Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1855-03-14
Total expense Of a slave owned by
the company per apnum.

Total expense Of slave owned by
the company per annum, &l7l
In excavatiag cart. railroads in the low coun.
try, IL cubic yards may be assumed as an average
days work. Allowing 275 working days to year,
negro will excavate $500 cubic yards Then divide
$lfl by $500, and you have five and one half cents
as the expense of one cubic yard. The price paid
to contractors varies from I5 to I6 cents per cubic
yard, demonstrating that slaves owned by the Com
pany can excavate earth for third less than the
usual contract price -." .a. -f
Where Company with limited means is compel.
led to make its engagements with its contra ctors at
onehalf in cash. and the remainder in the bonds
and stock OF the Company, the price paid for
vation is % cents per cubic yard thus making the
saving to Company owning its own slaves, still
more advantageous than stated above. 1t may be
said that white labor perform more and better
work per diem than the slave can and therefore the
contractor can afford to give him higher wages, and
still make as high if not higher profits than by
hiring slaves. If this is So it is contrary to nv ex.
pcrience, for l have tried both together several
years. After the negro has had few mouths prac-
tce with the spade, and learned bow to use it, he
can dig or ditch in clay bottoms as much as any
other man and equally WELL In making this as
. sertion L am by no means singulrr ~
In excavating rock the experience in Virginia is
decidedly favorably to the bought negro. In this
kind of work, as much as $500 per annum has been
made there to the hand. A smart negro will learn
the trade of bricklayer in less than twelve
months, and in constructing culverts bridges, abus
ments, locks and DAMS e-scvcnth that the same
kind of work will cost at contract prices. More
than three fourhs Of the aborers on the James Ri.
yer and K,nawha Canal, in 1853 were slaves. =
The contractors in Virginia have from 300 to 500
slaves iaboring together upon the public works. the
larger the number in the gang, SO much the moro
profitable. mention this fact, because it is some
times stated that slaves in large bodies cannot be
worked advantageously ss
To do this, however, successfully in large mum.
bers, they must be divided into gangs of 25 or So
with an ovcrscer, and the requisite cooks, and
chancs for the repair and mending ofcarts, wagons
t,ois, &C.. and Engineers to supervise the work of
the ovcrSecTs. =
In own State We have striking illustrations,
how easily and cheaply railroads may be built with
slave labor
On the Cheraw and Darlington Railroad the whole
Ene of 3S miles has been graded, including the
wooden snperstructure, BY the planters on or near
the ine without involving cash expenditure by tho
Company exceeding six thousand dollars,
On the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad. one
planter has worked out with his slaves $50 900 in
the stock of the road. Others have done the same
to smaller amount. Others again, have taken con-
tracts at cash, in slave labor All these contracts
have proved in greater or less degree, profitable to
the parties, and have been told that many would
he wiling to take contracts again upon the same
terms, instead of resumng their former plantation
pursuits.
In North Carolina, the upper portion OF our own
State. and Georgia. many roads have been begun
and finished principally upon the plan pursued by
the Wilmington and Manchester road all tending to
prove what peculiar facilities in the South pos
for building aad providing for railroads, upon
the most economical system of construction.
For the facts presented in reference to the State
Of Virginia, ain indebted to very able article from
| the pen of Mr. r G. Morris, of that State, which
appeared in DeBoas Review, during the last sum-
mer.
invite careful consideration to thc observations
and statements hare now submitted by the plan
tiers living in the vicinity of our proposed line be-
lieving that If they will undertake to grade the road
and make the trestle work. it will result proftzbly
to them, and advantageous to the road