Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-01-23
CITY AND STATE NEWS.

and York River Railroad met, Pursuant 10 adjourn
mcnt, Friday morning at 10 o'clock.
The Secretary OF the company read the inmates OF
the first meeting.
The motion 10 reconsider the action OF the compq-
ny the 2lst September last, came up The unin
ished business uf Thursdnv-.JUUGE CHRISTIAN, of
Williamsburg, having the floor
On motion Of Mr.. ALEA. DCDLEl, the roll was call
ed and Quorum aHccrtamcd 10 be Present.
JUDGE CHRisfIAH then proceeded Ia address the
company. Hcadvncntcd placing the terminus at Par.
hams, and said that IT was his deliberate conviction
that the road coult. not he built Ia West Point. There
subscribed towards the building and equipment;
oi the road, $i6jGOO, and the city of Ricmun nnd
State of Virginia would furnish the amount necessary
to carry the roa,l 20 ialams. In regard to building
the road to Wes, Point, not more than umcia of the
amount necessary for It's construction subscribed.
Where was tho other half! Where could il he pro-
cured! Were the stockholders willing that the
Sl60GO should bclHd ont for the construction of the
road, and then resort to mortgagmg the work for
nry tu build the other half! He would advsc siusk
holders not Ia be led astruy by gIcd buublr but
10 look ut the matter practically. IL" referred 10 the
crippled condition of all the railroad companies of the
State arising from the fact TINT Oneha oI their roads
hal been moriguged Tor money 10 build the ether
hall.
1.-THE money was cnsyto he procured to build the
road tu West Point - il would BE- o build il To- Par
ham,, hr would prefer the latter terminus Ii there
was no competing route IL West Point, he woud pre-
fer that terminus. In conscrlm. the cost ul shipping
produce il absurd - believe that shipper would
send his goods ra road 1T about 81 per ton,
when he could send il by another route ut half tn.
price He wuGld assume a; the distance 10 i'aram'>
from Richmond MAS - miles, and that West Point
50 miles distant lfihe road was hui!i t" West Point
and profitable, how long would III" >tockh"ldcrs
! 10Y il Would no attempt bc made la builI It road
H. ParIiams 10 miles shorter Would not the farmer
save - per cen; by shipping over the rnar 10 Par
hams In such ra>., t.irn would not clh"'icrs
prefer investing ihcir S!,W"i i'll the parhams route!
| Would not the business nf the West Point road be-
ruined and the money expended in lis construction.
| buried beyond the hope Of resurrection Much had
been said ahou, the rrpor; of Ii. Maury. If hc wr"
an rurIny 10 Mr. Maury he would he tempted "a ,.y-
claim "Oh thu; mine enemy would write book. -
! He had entertained .hc highest respect Tor Ii. Mau
ry', talents but III" report hud induced him doubt
| whether his high reputation had been mcritcd. Dd
| any man doubt the fact, that there WAS the same
| depth -! water ~ PaIhnms that there was at West
Point The trIillng difference Of six inches in favor
of West Point triii;uC {" bc cnnsi,lcr"d.-
! Lieut. Muury with flourish, said that in
supcrablc objection 10 Parhans n bend equal t" -
degrees in the Pnnunkcy river would have to he gore
AROUND He did not think LIT. VI. intended to deceive
the company. But he should have spoken of the
bnsc linz oi circle and ci the obstacles, there
any presented, which mpeded navigation. That cir
c. wa, q bug-bcHr OF Licut. Maurv's and had no
substantial existence. so imperccptbe was the cir
Gle or bend. that he had gone above IL and looked
straight down the river into the York river. Look
ins 10 the report of the Engineer, it would be
that two three miles below West Point, the chan.
n,l was onlv Is fee; deep aud ~ yards vide Would
uot vessel that could sail there avi2ac the lamun-
KEY river which - feet deep and a0n yard wild"
| Would nnv man bc.cv" tn the contrary! Gentlemen
must decide the matter for Themselves
1t. Nuury was great ihcurIst, ANA had written u
very pretty book about the matter; bur hr was no;
practical He had rendered himself famous, and ;he
report which he had written on l- -!b"c wnHlI IT,
make him u"t"riou-. The speaker though; ihn there
had been strong bias operating on li'e minds 81 tn"
engineers inducing them 10 ivor West Point "a the
terminus Ii the duty oi the stockholders 20 take
the facts and draw their conclusion
There not vcSsc! in the world wiiciI. ii i.
coiid sail up the "rk river 20 Vest Point, could n":
sail up the PHmunkcy Ia Pir!ram-. No vessel, ~
hnv size. hGs found any '!tCuiiy III sHi!InS u
thr i'umunkcy river.
