Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-05-29
Wills Valley Railroad.

WE recently receFeu INC 'ha''"n'uba ""*t"e,
containing the last Annual Report Of tho Pres-
den. of the Wills Valley Railroad Company, from
which We make the following extracts
The first spade of earth was formally removed
on the line Of road on the lst Of October, 1857,
with not dollar in the treasury and nothing to
look to with which to meet the payments OF the
estimates for work to be done, but the tlrdy col
lections Of stock, and in most cases this was paid
in stintngly and reluctantly, because. as an as
SIGNED reason, they had no confidence in the sue.
cess of the work = again. were heard the camor-
Gus demand for money along the line for damages
for the right of way, and the open aud violent OPP
position OF others pretendingly nrrayod against
all the improve ments Of the kind, these diff
fculties oil no small magnitude to overcome, and
in the absence Of means greatly retarded the
work but in despite Of all, by the perseverance, Of
The en,erprising contractors and other friends Of
the work it has gradually progressed, till now
the Board is able to make such u showing that
the most skeptical cannot doubt of its success.
A conden sod statement of the Chief Engineer,
shows that up to the lst Of April, the gra
dua,ion of &c miles OF road is completed,
embracing by far the heaviest most difficult, and
conseou ently the most costly work on tho line,
beginning on the Nashville and Chattanooga roal
and including within its limits tho greater portion
Ahrougl the county of Dade 22 miles ara half
finished, which may DO set down as L finished
miles, making AZ to cost 81 miles Of flushed road,
leaving % miles Of the GO now located, and all,
except one section. under contract, all of which
is very light work and will not exceed in cost 81,
500 per mile, including masonry and ,rcse work.
The total cost Of the work done up to the lst 81
April amounts to tho sum Of SIPS 5000 Of
which in cash is SS.552.90, and in stock So
3l640. The length OF the rond is 81 miles 81
Of which may be considered completed M above
stated leaving n miles including the unfinished
work already under contract and q miles yet To
let at half cash and half stock ut 81 800 per milo
makes the sum OF $4,000. S55. 900 of which
would be the cash portion, this added to the SSS-
552.99, the cash portion of the work completed,
makes the sum Of Sl43552.9o, tho amount in
cash required to complete the graduation Of the
entire road. The sum Of SIZE, 1914 is tho
amount reported us undoubted good stock IN tho
subscription books, by committee appointed by
the board for that purpose from this amount
deduct the cash above required and YOU have the
sum Of SOS, 632 As, over and above which may DO
thrown in to defray engineering expenses and for
contingencies. Thus it will be seen from tho
above calculations based upon the report Of the
Engineer. you have the available means to pre-
pare the road for tho cross ties. which result has
been brought about by the raising of tho grade To
So $40 feet per mile, thereby greatly lesscniug
the cost and not materially detracting from tho
merit of tho work. The entire cost Of The roal
in running order, based upon the same report. is
shown to be SS4I ,S04.
The average cost per mile will he SIC, iG6 which
is unprecedented H. the history OF railroad build
ing but which no doubt will have to be increased
Nv the addition Of q sufficient amount to purchase
other cars and locomotives necessary 70 do the hu.
siness of the road which N no event can run tip
the amount to more than $4,000 per me. II i,
considered by experienced railroad men that i
road with good connections, costing not moro than
vs. 600 per mile, will pay testing this road by
this rule, it will Ray double. Tie New York
roads cost $45 03l. "a per mile. the Baltimore all
Ohio $50. 05Sel. the Virginia and Tennessee road
$29.4ll.76 per mile, and no road, Of which we
have any knowledge, haa cost less than $50, 600
per miis the difference lies in tho cost of con-
structon this road runs Northeast aud South
west with thevalleys Of the country, presenting II
good foundation and Astounding ia provision and
material near at hand other roads either cross
the vailies, encounterng ridges and mountains, or
occupy low marshy locations. either Of which re-
quire great labor and expense to overcome and
we might here mention roads. within your know
ledge, upon which the grading of one mile COS;
more than would be required to finish ten mile.
Z of yoneheayiest work.
The inlet work on the line Of road. embrac.
ing the last u miles extending from the present
letting to the lower end Of Wills Valley. nea,
Willis creek, your Board suggest, should be pu
under contract as soon as the same can be prepar
ed by the engineer in charge; the grading on thi,
part of tho road is very light. aud great por
ton Of it can be done by tho farmers residin,
along the line, and should be commenced th
spring or summer and completed by the lst of ia
nuary. 1862.
The Treasurer's report shows that the capita
stock paid in amounts to the sum of Sll2. l2l 33
dedntfhi amount paid in from the SIZE, lS5 A
good si1Sk on the books mentioned in this report
md vel have left the sum Of $50, 064 IL, to whcl
i'd fhq So, 084 lS, the amount on hand as abuv