The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-03-06
scAx. MAa.-ror an extraordinary and
,s,r;ble case of Scaa Mag. among the Ars
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per. -.
Tu. Tor1s on the CANAL.--The editorial
3, the Dispatch, on this subject. a few days
aimee, has elected from a merchant OF TIL
o;tv, well acquainted with the course ofsra'e e,
= communication, the important facts OF
which We take occasion to lay before our
readers. Our correspondent avows himself
. warm friend Of the Canal; but he consid rs
the present policy of the Canal Company not
only Injurious to Richmond. but hig bly, 90 to
the Company itself.
He mentions a few items to sustain his
op,nion. He declares that the merchant in
Lvuchburv can buy iron in Baltimore. and
have 1t landed in Lynchburg, by the South
Side Railroad. as cheap or cheaper than he
can get it, via Canal, from the Tredegar Iron
Works. Heretofore Richmond iron has had
the advantage of about t~o dollars per ION,
over that coming from Baltimore-it costing
about that to deliver Baltimore iron in iach
mond;-but as the South Side Road now car
ries iron from City Pointto Lynchhurg, from
two dollars to two dollars and quarter per
ton less than it can be transported from Rich
mond to Lynchburg by Canal, this advan-
tage is entirely lost to Richmond!
Our correspondent states that the agent OF
the East Tennessee Railroad desired to make
contract for the transportation OF the iron
for that road upon the canal; but he found
that the tolls alone were about one dollar per
ton more than the whole expense of trans
portation from City Point to Lynchburg by
the South Side Railroad. To this must be
added one dollar and twenty.fUe cents pei
ton freight upon the canal-makiDg the cos'
of transportation on the canal, says our cor
respondent, nearly 100 per cent. greater thar
upon the railroad This is certainly poor
announcement to the trade of East Tennes
see, which is SO important to the Canal
Our correspondent alludes to another ex
tensive interest in Southwestern Virginia
the corner mining. He says the agents o.
the copper companies have made frequent
applications to the company on the subject
of the transportation of their ore, and nave
been "a often assured that there would be
liberal deduction upon that article, or the
class to which it belonged. 1t was, ho"eV
er, he says, untouched in the revision OF tolls
and rumor now says that the companies have
effected negotiations with the South SIDE
Road. A reduction on the canal now may
be like locking the door after the steed Is
stolen.
It's very properly suggested that II the
Railroad can underworld the canal IN the
heavy transportation referred to, 1t certainly
can do SO in the lighter freights OF dry GOODS
etc. Indeed there is no necessity for coDJec
ture on this point, since the actual course OF
trade now amounts to demonstration. One
of the New York steamers-the ROANOKE
which formerly came to this city now ends
her trip at City Point, where depositing all
her freight. SIZE returns to New York and
it is copjectured that the Baltimore and Phil
adephia boats may pursue either the same
course, or effect connections with the South
Side road that will still further materially di-
minish the transportation and the revenue of
the canal.
The question il, will the James River and
Kanswha Company allow this course of
things to go on without an effort The
spring trade has commenced. and any change
that operates on that must be made immedi,
ately. With the advantage Of the Dock con-
nec,ion, we never dreamed thar the railroad
could underworld the canal; and we do not
believe it can But if the tolls and freights
remain as they are, according to the general
opinion of the merchants of this city, the ca.
nal must lose an immense amount of freight
and is revenues be greatly diminished. Thu
subject is one deeply interesting to the Ca
nal Company and not less soto the peopl
of this city. and we hope it will receive tn
attention it merits.