The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-01-08
- u-':sssrTHE1DAILY DIsPATCH.
rresaay alernirs, Jansnry 8, Isao.

nOTPHE. pAlLI llleIaA ! -;
TUESDAY sisrniRs, Janunrys, 1890.
81 - = ga Great orb ei.tirefnsas
s4aaa r,f .,f The I,nproyeuBerts contemplated anu "
g. ~ ,ba state Of yiIalnia, there are none
= q - xvhich. am compare In importaasa win 'ie
yz5ver and Kanawha Canal II y.-s'nia haI 49,, -.
e,trsfed her energies upon This gfeal "oA =,
steaa Of frsttering them away upon a
- cal sehemee she would now ENJOY az
- =, .x.,ev communication with the ONO eoAhaha
=. ;, - 81 rro,a West. and be in a financial
syw 4 = 49, -, s,ruc. every ether unfinished i'm
IN the State 1t was the fayor1te werx
= - washington Of Marshall, and OF al the ieadins
: S@s'> 90. ~ virginia II this cherished design o.
f r.on had been carried out TO Its complexion
So -, Ea have accomplished great results for the
s nrosnety Of virginia as his wise counses and pa
- trio,ism secured to the common country. bu, ~
- sn,a failed 10 seize the sceptre which inVi'ed ~
yas - erssp and It has passed to other hands " lung
ago "a l7s5 the original james River COMPANY
6 was chartered Twenty years have paSSed slnce
@- the organization Of the present company. len
~ ,r;s,,ons Of dollars have been expended on the
s.,~k Exclusive of interest II Virginia, from the
- .arst ro,,-neneemrnt the grand scheme, had adj
s yanced II with se speed as the construction
,9s - ~ The New York and Erie Canal it would have
bcen completed in 1875, ard Virginia would be
- 2 the Fmp:re State OF fhe UnioD. If had been
s&s Canal from the time of the organization of the
FIRST company, we should have had water
nection with the Ohio for eleven years, and sheuld
al probably have been able complete by this time
ss4a all present unfinished railroad communications
800 xas besides f,.ss aaf,aastas. Fl 7. st.-a a
assss Ia 1877 New York commenced the construction
e.. of that great canal, which has made her the first
a. State in the Union She completed the grand work
ssae=i in 1895 In ls55 when persons in Virginia
sagely pronounce canals behind the age, New
York the greatest railroad State in the Union, is
expendng twenty-eight millions of dollars in the
Al enlargement of tas Erie canal an enlargement
which i: is believed WY be completed before the
@ Virginia canal reaches Co7fngton; and has in add
sas ton constructed five hundred and fftyfour miles
of other canals = .--ts ~ .-.--.z-. Fl.
Ohio whose territorial government is younger
q than the original James River Company, has
SIS nehundred and seventy three miles Of canal nav
CATION, at cost of nearly sixteen millions of dol
80 y ara Indiana has her Wabash and Erie canal 379
@ miles long connecting the lakes and the Ohio river,
and her White Water Canal draining the valley
Of White Water river terminating at Lawrence
z bureh on the Ohio, and having lateral branch
. ~ rninang Cincinnati It has been repeatedly de
-, + raonstrated that the James River and kanawha
- Canal when completed can carry Western pro-
ducts cheaper the Atlantic than any other route
either canal or railroad; that its central position
and mid climate win make it, at certain seasons Of
c the year. the only line able to accommodate West
80 sern traffic at all New Orleans that much OF
the produce which now goes by New Orleans can
- reach the Atlantic cheaply by the James
Rssla River and Kanawha Canal and will conseqently
90 take that channel TO the seaboard that railroads
cannot compete with canals for the transportation
sgaaE of heavy products The ablest engineer of New
York has declared that if the trade of the Erie
- a nal were thrown upon all the railroads of all the
great cities of the North, they would be overbur-
80 thened. - ~ .....s I'll. ..s..-. -..ss-. .--.
~ Is The perfect praeticability of continuous
~ line to the Ohio has been repeatedly demonstrated
go by engineers of the highest skill and experience
- 1.-The recent explorations of the and the
phatic opinions expressed upon the subject by a
81 gentleman who has superior in his profession in
g tue South leave room for doubt upon the subject
g. De Witt Clinton, when advocating the construction
OF the New York and Eric Canal in the Legislature
= OF that State, was scornfuly asked question
which has often been propounded in like spirit to
the friends of the James River and Kanawha I'm
proyement in this State. Sc Wtere tie waer acas 10
n9 come from to fill The great ditch r 1t well for
New York that sheer did not prevail over the
as demonstrations of science. When Mr. Fulton made
his first successful steamboat trip to Albany there
those who doubted if this boat could make the
trip again. or it could be made any case of any
great value" There have been doubters and croak.
80 ers in every Common eah and about every enter.
s4 prise, but we have never heard of any Common
wealth rising to greatness in which the counses of
Is such prevailed. -as.-ss=z5
= ss 1t is not alone Yirginans who look upon canal
80 between The Ohio and the James q most inlpor.
ss tant channel for the Western trade 1t so re-
garded by people who perhaps more capable
than any other of forming an enlightened jud gment
upon that subject, and whose interests are directly
.sz opposed to the construction of our canal The
canal commissioners of New York, referring to the
sss probable competition of the Canadian and Pennsy
vania canals say 'Of all the rivals for the trade
bt 4.
come The most powerful, FOR THROUGH THE HEART
esgF pr THAT STATE NATURE HAS TRACED THE MOST
e. DIRECT AND EASY COURSE, FROM THE FAR WEST
80 TO TIE ATLANTIC" The Hon A C. Flagg
comptroller Of the State of New York, says: "The
~2 Virginia route, from the midness of the climate
the shortness of the distance and its favorable
connection with the Ohio river possess peculiar
advantages for the accommodation of the trade of
the valley OF the Ohio" Mr. McAlpine the
eminent State engineer and surveyor of the
State OF New York, in his report TO the le
gisature OF that State, in 1853 says: 1.-THE
virginia canal If completed would reach the
Ohio river at Portsmouth dollar and serea
stz ty5aay cents per ton cheaper than the New York
ana ONO canals and Cincinnati, Louisville and
- 5sSsfe one dohar and forty cents cheaper" and
= significantly adds that the Virginia LEGISLATURE
- at its last session. decided to abandon the water
s line across the mountain, railroad is now ba
ing built instead of tie canal This increases tho
cost OF transportation by that route aad prevents
saa its consideration as competitor with the New
'ssss York canals sssS isz - fe~'e5 ,5z5 49,.
sssss Whilst Virginia pushes her Coyington rail.
V road ought not such facts and authority as we
have quoted TO convince her of the vital Importance
of promptly prosecuting its completion the
River and Kanawha' canal? asf7 s,t ~ .ss
1850 s5s@ sssfFassfs- - -T--- .-s
= sssssss - 8 = Sleigh aIobbins. j..
A custom, which has been carried to an er.-sv.
CANT point within the last two days in this citv is
that Of mobbing sleighing parties 1t is protahIa