Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-03-23
SPEECH OF i. A CHAPMAN, Eco,

SPEECH OF i. A CHAPMAN, ESQ
- MONROE,
~, re j'H pyog'd,-g fer me ron'''9es'"r ~ M
Cop.n.,oa and Ohjo RaI,oaL
!. nv Il.u-r OF DELEGATES, MARCH ~, 1893
Rpr,d for The enquirer by p. Hsh".
GA morion of Mr. CHAPMAN. the Senais bill
which approprises Ss0D 600 for the years 1857 w"'
substituted Tor the House bill.
Mr. E. then moved to amend the bii' ny hppl"Prih
ing, in addition TO III. above sum, Sl,oooo"o 10 DC
expended on that road 10 1860.
MIR THOMPSON, of Putnam. moved 10 amend
the amendment by adding proviso that one hs!t the
whole amount proposed to BIZ appropriated oe e1
pended on the Western end of The rosd
Mr.. CHAPMAN then said, Mr.. SPEAKER had
desired during the progress ohe sat session. al ieas
10 have discussed the question of the appropriation &c
The Coviugton and Ohio Railroad. if an opportunity
could have been given me during period az which
there might have been time to have consiqered II
properly, and in which the members might nave oeel
disposed to have heard me. | am aware tnat thh
time has gone by; the time for speaking has passed and
do not Intend upon this occasion TO dlscu-s lhe ue
riffs of the bill under consideration any further.
Sir the resolution which has been adopted by fhs
House. limiting debate to fifteen minutes at one time
upon any one question, would prevent me from go
ing into the discussion Of this question 10 day; but
sir know it is no, nece sary, before go enlightened
BODY as this ia conceded to be, 10 go into discus
sion of the merits of this bill. They are all aware
that this il State work; that il is Virginia work
tbat il is not All Improvement that belongs TO any
Company but All Improvement that belongs 10 III.
State Of Virginia, and that Virginia and firglnl'
alpue il interested in the resul and effects ct th
bill. Sir need not go on to prove what ibis roal
would be il it were completed. believe all admit
sir, who have looked into this question. that II This
great line extending from the East 10 The vest IRON
Chesapeake Bay, or uniting with works when con
meet with that point, 10 ihe Ohio River ntersectnl
Other roads running in every direction; say Ill wi.
admit that if this line is complsted, that there Il NJ
Improvement Within The broad limits OF this Union
which will prove rs profitable or 70 materially Ell
nance the various interests connected with IT. by de
welcoming the enlarged resources OF The Common
wealth need not 90 on TO tell you what amount o
trade and travel would pass over this line. Why
sr the country through which this road runs-tha
portion of it, at least, which has been inproved-i.
the most vausbls portion OF this Old Dominion.
will moi spsak of the counties OF Monroe and Green
hri.r MANY of you have been there and seen them
and YOU will admit, If there is garden spot in the
State il is this region. And cir, the Valley of the
Ohio-yho ever passed il and would not say that oil
all The portions of Virginia that 10 the most ralua
ble7 But cir, there il d portion OF that line, about
fifty miles, lying between Greenbrier River and The
falls of the Kanawhs and, while, it ia true there are
but little improvements made in that region yet, sir
along that line beginning at thu mouth OF Greenbr
er river, and terminating at the al!s oi The hanaWha
running down tn the mouth of Elk river, the richest
dance There, cir, lies embedded coal iuexhaustible;
not only coal of quality, but of almost every qua
ty not only Your camel coal, which ia TO produce
immense trade, and effect revolution i'll every
thing that oil is made for in the world mot only that
coal which ia to take the place OF all others in the
navy and marine Of tbs world; but there lies there the
splint coal and the buminous coal, and there lies
there every sort of mineral, With the most perfect ia
ciliti. 8 TO make them available.
But sir, need not 90 into detail OF The resources
contained in the region of country to be iraversed by
,bs road nor is it necessary that should do so. in
order to show what must Do the trade that would come
upon this road. All admit that these resources exist,
and that tbs only thing necessary for their develop
,nent is the completion OF this road. Upon this cub.
i.ct desre to say one word for want Ia show 10
this House. il they will but give me- their attention,
that the appropriations to The Covington and Ohio
Rail Road will yeld at least ten per cent clear profit
into the treasury of the State. think cir, that that
fact can be demonstrated as clearly az any fact can
be- upon comparison OF lie advantages and resource.
with those of other roads With that view, sha
institute comparison between u anu me Baltimore
and Ohio Rail Road.
