Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-07-25
Letter from Col. Greet.
GKEENYoop DEpor, Albemarle,

Editors Of the Vihdicotor
GEsaLnMrS,--Ifya YOU mad waited with a
little more patience for my response to your
call in your issue of the l1th inst; you
would have spared yourself the temper ex-
hibited in your last; and, probably, to my
self the injustice of your aspersions. Instead
of taking for granted, as it appears, that
had sighted courteous call, you might
have been prompted by small share of
charity to admit the probability that some
controlling circumstance, such as sickness,
had delayed my answer and, in that latter
suppositon, you would have been right.
will now make few remarks, in an
swer, because you called directly upon me
though, in the whole business. I am but an
humble agent acting under the instructions
Of the Board of Public Works, of the exis-
tence of which I beg to remind you.
In your first article, you say, 1.-THE Tun-
mel has been much longer on hand than the
public were at first taught to believe it
would be-" Surely, the public have had
very poor teachers, who did not know their
own text for, aver, that no honorable.
competent man, would have expressed them,
OR would now express such an opinion, which
was inspired rather By ardent wishes, than
by sound knowledge Of such works, than
which nothing is more uncertain. But
wishes and anxiety are no recognized stan
dard Of measure, but rather injurious than
useful. will add, furthermore, that this
work is now more advanced than, under the
extraordinary difficulties Of all kinds which
have surrounded it, might reasonably have
been expected and, in that opinion, all
competent men, possessed of the facts, will
join. might establish this by comparative
statistics, but have no idea Of spreading
treatise on Engineering on these sheets;
and, besides. People convinced against
their will would be of the same opinion still
In the first issue, speaking of the arching
to be done, you assume to demonstrate the
improperly of the occupation of the State
work by the va. Central Rail Road, until
its full completion" With due Difference,
l should think the Company will be a COM
petent judge Of that. In the last paper,
(Which you did not send me y you 60 4 few
inches farther and express great apprehon-
sion of danger; because "two competing
companies cannot work together What
companies, pray / know but one-and Of
what competition do you speak unless it
be competition in good Offices, between the
State, which does a favor to the Va. Gen.
trail and the Company which is the recipient
of it. But, sirs, to take your full meaning
Invested of its very thin covering of courle-
Gus propfiety, il must be obvious to all that
the Company will take care Of the safety of
its trains; aud, consequently, that the
weight of your very humane suggestion
falls, with full force, upon our Company, as
you term it. It is lce. evidently, who will
compete, id est, put in jeopardy both lives
and property But. here comes into the
Tunnel Waterman Of the Central, with q
red lantern (green, if you like it better)-
well, 10 lantern, no running. no danger,
and there is the end Of our competition, as
you call it.
And now, about our joint opinion, that
there will be no danger, you are pleased to
remark, '.ths may be true i; but will it sat
isfy the public 1t is the firm belief Of
many that the job at the Tunnel does not
require nursing, and, "the delay might
have been avoided" (prcbally by making
bricks i'll time.9
Is this, gentlemen, the way yen do the
justice promised IN your issue OF the 11th,
BY deciding off hand, and censuring without
examination, without waiting for the answer
to your queries Are you very sure that
the delay might have been avoided ? Have
you examined the law Of the last session
Have yen ascertained who had the power TO
make contracts fer bricks or anything else
Have you enquired whether those who had
the power, had either the will or the means?
-er where the money was to come from
Do you know whether was neglected. or
urgent in regard to the procuring Of the IN
dispenSoJie amount Of bricks whether |
advocated and favored, or objected to the
farther extension of the arch whether |
invited or opposed the action OF the Central
r. Il Co. in this matter? Learn all THIS
FIRST, possess yourselves Of the facts. gentle
men, and then perchance, you may yindi
cate on my size. Instead Of INDUCING ia un-
Just and unfounded aspersions, which call
pretty rough nursing and poor epcour-
agement TO faithful services, and which, a.
bove all was far from expecting at yoer
hands.
Iremain, resp'y, gentlemen, yours.
c. CROZET
One word more, to set you right on all
points. There is petition to the Central,
that they will take charge of the arching,
Send i; to me and will sign it myself
Probably you may find out that the .'nurs-
ing" is their own doing. Let them under
take it, or stop the whole arehing aud well
come Once more, inquire and learn, and
dc not condemn any more without a hearing.
p. Snake what use Of this you may
see it.
REMARKS.
We publish above, the answer of Gel
Crozet, Principal Engineer of the Blue
Ridge Railroad. and in charge of the Tun-
mel, to some enquiries and remarks of ours
in the two last issues Of the Vindicator.
We are sorry to see that the Col. has al
lowed himself to become excited, by what
was certainly not intended to be offensive,
and that, while he reproves "the temper ex-
hibited in our last he seems to lose his
own, entirely. 1t is not in accordance with