Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-01-09
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL.
VyTLMINGTON, N. G., MONDAY. JAN. $. 1857.
The Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation and the
ENnxsttexIIIe and Mestsrn Railroad.

The Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation and the |
Fayetteville and Western Railroad.
We regret to find in the list North Carolanian a
bitter attack upon the Cape Fear and Deep River I'M
provement. We do not pretend to say that some
thing has not been wrong about that work. That ii
has been the victim of miscalculaion, mismansge-
nt-mieanything you please, we suppose must De
admitted at any rate, it Is not denied We have
done our best to stir up those interested to ind out
exactly where the wrong is, so that we cannot be
accused of acting under desire 10 nave anything
smOthered up or concealed.
8 But that is one thing Hostility to the work is
another and that hostility to the wsrk, per Sc, does
exist is perfectly evident from the tone OF the article
in the Caroiniam. There is installing the
Gnimus of that article.
T. Now this is deeply 10 be regretted. With the prl-
Vae feelings of men or bodies of towards this or
that work we have nothing to do; OF any rate We
have nothing now say. 1t is their own bu slness
This we will say however, that the worst way IN the
world to nromete YOUR own interests is to make at
tscks unon the interests of others. The worst way
in The world to the passage OF any appopra'
ton for the Coal Mine Road is through attacks upon
the Deep River improvement, as an improvement
and this we suppose has something to do with ne
sashing" criticism of the latter work by the Caro-
lnian 1t may be thought that the navigation
stands somewhat in the way of the road, and that II
the former were knocked in the head, the latter
would be bound 10 d" go through" We think this IS
a somewhat mistaken idea.
Let us not be misunderstood. Weare tor cloaklng
over nothing in connection with the river. Our
cowrse has shown that. We are in favor of road to
the Coal Mines, as we have honestly avowed dozen
times although the Observer will have it that We are
aiming side blows etc, at the latter work, IN all
which The Observer is very much mistaken. We are
really friendly 10 the work-we really believe also
that the Cape Fear and Deep River can be made
available, and that it ought not to be abandoned at
this late time of The day.
There is no question that the original estimates for
the river improvement were ridculously inadequate
That ought to have been evident from the very begin
ming, to any engineer familiar with such wOIk-
There is as little doubt that great loss has resulted
from the cobbing system of Understanding, by
which system of mistaken economy, work was only
haf-done, and experience shows that work so done
had better never been touched. We admit this, but
amid all the fuses and confusions the fact remains,
and 10 now manifest, that for adequate sum 10 do
the work WELL the work can be well done, and that
so DONE the money expended will be UeI 6eSt010ed.
great work cannot be done for nothing. This IS a
great work 1t is worth doing great work. 1t
will produce result commensurate with all proper
expenditures necessary 10 carry it on as it ought to
be carried on.
We are sorry that our contemporary of the Carroll
Man repeats sheer about Northern engineers, etc.
"a sheer which has come from another quarter
against the Wilmington Stockholders in the Riv-
CT improvement. Those who live in glass hous-
es, are proverbally estopped from throwing
stones, and surely the Coal Mine Road and its
friends are somewhat in this condition. If We were
inclined to rotort about Northern spectators, we
need only mention the names of Colby Smith, and
others But we desire to awaken neither hard
thoughts nor unpleasant feelings. These come un-
sought too many of them Let US rather pnt aside
chickering's, ard look the thing in the face. There
are many inaccuracies in the article of the CarontGn,
but to these We need not allude.