Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-07-10
Annual Report of the Northwestern
Virginia Railroad Company.


ern Virginia Railroad Company was held
at Parkersburg on Wednesday last. when
the annual report Of the president and di-
rectors was real and received. and the
old officers unanimously reelected for the
ensuing year. Votes Of appreciation and
thanks We're passed to Messrs. Swan and
Latrobe. former president and engineer
OF the company. under whose able and
energetic control The road had been con.
struCIeG.
gpGe- annual report of the president, Mr..
Van Wtukle, opens with a review OF the
earlysbistorv OF the road. which was CON-
menced in December. 1859. The princi-
pal portion of the meaus used by the com
pany in the construction of the road has
been derived from the guaranty Of their
bonds. to the amount Of SI.50o.O0o each.
by the Mayor and City Council of Bslti-.
more, and the Baltimore aud Ohio Rail
road Company. 1t required an economical
management vi their resources. aided by
an a ld'tional issue Of the company's bonds
without guaranty, to enable them to meet
q cash exptn iilure of over one hundred
thousand dollars per month. and 10 lay
the last raj! at the expiration OF four years
from the commencement of The constitute
ton.
The road was opened early in the pre-
sent year,and since the 6rst of May has
been worked ami controlled by the B Illi-
more and Ohio r .ilroad Company. The
rcport says that sufficient time has not
elapsed to confirm the assurances of the
complete success Of the work, based upon
its peculiar advantages, while nothing yet.
has occurred to contradict them. The
road was commenced and has been com
pleted" with a view to the accommodation
Of an immense tonnage business and it now
otf.rs To the bulky products OF the West
the most expeditions route to the sea.
board. united win the shortest land trans
portatiOn. 1t has been already demon
strated that these products. by keeping
the river To P"ikersburL, can be delivered
at Baltimore i'll at least TWO days less
time than at any other eastern poiI.
"This fact alone" says the report, "a is
sufficient TO insure to tie Northwestern
Virginia and Baltimore and Ohio railroads
the command OF any desirable amount of
western business. and While giving to Par
kerSburg commercial Importance which
could not be otherwise at aimed, to en-
nance that of Baltimore until it becomes
the first shipping mart in the Union for
western productions" Unusual facilities
for landing and unlanding. with the use
OF one Oi the best harhnrs on the Ohio
river, are provided 1T Parkersburg for The
accommodating OF the river trade.
TIE Simultaneous opening of the Mari
eta an Cincinnati and tho Ohio and
Mississippi ralll Dads ut the ginning Of
this month is referred to as atf1rding the
additional advantage with the railroad
connection with Cincinnati and St. Louis.
The former. through local influence. hav-
ing been diverted from its original ter
minus ut BeIPTe. opposite Parkersburg.
without the construction Of the branch tu
that point promised when the diversion
was effected, the effect is to unnecessarily
leug!hen the route some ten or twelve
miles. The cons: ruc'ion of the proposed
licking Valley railroad 10 point on the
former twenty eight miles from the Par.
kersburg AMI thitty.'wO Fl ON the Mariet
Ia. ever superior route. will more than
Obvlate this disAuvart c. aud ii con. in
ued to the Cincinnati. Wilmington and
ZAnesvlils II iir"Hd At L .ucAs,er. will ur
nlsh an tn rely independent line offering
some peculitr ndvAn ages.
The Ieport o the chief engineer. Benz
H. Latrobe, E.q also refers to the prs
posed Hooking Valley Railroad. lie says
that Il substitute for the present ''uis Joint
ed connection" between the Parkersburg
AMI Marietta road. BY mans Of steam
boat up the Oniu river. must soon give
place 10 a more convenient arrangement,
or the North western Virginia Railroad
will have been built in vain as an at.
ha
over the main line Of The Baltimore and
OHIO Railroad IN combination with the
Central Ohio R4ilIuad The plan upon
which this substitute is TO be provided il
now the great question 10 be de cided
The Marietta Railroad Company, looking
olcourse. TO its own local and peculiar il.
tereSts. suggests u line eastward from Ma
rietta TO IA point ON the North western Rail
road, Lhlrt, two miles or more east o
P"rke' s5ury. to be built under the so call
ed "lndep. !tncG RulroaI" charter. anC
as this plan Is not /" be supposed to be
par lculail pala:able TO The Northwest
ern Virginia R.iroad. CT the own oil
PAIkeTSburg. IA c. mpr mise line along the
bank from Marirttn Ia PArkeIsb arg il
ten:ered. but only AS temporary line
the undergraduates. road" brirT still Il
be built some day. aud meanwhile held
tn tsrro'en1 over the PAIkpIsburI and
Northwestern VIZ ina Il .irOld COmpa
ny. The chief nS:Aepr l. free to confess
ihat TO nel:her Of these PROPOSITIONS will
the Northwestern Virginia Il ,ilroad Com.
pany nor tie people OF P"rGcr>burY lend
their Continuance. He is evidently ia
favor OF the Gr,a Nuck NJ ruu'e. and
adds that ffUm the town ut Parkersburg
to The OHM side is nnh " Ihn Yerp hesl