Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-12-24
FIXTURE Railroad Constructions.

The following paragraph. taken from an
English Journal, we find in the Railway
Times. 1t agrees so well with what we have
continually advanced on the subject that we
give it in evidence of our correctness. 1t il
all mistake to suppose. that because rail-
roads have been depressed for a year or two
past, that, therefore, there is to he stop to
their construction! The world wants four
fold the miles of railroad il now has. and the
United States wants double as many as there
are now and that, too, soon.
1t will be seen, the London Engineer esti-
mates ten thousand miles of new road for the
United States, at an early day: five thousand
miles this side the Mississippi. and five thOus-
and beyond it. This is moderate estimate
1t is seen. that a line, looked upon as Ofprime
Importance, ia the line from New Yorl; west
through Pennsylvania. There is no doubt of
this: and it Is this fact which gives impOr-
lance to the "Great Western line, which is
so much opposed and ridiculed IT is. per-
haps not the most direct: but it is certainly
much more so than the circumbentibus now
formed.
We insert only that part of the article
which relates to England, the United States
and Canada:
"What has been done in Great Britain in
railway construction must in time he done also
for great part of the world. If the two hun
dred millions of square miles of the earth's
surface were to be traversed by railways to
but the One-hundrcth part Oftheir proportion
ate extent in this kingdom, where there is one
mile OF railway for every thirteen square miles
of area, the total extent of railways would he
more than 10000 miles. At present, there
are hardly $4,000 miles of railway in the
world there being 26 900 miles in the United
States of America. {, 800 miles in Great Bri-
tain, about 800 miles i'm France. and perhaps
10000 miles In all other countries together
The enormous system of American railways
consists mostly of single lines of cheap con-
structiOn. and their total earnings are no
greater in given time than those of the rail
ways of this country. The English railway
system, which is generally considered as com
pleted, Is being constantly, although gradual
ly extended. There are acts in existence at
this moment for the construction of more
than 500 miles of new lines although some
1900 miles of this amount from the lapse of
the powers granted by Parliament will never
be undertaken unless under renewed charters.
We are to look principally, however, To
foreign countries for the future extension Of
railways, Although these may present no
such gigantic instances of progress as have
been witnessed in England. the aggregate
railway construction of the world will
doubtless go On-nO one can say for how
lOng-at the rate of several thousand of miles
yearly.
In the United States always the greatest
seat of foreign railway operations, a cOnsid
cradle extension is contemplated. Through
cut the country various connecting lines are
required to complete the present system.
Some of these will open up through routes
nf great Importance, such as that contem-
plated from New York due west through
Pennsylvania. Probably quite 1000 miles
of these connecting lines are still required.
West of the Mississippi and in Texas, from
1000 to 5000 miles of railway are projected
with the view of early construction. This is
exclusive of a railway to the Pacific, the
prospect of which is quite uncertain for some
years, unless the production of gold in Brit
i-h Columbia should encourage the under
liking of a continental line through British
America. Such a line would be two thou
sand miles in length.-RdirOad Journal.