Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-04-06
trginia Railroads.

Trginia Railroads.
The Savannah Georgian copies the statement
which we published short time since in rela.
ton to the railroads of this State, and says:
We have been accustomed to boast of ueor.
gia the foremost State of the South ia tn 9
extent of railroad improvements The time has
when such Boosting must cease. The
length of roads completed in Georgia may be set
down. in round numbers, Mt nine hundred miles.
The length of road completed in Virginia is, as
welearn from the Richmond Times, one thousand
and twenty seven miles. Georgia roads compile
ted aud in process of completion, leaving out of
the account the Savannah and Pensacola and the
Brunswick roads measure in length not much
more than thousand miles. Virginia Roads,
including those completed and those. the con-
struction of which has been authorized by law,
amount, in length, to two thousand four hundred
and five miles. If then Georgia be now behind
the Old Dominion, in the extent of her railroad
improvements, she will, from present appearan-
ces, be left far in the in the course of the
next few years. The fact is Georgia enterprise
has been bepufed and beauded, at home and
abroad, until she is too well satisfied with herself
She has come nearly to stand STILL while her
sisters who made less favorable start, by pres
sing onward in the race, have shot ahead of
her.
1t can hardly be said with truth that Georgia is
now behind the Old Dominion in the extent of
her railroad improvements, notwithstanding the
fact that the latter has 1927 miles of completed
railroad within her territory, whilst the former
has only 900 miles. Forit should be borne in
mind that Baltimore has built more than 800
miles of railroad in our State. The great work
which traverses the Northwestern section of Vir-
ginia and connects the Ohio with the Atlantic is
monument of Baltimore enterprise alone. We
can claim no share of the credit that attaches to
its construction. do we derive any benefit
from its use. If we leave the Baltimore roads
out of the account, it will appear that Georgia is
still considerably in advance of the Old Domin-
ion. even in the extent of her railroads. But
Georgia has an advantage over US in another res
pect. She has constructed continuous line of
railway 430 miles long, running through the
heart of her territory from the Atlantic 20 the Ten
nessee river. The rich products of her interior
are now provided with way to market, and she
will soon be in direct communication with the
Mississippi Valley. Her grand object from the
commencement of her internal improvement ca.
reer has been to push her works into the interior
from the ocean towards the mountains. and thus
to develope her great agricultural and mineral
resources. This object she has at length accom-
pllshed She has hewed a pathway through
the mountains and the locomotive now passes
without obstruction from the Eastern to TIE
Western extremity of her territory.
We of Virginia also have line of railroad
running through our territory. but it runs from
North to South, aud does not touch the great
agricultural region of the State Most of our com.
lie ,IIoJ ,:+l, el,n
and at respectful distance therefrom It
would seem that until recently the railroad bull
ders of Virginia could not muster sufficient
degree of resolution to- turn their faces westward
and encounter the natural obstacles which be-
set their path in that direction. The sight of
hills and mountains daunted their courage and they
contented themselves with building roads through
the barren but level fields of the lowlands. The
consequence has been that whilst we have con-
siderable extent of railway in operation, we
have in truth made but little progress in develop
ing the resources of the State. All Of our i'm
portant lines of interior communication are in
an incomplete condition. The great Southwestern
line, extending from Norfolk via Petersburg and
Lynchburg to the Tennessee border, has length
of something more than 400 miles. OF this we
have completed only 100 miles. The Contra
line stretching from Y DIRK river to the Ohio, is
about 43o miles long, but three-fourths ofthe work
still remain to be done Had we followed the ex-
ample of Georgia when commenced building
railroads and concentrated all our efforts and en-
ergies ina single work, having for its object the
connection Of our Atlantic coast with the Misss
sippi or Ohio valleys we might now challenge
comparison between her railway system and
our own. That the day will soon come when
we may venture to do SO, have not doubt,
but as the case stands we must concede 10
Georgia the honor of being the foremost South
ern State 10 the march of internal Improvement
We are gratihed (says the Baltimore Patriot of
last evening" to be able say that Chief Justice
fancy, who has been confined by sickness for
some time at his residence in this city, ia getting
better, aud that the prospect is favorable to mis-
speedy recovery.