The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-05-14
THE CENTRAL RAiLRoAD.-Gooo
NEWS.

After the article which appeared IN yes'ei'
davis paper on the subject OF the Central haii'
road had been prepared, we had the pleasure
of an interview with MIR. RICHARD affEk'
GOV President OF the Lexington (ky.J and Big
ed Railroad. Mr.. A. is Virgirian, a ma
tive Of the good old county of New Kent, and
like all true yirginians, is full OF sol'cltude
nd affection for his native State. lie tells us
,.., ,hs road of which he is President is now
beius surveyed, and the route is highly iavora'
h,s for the work-that i, will be completed
,.,v nromptly.-and he hopes that the Coving-
ran and Ohio Railroad, il it should not be at
the Big Sandy to meet the Kentucky improve
r,ent as soon as il is completed, that it will a
least be no, far off, and that Kentucky and her
mother, Virginia, will be at an early day uni
Ted by bands of iron. The terminus of the
Cov;ng,on and Ohio Railroad is at the mouth
of the Big Sandy river, and there will the two
;mportant lines of Virginia and Kentucky
meet. 1t is proposed on behalf of the Ken.
lucky improvement, to join the Virginia road
in constructing bridge across the Big Sandy,
and to have the depots of the great lines ad-
Joining each other. Here, then, we have the
entent cordiale from a corporation headed by
an intelligent Virginian, whose improvement
traverses the very garden spot of Kentucky
whose fertility has grown into proverb-an
improvement which will place us, by railroad
communication, in connection with all the
great systems of Western railroads.
If the reader will take the map of the United
States and trace a line from the mouth of the
Big Sandy to Lexington, Kentucky, giving it a
slight southern curve, he will find that it will
traverse some of the richest counties in that
State. Seven of these counties land they are
smallJ have taxable property exceeding twenty
millions Of dollars-surpassing the wealth of
the nineteen counties referred TO by Col. Gar.
nett in our own State, on the Virginia and
Tennessee Road. Nineteen of the Kentucky
counties, traversed by the Kentucky improve
ment, boast taxable property OF more than
$ll7 100000. Much tobacco is grown in that
country, and the number of hogs raised there
is astonishngly large. A great portion of
those slaughtered in Cincinnati annually, and
for which Ohio is credited, are supplied from
fCfy NOuoluCl
railroad-put Richmond in connection with
that fertile land-and where will the tobacco it
produces and the hogs it raises go TO? 1t is
easy to see, if there be enough of commercial
enterprise in this and other Virg mia cities to
entitle them TO any consideration in the grand
commercial sffuggle-of the day.
Look again at Lexington. From that point
there is already constructed railroad by
Frankfort to Louisville. On the opposite side
of the river from Louisville, in Indiana, a road
is begun, and some miles of it constructed, the
ultimate destination of which is to Michigan
City or to Chicago, on Lake Michigan. This
road crosses at indianapolis the Cincinnati
and St. Louis Railroad, which is to be ulti.
mately continued to the Pac ifc. So that we
shall be placed in direct railroad communca-
tion with the chief cities of Kentucky and In
diana, with the Lakes, and with ST. Louis and
the great Pacific Road that takes it departure
from that Western Emporium. These are GER
tainly grand points in the prospects of Rich
mond. But this is not all A railroad, now
under survey, is to be built from Memphis,
Tennessee, TO Lexington, Kentucky. So that
we will have a railroad connection through
Kentucky with Memphis, while we shall have
another via Lynchburg, Knoxville and Nash
vile From Memphis a road is to be made
TO Little Rock. Arkansas, which is to be con
tinued west of that town, and becomes ulti.
mately branch of the great Pacific Road.
The line through Kentucky, connecting
with our State Road at Big Sandy, will sweep
four-ffths of that State and intersect all of IFS
richest portions. Flom Memphis to Big San
dy via the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the dis.
lance is about $50 miles, while by the railroad
line via Lexington, it is only 500. The Jour
ney by the former route would occupy four
days, by the latter, day and half.
This connection promises rich harvest for
the CoVington and Ohio and the Central Rail
roads, both in freights and travel; and il will
throw an immense freight upon the James Ri.
yer Canal. The heavy produce of tobacco
&c, will take the Canal at Covington for
independent of the cheapness of water com.
municaton, the rair lad will be glad to avoid
the wear and tear of heavy freights upon its
mountain grades and curves. The travel will
De enormous and the freight on lighter descrip.
lions OF articles will be great source of rail.
road profits.
we are aware that a large part of the travel
VIII turn enthusiastically at Gordonsville, but
we are satisfied that the produce will continue
along the central Virginia lines as the shortest
route to the water, and as the quickest way to
OBTAIN the benefit of competing markets-a
point which we fully presented yesterday
Inc produce, however, must control large
po'hon of the travel, independent of those
VINO would have desire TO see the Virginia
cilies either for pleasure or business.
These facts are of the highest interest to Vir
gina and to this city. They present at view
The full importance of one of the three grand
railroad schemes of Virginia, viz: the Central
Railroad to the Ohio. The other two are
the Lynchburg and Tennessee road, which
gives us control of East Tennessee and LARGE
portion of the Southwest; and the Dsnv;iIe
road, which will sweep the Pedmop, region
OF the Southern Atlantic States, All of H..