Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1854-01-09
Covington & Ohio Railroad.

eohtest'ns routes as the surveys had not
been fully completed, and that the decision
had been postponed until the 10Th proxi-
mo, when the Chief Engineer would b,.
prepared to report to the Board in Rich.
mond; but notwithstanding there had been
no decision. facts had been elected whicl,
we think leave little or no doubt of t,,e -.
doption OF the Monroe route by the Board
of Public Works From reliable source.
we ascertain the following facts, viz -
That in distance the Monroe ronte ;s from
two to four miles the shortest--that the
maximum grade from East to West. ON
each route, is 60 feet to the m;ic--bpt that
on the Monroe route can be reduced to 50
feet at very slight cost that from West
to East the maximum grade, OH the Green
brier line, is 80 teet-on the Monroe line
50 feet to s!ie mile but that the Monroe
route may be reduced 10 As feet per mile
that there are not more than 10 or II miles
of ascending grade on the Monroe route
from West to East, whist there are at least
~ miles on the Greeubrier route; that
there are ~ liz miles level grade Oh the
Monroe route, and little or none OH the
Greenbrier route: that the Monroe line is
very straight, and without any obiec.
tionable eurve--indeed, up4n the highest
grades there are no curvrs--whil,! the
Greenbrier line is Objectionable in curya-
ture, and on the IS feet grade from West
to Last there is a curve Of about 5 degrees:
that learned and distinguished Engineers
estimate that B degree curve offers as
great resistance to a locomotive, when
running at speed of % miles to the hour,
as would grade of 50 lect-so that grade
and curvature considered, the Monroe
route has greatly the advantage.
At the ia.e letting at Covington. Will.
the profile Of the Monroe route was ex-
hibited entire, from some cause, not inten-
tional Of course, the profile of somr - or
IA miles OF much the heaviest work on the
Greenbrler line was not exhibited at all
This was from the divergence Of the two
routes SOME eight miles above Coyington
to the White Sulphur, Or near it, which is
the most barren and rugged posson of Vir-
glnia--and one tunnel in this distance in-
terposes OF about one mile and quarter in
length The IA miles cannot be bulit for
less than $50, eco per mile. The length etf
tunne'ing on the Gfeen5i;er line amounts
III the aggregate, to three and half mi!cs,
or therexbouts; on the Monroe line to "a
bout one mile. One OF the tunnels on the
Greenbrier line is 6 800 feet in ienglll--a-
another about 5000 feet in iensth---Hhilss
the tunnels Oil the NJ oaroe route, consisting
OF 9 or 10, are short and easily and cheanlv
driven compared with long tunnels. Ina
cost OF long tunnels has hot been estimated
by any Engineer that we are aware Of,
(arching included at less than SO per
Iineai foot; (the actual cost of some of the
tunnels IN Virginia has been more than
this, this estimate. applied 10 the tunnels
on the Greenbrier route, (say l 2 niies,4
would make them cost 81 1913, 600 zone
million two hundred and ninety three
thousand six hundred dollars, and 592t.-.
GOO (nine hundred and twenty four thous-
amp dollars more than the Monroe TIN.
nels-and Us the cost Of the tive lines, in
dependent of the tunnels, viii be about the
same, as we are informed, il follows that
the Greenbrier route will cost to build II
neal ) 090, coo more than would be re-
quired to build the Monroe route Bus
this is not all. Ii must require some three
or Tour years more time to build the tiiu-
nes on the Greenbrier than the Nionroe
route, and each year OF time that would be
.equired TO build the road over the G.een-
brler above that required on tine Monoe
route, would be a sacrifice Of hail a .nilllaA
OF dollars 10 the treasury OF the Common
wealth III the way OF loss oil revtHii. or the
profits arising i;om the road AFTER it should
DC Completed which should be added 10
the cost OF the Greenbfler route, should it
be adopted, or sub.racted from the e>,tina-
ted cost OF the Monroe line, by which rule
the Monroe line would be made TO cost
nothing, as the sum subtraeted would be
equal to the whole costoi the MouroeIine.
Let US see what time would be required
to complete the tunnels on each route, for
the grading, ind dependent Of tunnels, can
be completed sooner than the tunneis.--
On the Monroe route, all the tunnels but
one being Very short, could be completed
in any time required, say one year; the one
tunnel is something over 1000 feet-bur
running, as it were, under plain-as the
summit Of ground is nowhere more than
l73 feet above the proposed excavation
and ii necessary, shafts could be let down
at moderate cost, this tunnel could certain
ly be completed in three years. Upon the
ioutSt tHC Ut VIC ATT
ghany mountain is $500 feet in length, Or
2, 252 feet longer than the great tunnel at
the Blue Ridge, now being constructed by
the State, under the superintendent ofoue
Of the most accurate and learned Engineers
Of the day, Col. CRozgT.
In order that the accuracy Of our state
ments may not be questioned, we here give
an extract from the late report of Mr..
ELLET, the Chief Engineer OF the Central
Railroad
The State had, by act of the legislature
dated March 5, 1849, directed the con-
ola railroad across the Blue Ridge,
extending from Mechnm's river TO Way
ntsboro. distance of II s. 100 mles.-
This work was commenced in the autumn
Of 1910, and has been prosecuted steadily
ever since.
There are to be three tunnels on the
line, the most eastwardly and the shortest
of which is 23 feet long, and is now near
" completed. The second is 1S0 feet
long, and some considerable progress has
been made towards its execution but the