The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-09-22
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The Dauville Railroad.


There was time when the capil'n % 'ni'
short article would have been vo'eo ooc'
together with all that came after II. IN 800
when ,ha non which now traces these lines
,rrota tho first editorial that appeared IN this
c;.v :, favor of railroad from Richmond to
Danrille. the project was almost universally
scented and all its advocates, and especially
ourselves. were pronounced Missionaries and
ran.mad enthusiasts. Now so popular has
the read become that almost every body
claims 60 have been its earliest and fastest
friend: and the man who will admit that he
once was an enemy of the scheme is indeed
q rsra avis
However an article headed "the Danville
railroad is no longer shunaed, but is eagerly
read by all. Our people see in the improve
ment one of our chief sources of prosperity,
and every business man looks TO it as open
ing demand for goods and the fabrics OF
our manufactures, which seems about to sur
pass. in extent that afforded by any other sec
tion trading to Richmond. .EE ... .
On Thursday last we published a statement
of the business of the DanriRe railroad tor
the last fre moaths-and on Saturday we
published statement Of the receipts OF the
Central railroad for the month OF -4"9Us'.
Contrasting the receipts of the two ROADS ior
that month, we find that although the aggre-
gate of receipts on the Central ROAD exceed
these on the Danville by Sj,4e6 80, yet the
receipts of the Danville road for freight ex'
coed those of the Central by So,152 80. Be
sides. in the estimates of the Central Road
the mail is inclgded, while in those OF
the Danville road the mail is not included.
We may in round numbers set down the ex-
cess of receipts on the Danyllle road over
those of the Central for freight at $500.
The Danyille is 81 miles long, and was only
rs fifteen days since-the Central Is ll6, or
thereabouts So that the Danville road being
a fourth shorter than the Central, and its
freight business fifth greater, we may
deduce the conclusion that its freight business
is nearly double that of the Central
We make the comparison not TO DIMINISH
the importance and value of the Cen
trail Road of which we are one of the warm
est supporters, but to show the magnitude OF
the Danville Road and the richness OF the
country it now trsverses-which, indeed, Is
far inferior to that it has yet to penetrate
The Central Road win not be in the full pos
session of its great trade, for which it is de-
signed, until the Covington and Ohio Railroad
reaches the Ohio and Kentucky; but never
theless, it does now pass through some fine
country along the eastern slope of the Blue
Ridge, and the comparison we are enabled to
present between the agricultural resources OF
that country and our South Side and Danville
region, is all the more striking from that fact.
We had e word to say relative to the delay
in the construction of the Danville Road; but
hardly have room for it. The appearance of
measles and other diseases among the laborers
on the line the latter part of the summer and
the fall of 80 put complete stop to the
work this side of Stanton, and the appropri-
alton by the Legislature to theroad was made
too late last winter to hire hands at the an
nual hiring. The consequence has been that
the contractors have been utterly unable to
procure the forces necessary to go on with
their work with the desired energy. These
circumstances have thrown back the road
very much. Work that was to have been
done last fall, is not yet complete. However,
every exertion is now making to procure
hands, and to press forward the road Iron
has been bought, as we have already an
nounced, and the rails viii be rapidly lad
down as soon as the embankments are ready
We shall be able to travel by railroad to Dan
vile, the centre of that promised land OF the
Dan, by next fall.