Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-04-24
No III


system of railways in course of construction
whose Atlantic focus would be Norfolk. ihese
roads are building, and unless Virginia, by an I'M
wise and suicidal policy. delays two long the
construction of the Ohio base.ne, Norfolk Will
soon ACQUIRE commercial supremacy over any
other Southern city.
Every yirginian should desire this, and no
merely local iealouses should prevent it. Upon
this policy depends not only the relative imfor-
lance of Virginia among the other states IN a
commercial view, but also the supremacy OF the
chief seaports and the rapid growth of the other
cities of the State.
Taking this Norfolk and Ohio lines,as the prop
ar base of this system of roads, other lines and
branches will connect with il, as follows.
l. The Richmond and Petersburg road - ms
From Richmond TO Aequa Creek 20 miles.
Only about rs miles are wanting to connect
the Fredericksburg road with the Baltimore
and Ohio road at paddytown, west OF Cum
berland and thus complete a northwestern
arm to Wheeling and Cleveland.
Whole distance from Norfolk TO Cleveland
6si ms.
.. Another important branch Of this line will
DO the Central Railroad, extending from Rich
mond through the interior Of the state on the
north side of James River, through Charlottes-
willie aud Staunton, to Corngton, aud thence ON
to the mouth of Greenbrier.
Whole dista7ee from Norfolk TO the mouth of
Greenbrier 40 mics
At this last point the lines ON the north aud
south sides of the james River meet and of
course will 90 thence over common line TO
the Ohio at the Kentucky line.
Whole distance from Norfolk to the Ohio riy-
er at the mouth of Sandy go miles.
g. From the mouth of Sandy the linewill be ex-
tended down the Ohio valley TO Cincinnati
IA miles
From Cincinnati to st. Lons the line is in
course Of buding-whole distance 33l miles
Whole distance from Norfolk to Cincinnati, by
the way of Lynehburg, 6oi miles
Whole distance to st. Louis 995 miles.
4. From the mouth of Big Sandy road is in
course of construction, through the rich mineral
district of kentucky to Lenington,ond thence on
to Louisville distance about POI miles.
Whole distance from Norfolk 10 Louisville
727 miles. |
Open to Norfolk these great ihoroughfares to
the west and south west, aud you at once plnnt
commercial magnet at the mouth of the Chesa-
pake, which will make Norfolk one Of the most
important cities of the Union, and the Atlantic
focus ofibe largest system Ct railways in the
world.
g. From Richmond, the Richmond and Danyle
road crosses the Central trunk line % miles east
of Farmyille, and extends southwest into the rich
valley Of the Roanoke at Danyille.
A.,,lnw hrouch - bp line from, |
Norfolk over the Seahord railroad to Weldon and
thence to Wilmington.
Whole distance from Norfolk to Whining.
ton 2i2 miles
g. Another important conexion will be soon
opened between the Virginia and Tennessee rail
road and the Lexington and Knoxville railroad
by means of the Cumberland Gap road, This
branch will no doubt greatly increase the business
of the Virginia and Tennessee road and thus
swell the volume of trade which will ho turned
upon Norfolk by the confluence Of the great Ohio
and Southwestern roads at Christiansburg So
that whatever view we take of the great railways
in course of construction in Virginia, the
great central trunk line from Norfolk to the
Ohio seems to have paramount importance in
concentrating the whole within the state.
The great trunk lines of this Virginia system
of railways are as already intimatcdns follows:
PROM NORFOLK.
The arm extending to Washington by Alex.
andra PIP miles
To Cincinnati Col
To Cleveland, on the Lakes 6sl
To ST. Louis, via Cincinnati 995 "
To Louisville, via Lexington 727 "
To Memphis 9ls d"
To Wilmington n. Carolina ere
These lines of railway intersect all the chief
roads in the south west and west, and make Nor
folk focal point of more than 1000 miles of rail
ways, all tending TO her port, as the most eonve-
nient harbor on the Atlantic coast
This immense web of railways, spreading over
the richest and most productive portions Of the
United States, will put Norfolk into direct com
muncation with the commercial cities of the IN
terror.
The following table will illustrate this view
From Cincinnati TO Norfolk G6i miles--To New
York by n. Y. E. X. II. 500 miles. and by
New York Central line sos nils
% st. Louis to Norfolk 995 miles-to New
York lI9 miles.
q Cleveland to Norfolk GA miles-to New
York 620 miles.
:" Louisville to Norfolk 727 miies-to New
York 1925 miles.
"a Memphis to Norfolk 9iS mies--to New
York 1920 miles
No precise estimates of the business which will
be done on this great trunk line can be made
lint data nj hand sufficient "a, ;ust;f,, oo,,