The speaker hn, been ndisposcL for several weeks
and h coming 10 thi- city was his hrSt V'. IRON
omr -Ice his recovering. i'i M nH y%,' !" ,e,f
J.rd. th. question before them, without pre- u,iir",
! and deliberately ana calmly
| EDy-yp RuffIS desired IL make some rcmnrk-
upnn portions oi the subject which hal not been
| tnuchcl bv other gentlemen. Lieut.. MHuryH com
cII.n,- had been founded upon premises lnris'.'"i
him hy other persons. Parham roui" was iw"N'.
miles shorter than that In West Point; about "nC.th:ri
les of .ui,ru,d. He bcii.vrd Ihat til" est Point
r,u, ,vnI!,! i -,II"r.c hy another when .!lr pip-
lie required i. which w"u,d l." ia f,.w YEAR. De-
sides the distance, rT" We're mumrrabi" disadvan-
iagrs operating against Ill" West Point line, >avcrfl
of wciI tl. speaker went um tu show. lhrTr "e"f'
many objections urged a..Gus, larliams II port
He would state that hc had pccumiary !m"rrst IN
any ii the routes. the marrow channel at Coil :
Point operates IIuc against West Point a II Il rs
against PurhulIs. He thought il probable t!i#; AZ
(iuir Point there Was three huHdrrd feet of channel
deep enough for vcs,cl- Ia pas. Ii III the war OF
1872 there had been city II pal:ams it would have
been considered great hrn"i: to the country, md
the ravH.c- committed by tn. British fcrt, under Ad-
i,,r,i hp.u Ili, ed
cxigcncy may occur gain, and h. nnticr should be-
considered.
The Engineer report sail that the accommodation
for SHINING nj West Point WIS .-rcG i rnui.l
the idea Of the engineer when lie said accommodate
;iu, - there Bu; IL for t;t matter Hampton
Roads offered still greater accommodation.
| CHAs. DIMMuCG had no rccuniary interest i'll the
routes or trrn.mi. Ut within IL few wears past we
were contem,cd with Eastern produce and lid not
attempt to draw produce from the West. We hav"
found that the North and S"n;h had stretched out
their arms and ,mGchcd that which w;iH our OWL.
The establishment u. inI brr as II get the pro-
durc 10 The. Atlantic ms soon ~ possible. III" idea
from which originated the York River Railroad He
believed ihut number of the citizens u Richmond
were opposed 10 the establishment of harb"r nj the
terminus ut the urk River Railroad. fearing that u
rival city would established. He deprecated tn"
language which had been used i'll regard /" Lieut..
| Maury.
judge CHRl,rI,> arose to cy, lain, and s,a;e that
! Lr had po-itiyrly li-claimvI impUtu;jon upon
! Licu, Mmusy. aII did not think that hi, nn.un.:"
could bo construed into nn npul:;iun upon that zen:
remnl. He had snid that il the meeting adopted
| Lieut.. MS conclusions, they would be dupcd, and
that the conclusions were Il hunbug. lie had n"
sad that Lieut. VI. intended t" dnpc the company
| He looked upon 1t. ". ~ patriot man nt science
and OF ability. und the recc, :cp"r; WAS the first "c
ca,ion by which he had been induced to doubt ms
! right 10 high reputation.
| ALIEN. DUDLEY the President of the Company, cX-
plaiucd the circumstances under which 1t. Maury
report Ind been "btnc and sad i''h nj ms rrHrs;
ii. Manry had g""' Gown I" tia 'cFl'' rE,'''," i 'r.
~ '''.'' " " -
| CH,s. DiNMnCK pr"cecdc,! /" say. that me WihH
which would bring ship n'In" 81 81 IN" Iai,'i IT,, u.
Virginia, would hrm; right up 10 VIZ. "n "',, - |",
beyond that she w""id li"' P' P'"""l. M ~ MY y, n,
rnsr where the captain O Nr-sci 'hi "cIcu ~ I'H