Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-11-01
ca1sr-BNoINEER,s REPORT.
ENGINEERS OErIcE Va. & TENN. Il. K.
Oct 25th. 1855.
~. L.. Drx,.J,,f ond TlirfffoYs

Wytheville. and the rails are laid seven miles be
| yond the present terminus of the road IN opera
| ton.
| II is with unfeigned pleasure that am able to
| announce 10 the Board that the graduation OF the
entire main line of the road, with an unimportant
exception, is completed. The greater part of the
timber for the track and bridges is delivered !;
and, except few repairs. nothing remains to DO
| but 10 finish the superstrueiure of some few
bridges and to lay the track for 81 miles.
The small progress made in laying down the
rails. during the year just ended, was chiefly
owing 10 the embarrassed condition OF tho Com
| pany's finances. But delay Of more than two
months was produced by the constant sliding of
| earth in deep cut II miles bejond WytheviIle.
| This is long deep excavation, in clay soil,
! full of springs, and the difficulty of managing II
| has exceeded anything heretofore encountered on
| the road. 4 force, deemed sufficient, was kept
at work on II, and no apprehension was felt about
| it. until the rains commenced early in June,
which made the earth slide for many weeks fas.
ter than it could be removed. The condition OF
this cut, resulting. as it did, from the presence
of numerous springs, is very remarkable. rs 1t Is
! the highest point on the line of improvements
between Norfolk and New Orleans, being 200
! feet above tide winter.
Now that every physical hbstacle is removed
aud the accomplishment of our purpose Is so
| nearly attained. we may look back, with some
!
10 perform. This has been undertaking of no
! ordinary magnitude. and the difficulties enconn-
| tered have been rarely equnlled on any other
| work in our country. When these things are
| duly considered, SO far from being surprised at
the length of time required 10 complete the.road,
the Board have every reason to congratulate
themselves on the steady progress of the work.
II is true that, with ample means the work
might have been completed ina much shorter
time, but comparison will show that no rond
in the State has made better progress than this.
The actual work on the Virginia aud Teunes
Railroad was commenced in the Spring OF
1850 and there are now l53 miles completed and
the remaining II miles are graded, ready for the
supcrsiructure. The Central Railroad was in
operation to Charlottesville by July l55o. The
progress made since that time is II miles of
which the State mgde 16-leaylng only So miles
for the Company 10 construct. In addition to
this, the Company laid temporary track across
tho mountain, on portion Of the line ow ned by
the State.
The Danvile road wns commenced in ISIS
and they had laid only l27 miles Of track on the
Both OF September.
The South Side Railroad was commenced in
1850 and their road, i22 miles opened only
a few weeks before your road was IL use to
Wytheyille, I33 miles.
The Orange and Alexandria Road was com
menced in the Spring of 1850 and they reached
Gordonsville, ss miles, about the time that your
road reached New River. n distance Of % miles.
1t is not intended to make any iuyidious com
parison,but TO show that the causes which retard-
ed our progress wore general in their operation,
and influenced alike all the public enterprises of
the State
1t happens in tie history of all similar
undertakings, requiring time for their aceoln-
plishnent that many of its friends become des-
pondent, and lase faith in the fulfilment of their
own predictions. This has doubtless been the
case with some of yaar stockholders. But there
has been nothing in the brief experience of this
road or in thohisorv Of other railroads. to shake
firm confidence in the ultimate success of the
scheme. No brilliant result was ever expected
before the completion Of the rond II were folly
to expect from an incomplete road without con
nectons. all that was predicted uf "A road which,
when finished, will form the great outlet Of II
vast interior, and the great connecting link be
tween distant sections of the Union. The MIXTURE
of the intermediate country along the line of this
road would forbid us to expect great results from
a half finished work. The resources of this
Country require developing; n nothing was sent
to market froin beyond the Allrghany, previous
to the construction of the r. ad,eXcept that which
carried itself. Ii requires time to direct the in
dustry OF the country into n channel which Will
produce tonnage for the road.
Under all the crcumstances.t the receipts of thiS
road hnye been most encouraging. and their
steady and rapid increase shcws the truth of the
yiows Just expressed. No one who will candidly
examine tho facts, can for a moment doubt that
this rail rond, when finished. will realize all the
antlclpations of its most sanguine friends
There have been two important facts established
IN railway economy since the commencement of
this wors, which differ somewhat from the views
then gerally entertained. First it is now uni
versaly admitted thntthc cost of transportation is
greater than it was then believed to be, and sec
ondy, there is n growing disposition to limit
the speed OF trains to ensure safety and eeono-
my.
This road being happily secure against all
competition, is enabled to regulate these matters
in any way which n sound policy may Indicate
With a reasonable but remunerutive tariff Of
charges and "A judoio rate of speed, nothing
can prevent the stock of this rond from yielding
n clear profit of at least ten per cent, from the
moment that its connexions are completed.
1t is not considered expedient to repeat here
the statistics heretofore published, in which this
opinion is founded. They can be found in the
former reports of this office.
The same causes which have led to doubt tho
value of the stock an investment, have led
others to doubt the benGts to all local interests
which have been expected from the road. In
this respect too, itmay be shewn that they have
formed hasty Judgment before it was possible for
the effects predicted TO develop themselves.
The financial condition of this country, and
especially of the South for the last two years,
has been such as to give Temporary check to
the prosperity of towns while the high prices
of food have give AN extraordinary degree Of
success to agricultural porsuits. These very high
prices bave operated against the consumers, who
constitute the town population, and. together
with the constant flow of specie to the North and
to Europe, have depressed the mechanic arts
and the whole commercial classes. Lynchburg