10
or IL milesof thtS distance Fortunately forms
a part Of The preferred route 10 HiH$borough
ola Jackson, and crosses the Ohio BIZ the pro-
jected bridge at Walkers, he best size perhaps
on that ritter for such a structure. Thus when
the means to build the direct road to Jack
son may be had, only 81 miles Of it will be
required to secure our f~avorite and hardly
fought-for line TO Cincinnati and Louisville,
Of which the present consolidation for a
time d~epriVes as.
The Hooking Valley road is a substantial
project originated and now being carried iu-
to effect by someqo of the ablest and wealth.
lest men in Columbus, Lancaster and Ath-
ems. There is in il no tendency towards
any rival northern city. II looks s~GcluSireig
to Baltimore as its eastern terminus. The
interests on the line will furnish most of the
capital, and its calbusiness will make the
stock a good one. All the aid they will ask
from Baltimore will be "the amount sdved in
the cost Of The bridge ouer The Ohio, If ii be bull
at Walkers instead of Marieh1.,' AT Lam