Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-10-04
From the Yirqlnfn Chronicle.
Necessity for the Monongahela and
Rayenswood Rail Road.

From the Virginia Chronicle.
Necessity for the 1Tononsahela and
Rayenswood Rail Road.
Every fifty miles of margin on the Ohio
River affords trade enough for rail road
with double track leading eastward, The
ravine of the Ohio is the line from east to-
west along which the meat, wheat and
corn of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, con-
Quoted southwark by the natural dral-
mage of the country, through the Allie
ghany, Muskingum, Seiota and Wabash
rivers meet with the grain, timber and
cotton Of Virginia and Kentucky: conduc-
ted northward by the Monongahela, Lit
tie Kanawha, Great Kanawha, Big San
dy, Kentucky and Tennessee rivers. This
line eventually must be one continued belt
of industrial posts, along which the heavy
products mentioned will be transmitted
and manufactured into articles of easier
export and greater value, Here, too, are
found immense mineral deposits, adding
to the wealth and trade of the district.
This is beginning to be the condition
of the local commerce of every mile of
this valley. Add to this sum the COM
merce of the states and territories far
west, south and north, on the waters Of
the Mississippi and It's tributaries, going
eastward through this channel, and the
amount is incalculable.
To carry this immense trade there is
daily mployed on the Ohio river the lar
gest steam marine in the world. Every
day there arc four line boats passing each
place on the shore between Wheeling and
Cincinnati once day, The tonnage of
las ;.rC QOn To 10nO
Here at once are 1000 tons daily passing
each lending. But as much more is car
ried by transient steamers, which swells
the sum to 5000 tons daily.
The distance between Wheeling and
CINCINNATI is four hundred miles. If a
rail road were to leave the ravine of the
Ohio river for the seabOard every fifty
miles along this distance, there would be
eight roads between CINCINNATI and
Wheeling.
The President of the Baltimore and
Ohio Rail Road Co., in his last annual re-
port shows that last year the B. & o.
road carried 100, 900 tons fronW Wheeling to
Baltimore. Eight such roads would car
ry 200. 600 tons. But if we suppose that
navigation of The Ohio is open for 800
days in the year, the tonnage gifts steam
marine would amount to 100000, or
just twice the capacity of eight rail roads,
or one in every fifty miles.
But the track of the B. d o. Rail Road
is single; and if this were doubled, and
also the track of each of the other seven
hypothetical rail roads, and if by doubling
the tracks their capacity would be doub-
led, then the capacity of the eight roads
would just equal the capacity ofthe steam
marine, and the trade of our river would
just support double track rail road start
ing eastward evey SO miles.
These calculations are based on the
supPosition that all the tonnage on the
river goes eastward. OF course this is
not strictly true. But we allow nothing
in our calculation for that trade which
gets upon a railroad without river carriage
at all, which of itself would more than
balance that portion of the river tonnage,
the final destination Of which is along the
shores.
But instead Of fifty miles to support it,
the MOnongahela and RavenswoUd Il. r.
has not competition below it on the river
1t has unrivaIlcd command of the trade
to the mouth OF the Ohio and is the first
eastern road from the south side Of the
Ohio, which the trade of all the west will
seek as goes eastward. We speak as if
the Covington & Ohio road could never
be finished. We think it never will be
made. But if it is. far from being our ri
val it will be our feeder and instead Of
commerce flowing eastward on it, it will
How westward from the base ofthe noun
tains, and take our road eastward so as
to secure the markets Of Philadelphia and
New York, instead Of Richmond and Nor
folk.
For six weeks we have open navigation
to this place when it is suspended even
to point no farther up than Parkersburg.
Now the 5000 tons, or rather counting
the up freight only. the 1000 tons daily,
arriving at this place and unable to as
cend, in six weeks will amount to 1863 900
tons, or $4,000 more than rail road
with single track can carry off, or than
the B: IL o. Rail Road does carry off,
OF this trade we would have complete
monopoly over all roads above US. All
the year we would have this advantage
that goods landed here could be transpor,
ted TO Philadelphia as cheap as from
Wheeling, saving the 40 miles of river
carriage, the distance between Ravens
wood and Wheeliug.) Let the despols
of trade above US trembIe for their com
mercial crowns.