But first air it is necessary to ahow what is the On
pacity Of this road. have seeD estimsea made that
the capacity of the Covingon and Ohio Rail Road
would b. two hundred thousand ton. yesr. have
seen other estimates setting IL down at three hundred
thousand toms year. cir s there any thing like III
approach 10 truth in ritherl Why. Fir the capacity
NJ ihis road is probably thu most extraordinary that
could be supposed IL EXIT. lfpasse5 "rrr The Ale
yhany Mountains strange Ia say-up"n Il grade "t
only iweniv.nine feel TO the mile. whist the BaIil
more and Ohio Rail Road going, both east and weat,
masses over grade of hundred and sixteen fee:
10 the mile What would bs the capacity, therefore,
Of the Covington and Ohio Rail Road, 10 do bust
ts- in comparison with the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
rnad-0ne twenty nine iret and The other ONE hun
Jrsd and sixissn feet to the mills. Make the estimate,
air. and Won will find. with the same motive power,
The CoyiuptOp end Ohio Bail Road will do four timss
IN. cuisines. Of the other tuad. Multiply twenty .nine
four times aud you will tnd the result to be one hun.
bred and siYteen 40 that the cov!ngon and Ohio Hail
Road with The came motive power. can exactly per-
fum four times a. much IL the Baltimore Rnd Ohio
Kali Road But, cir, the grade which the Baltimore
and Ohio Rail Road has to ovtrc"ni" between Gum
bernnd and Baltimore. whence u has to carry ali the
rephf accumulated at that point eighty nine ieet 10
he mile Why. last year Jaw that The tonnage car
.ird over the Baltimore and Ohio road Amounted Ia
.icht hundred anl nn-ty FIVE thousand four hundred
and sixteen tons and in that large quantity OF ton
,age carried IL tot Included. The whole amount OF
onnage which passed over that ROAD Tor the Ias! yeHr
nust havs approached very nearly to one million Of
Ons.
Now, sir, if the Baltimore cad Ohio Railroad can
AIRY, with one hundred and sixteen feel grade to the
nile ons million of tons of freight in The year. what
sill be the capacity OF the CovIngton and Ohio Rail
aaE with cnly grade OF twenty nine feet to The mile
4 will be seIn that they carried from Cumberland 10
Baltimore during the last year, five hundred and nine
Y odd thousand tons 81 coal, ind that being the caRs
What cannot The Coying.on sud Ohio Road accom-
,li.h with such advantages in grade q. u posssssra
Look for a moment at the Reading Railroad. / AZ
Mt that That Road has double track but we find that
carried down last year upon that double track TWO
md half iGil,ions of tons Of coal, and understand
he Road was nat SSrEed up to anything Ike 'ts ca.
,acily and yet it carried t~G n9d hall mlIIlnna o
ons Of coal 10 Philadelphia Then, .f, il this is the
.ass what will the COvington and Ohio Railroad &C
omplsh with such advantages in reference TO grades
!, have referred to AS my friend from Rockbrdge
Mr. faSiG6 :he reporter helleveal told me on yester
iay the amount % Tonnage which wonld pass over
I'm, Road in one year, with 3 double track, would
not be less than three milont 0i ions but with q
Jingle track suppose you put it at one and hali
niIhoas of tons or gay one million Of tone, rs to be
ure that you 10 not over esllmae lls capacity. ahn'
,r with that mum. az %. tona carried over that hoad,
md fixing, If you pleHs., y6a1 rate OF chhrgH ~
wo crnts a ton Ter mile, how mucn gill you re-
awe from the Covingon and Ohio Railroad I Put
ing Ina distance al two hundred miles, You have iour
nillions Of do.,o.s gross. am ons OF those. cir,
who believes that the oG,t OF carrying on thht hoan
which they estimate at city per Gt, wiz NOT reach
anything like that amount. Al who have ,oosed mo
he facts will sse. that upon the most q these
Northern r0ads yielding three or four millions ol DOL.
ars about one 1.iiion has been expended Tor tue l
raw Yesterday. sr, M estimate maze ll "hich Tue
difference between wood and coal vas Determined
and il shown assuming coal 10 coal ~ ton' that
alone
Now, air we could use coal at a cost of about 81 a
TOM that ths fuel which ia 30 e1pensiVe would cost
us little nothing, and thus the expense OF working
The road would bs lower than that OF any road IN
Virginia, or probably out of it.
Then sir, need no, spaak Of the number of pss'en
gers that must pass over this Road. Sir. are you
aware of the number Of passengers that went over The
b sl,imore and Ohio Road last year There passed
over the main ste three hundred and itty-hve thou
sand four hundred and aeven and upon the waning.
ton branch three hundred and eighty one thousand
aeven hundred and ninety seven, making upwhrds OF
seven hundred thousand who have passed over The
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad during the last year;
How many will pass upon the CoVington and ONO
RsiIroad7 How many through passengers do yon
auppose viii pass over this road when complete,
Theirs s m important point on that ROAD when WIZ
attract paasengers from every portion Of this Union.
mean, sir. the great White Sulphur Springs IN The
county Of Greenbrier.
THE fifteen minutes pragcribed under former
resolution as the Limitation Tor each speech on any
anbiect, now EXPIRED but by general lave OF the