Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-12-25
FUI Wt I.VI I'||''
COvINGTOS AND OHIO RAIL ROAD.

Mgssrs Editors: As it is expected that the .h.,'.i
Legislature will make on appropriation 10 tie Co.
ington and Ohio Rail Road, and being fully convinced
q: rc Importance e" branch ct sad road from Sea-
down the valley Of the Great kanawha to i!s Gs.,r.
have selected for publication some facts a::L u@,i'
ions, from the final report Of Col. Charles l.. S!".
former Chct Engineer of said road, found pa.
2 - and g Of House Documents 1852, No 81 ai-r,
from letter Of recent date which is nov hr;"ro sr.
wi,h the hope that lie importance AMI utility viii
pear so manifest tina, the Legislature will no: hes..s
10 establish at the brnuce desired:
Ectr0c,S frOm R,YOrt r,:!
Between the mouth Of Scary Creek il becomes i
question whether the railway shall keep ,!o:.Ii ~"
valley of the Great kanawha to IT. moG!, Il: cr..'
,hc country to Guyandotc, and be thence e%'onGc' %
the mouth u. Big SANDY river The two frs c"s,,.'
OF table III. eluclate this question. The lis'ane. =
the mouth of KanawhG is 80 90 miles. ~ ".'"u
miles of the distance being straight, ~ miles wiz,
curvature of one mile radius and radns los ::
onc-Eaf mile Of the 80 9-lO miles 10 ID ~" L." =.
and no grade IN either direction vii! cNceed ~ :ra'
per mile.
.On the line from Scary to the mouth Of Saaty ;is
distance il ;S miles. 81 miles being straight. o. i'r
remaining il miles the curves vary, e. " u! l." saan
from n radius of one mile radius Of C3. let.
what is known AS 9 curve The level grGia j. aw'
Is clio miles and grades Of every variety est e.
tween and 30 feet tn the mile which is t" Ei.'.'
able limit in both directions.
"Hnving reference, then, only to co- AMI 70 cco'r'
nv characterization there caann, be opinions -
regard to the grent superiority OF thc Inc Gowp -ha
Great knnawha Ia it, mouth. ANY claim 20 i.-
ference the part Of ihe Saniy river i"r'nins' I.
must rest OF other Sr"!n'ia.
"If the proposed railroad were to derive il, 81 .!
revenue from rcights, the question might -. d"h. e.
bic. The advocates uf the Sandy terminus a.la.a,
Very truly, tha boats cannot frequently n'c"H" h-
cr than Guynudottc. Those in favor oitbc RaUsw.-.
terminus contend fha: such conditions q; the ono
water do no: tax" p!ccc nj the srason when tr.i-
most active, in the spring and iri! winter. TI.'
may well insist the shorter distance from S"@.: -
the mouth of Kanawha, and tha; up river t.'2...
will cost 10 more delivered there than 81 mvs TO-.
nj Sandy or Guyandpc; TINT The superiority "! ..H
Ka,awha nc for cheap traction wnU.d 'nab'r t'..i
10 carry freight AZ lo~cr rticS. An cn.iu" "',.
maximum, load was 100 tons, on the r"utr from -.
TO the mouth of Scnry, could draw 2'6 ;"n- from -
mouth of kanawha 10 the same point. Hrrc", @...
for freight or passenger traffic, the kanaw'n ::,
ton would be the most economical, and "'r. a..,
the Kentucky and Ohio roads completed, - has'
supposed, and III operation, the superior ''r'' y
the Ohio connection would give it the a'va&rag".
"As TO the question whether the dc:er,.I;T'..E .:
Virginia to favor one the other p these rnE.a uP
not extnguish the rivalry of the other # !! wc' ,-
sibe 20 suppose such case, the sta" wo"'! .n
decide whether the limited trade Of KcIfn".y Co..
served to be weighed with the travelling Off. .'-
inc West, and the trade of III. eG-trrn pr:.", o..
Ohio The revenue Of Il branch TO- sandy u."st .s
limited By what il can derive from Kentucky "."..
Everything south OF Kentucky will be a'iraris 80
the sphere Of the Virginia and Tennessee. c Chr!
ton and Cincinnati or the Mobile and O:'Ir fII'r,.
or will take the river. CrDn0t resist the c"uv"'
that the mouth of the Kanawha is the most a!ra -
terminus at present and with reierelc" IL tle !G:
competition of other lines The Sandy trOu"'. |.|
also be worth constructing, but ii ccr:iniy = -.
evidently n remuneranS project cs tie Aae ~ So
mouth OF KaEawha.
"I have no right to withhold mn opinion nv. ',.
ployed to give, and ], therefore, without rc-siN"
state that all my calculations and reflection f"N" ..'
suited in the conviction that the 5cst ;s:G mot
tcabr route Tor rail road from C"v.rg:"r e." ...a
Ohio river !. by way oi the White Sulphur SPu....
down Grecubrier and New rivers - kImuv'!'a. r..i
by the South ban; of the latter -trcGm - Il r'i.'
Col Shaw, in his letter Of !iIh Aug, 1872 ,'.,..
reference 10 his rcport,) says:
.Aiv estimate for road from the mouth o; Scar
TO Big Sandy, with limiting grades "I 80 i''t g."
mile was lin 1852 S70isO! about Sl,GheOm h-5
since been added that estimate, partly on accom-" '
an advance in prices OF labor and materials, tCi chi e.
from the necessity of reducing the limit IN grade -
80 feet per mile.
''rhe estimate for road OF the South hc".. 8
kanaw ha from Scary Point Pleasant, was 'nrs.'-
ding and bridging OF nearly 10 mile -
adding one third for advance in price. :l,i.G
"in miles supersiructure at $lo,20o per ..