The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-07-18

EVANSVILLE. IND. IL Nl Il
SATURDAY MORNING.. July IS, 1857.
-Rsport-oft the Committee.
We publish the following communities.
tionCwith reluctancelhecause weare anx-
iousrsoaxuid any further discussion OF
the vexsd subject. The Object Of the
article on which it is commentary.
was simply TO convince our neighbors on
the other siie Of the river. who are in
short time to vote upon the, proposition
to raise $500, 900 for the prosecution OF
the Henderson and. Nashville road, that
our road was not likely TO be .bandorei
or susie lded. Their ni our ente p>,ses |
srs so Intimately connected. that the idea
that ours was TO be suspended. would |
have . discourss'ns effect upon the issue
of their votes. In writing il. We made no
errone q statements; they were predi
Gated upon the ofRci.l report itself. We
took their figures and suhtracted-as
they d.d-ths stock payment from the
amount OF the cost, as that portion was
worthless. or was paid by the road itself
sni wls 10 actual cost 70 the public o
contractors. 1t would 10 easy to dem
onstrate every statement made ny US II il
were worth while to cucumber our col.
umns with the figures. We have no de
sire to revive an unpleasant. and unprofi
able discussion, much less to make any
inyidieus comparisons with other works
We have not the documents to verify the
statements in regard TO the E. & c, r al
by u, if We were disposed to investigate
them: but DISMISS that point with, the
singh remark. that If our correspon . -,
fsures in regard to theroad arc correct.
tho difference in the cost of labor now
and then would make mare than the
difference in the cost of the two works.
We ara not inform. d Of the sources OF
Information on which our correspondent
relies for his statement. but the charges
on Tire books Of the Z. & c. Railroad
Company show an aggregate cost Of pre-.
pairing the rosd for the supsrstructure
Of $3iL64S. on the first section Of 81
miles. Being equal to SSH per mils.
10 the Editor Of a's Journal.
DEAR SIR:--fn your paper Of the 18th
i nst.you have an editorial entitled Ire
port Of. the Committee. of Investigation
in which you state IN substance that
the report OF the Committee shows that
the ensire grade Of the road for d,s-
tancs OF fifty seven miles. will be made
at-S coat to the contractors OF onl,
S2l2,282, or about $3.7:5 per milo
which We venture to say M the cheapest
grade Cor so great distance ever made
in this country" You seem not to have
properly understood the report Of the
Comm,ttce and in other respects you
were evidently speaking entirely at ran
dom shalt deal 10 round numbers
and not attempt to bs precisely correct
in the statement Of quantitie.. As to
the report I speak from memory only.
The report shows that The work. done
eostthe contractors S239.OUO or S4.0l7
per mile of which they paid in stock q
per cent. AM that the Cash expende,
announced to Sill $50 OF So Cl3 per mile
This Is exclusive of brid ,es and trs,se
work Except that the qnsrrying am
dressing Of some stone for White River
bridge il included) for no such work hs,
ben done. VIZ e. small d a'nags Wa
r9luirei and box culverts would answer
they have generally been put in, bd
they are made Of hewn timber instea,
Of stone a. they should have been Z
make first class road. In this estimat
Is also included q small sum for eros
ties. For the purpose Of ascertainin
than similar work was ever done betore
let Us com pare re Straight Line with lh
E & y. Railroad. The country travers
ed by the two roads is essentially tn
same in all respects. Z, WNo~
.Straigh. Line R. R--Grubbing an
grading and box culver BIT no bridges
tressei lcork. 81 miles. Cost the couJraC
tors S225,OOO OF 81 OF per mile.
E 4 Z. X. r.. ,--Grubbng, culvst,
trsssel work ant all bridges except thos
across White and Patoks river. (and IL
Guiding IS l57 ~ 10 by washing ava
White RIVER ernhank ment) from Evan,
vile to Vncennes, 81 miles, cost the I
r. Company Sl26,OOO or S2,i23 ps
mi'e. GEr.. ~
Engineering and officers, al ries al
not lnciuled IN either case. Ii the
were the difference would be still mol
favorable to the E & g. K. R.
Deduct the bird ses AMI tressel wor
on tbs H. & e. r r. and the Joss OF So
Isl % referred to aud YOU will see tn
the 'ost Of the same kinti of work u
the Straight Line is nearly or quite twit
as much per mile as on the + u
X. R--thxt is. It cost tie contractors
one case twice as much as it Co.'S tie 4
T. Gbmpmyin the other. have M
the docum.nts before me but ha,
been informed that the same kind
work. bat with much more rock ex.i
v,'ion, AMI stone culvsr-s on the Ne
Albany and Salem Road, which -rur
through rousher country than any oth,
rlad IN tins State, cost only about $3.U
per nile. - 1sa
The Committee estimated the ballast
ing at 81 25 per cuhc yard and state