New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-04-13
RAILROADS AND THEIR RESULTS.

The numerous lines of railroads. completed or pro-
ected extending in every direction through the
try, are effecting great and important changes and
Improvements, and as may easily be perceived are
destined to bring about vastly greater changes and
improvements than are dreamed of by those who 90
not look beneath the surface Of things. Let us con-
slider few of the more immediate and prominent adj
vantages that must inevitably follow the vast invest
ments in this particular line of enterprise
Unquestonaby direct effect of great network
of railroads from one extremity Of the country to
another, will be more complete dissemination OF
knowledge and q tendency to equalize the value OF
property. All classes Of society would receive the
latest news of the day almost simultaneously and the
facilities for the general distribution of knowledge
would be increased to extent seemingly incredible.
The effect Of ready and cheap conveyanceto market
of the productions of remote regions would be to
directly enhance the value Of the increased
facilities for transportation tending to their rapl set
tement--and this is what we mean by equalzing the
| value of property.
Bat another and more important result will be, that
these roads will deyeope and bring into requiston in
order to sustain their operations vast and Talua
BILE resources that have hitherto been unknown, the
clements of which exist to extent not only capable
of furnishing employment to large numbers of the in
dusra classes but of greatly enrichng the country.
The consideration of single ien-which is an ins-
pensibe article of consumption with railroads-will
serve to establish the correctness of this proposition
We ailude to oil, the annual consumption of which
upon the 81 000mles of railroad in operation in
this country, is upward of 100000 gallons, guam
tity greater than all the sperm oil imported into this
country by A. 4s4 barrels, or 100000 gallons. But
here let inquire what will be the consumption of oil
upon railroads in a few years. when we shall have
double Or treble the number of cars and engines we
now have. upon 10000 miles of track instead of
$1,000. The time is not very distant when the ac-
compishment of this calculation will bereachedt
capacities, energy and perseverance of our people
guarantee it. Already the iron track stretches away
great and wealthy nation will push it further and fur
timer, until the whistle of the locomotive rings through
the golden valleys Of California
The rapid communication on land effected by rail-
roads is stimulating an increased rapidity of com
munication by sea by means of steamships and here
again we find another large consumption of oil, not
only for steamers on the but also on lakes
and rivers. This branch of the consumption of oil can
scarcely be calculated unless we take into view the
estimated number ofsteamers plying upon the waters
of the Mississippi and trbutaries-more than one
thousand. .r
Considering thus the increasing demand for this in
dispensabe article not only for railroads and steam
ers, but for corresponding increase of all the mach
merry in the country-al demanding the of oil as
an absolute necessity--we are led to inquire from
what source it is to be obtained in such largely aug
mented quantities. Not from the whale, for the guam
tty of sperm, already stated, is vastly less than