Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-01-16
The Railroads OF Virginia.


Report of the Board Of Public Works Of Virginia
detailing the condition and prospects Of the difse
rent roads in which the State has an interest
There are some additional items OF
ted with our internal improvements, which We do
rive from another source, aad which are worthy
of public attention.
The ou,ire length Of rail that has been laid in
Virginia, up to the present time, is seventeen hun
dred and sixty-s; miles The State, however !"
rot entitled TO the credit Of all Of this. Three
hundred and forty-tbree miles of il have been lad
10 N. baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company.
and sixteen miles Of il by the people oil fennssi-
yania. Deducting this. and still leaves ,oat'
teen hundred and seven miles OF railway WING"
The neepIe Of Virginia have made within Inc SNORT
,e,;a Of time since railroads were first introduced
This il more than any other Southern state
,,.orr;. .ouc. next with twelve hundred aud for
80 u;jes-but railroads are made in Georgia ut
about one-haf the cost mile for mile, oil those IN
Virginia. Ma toGeorgia comes Tennessee, with
ono thousand md sixty-two miles--thcn Mary
land with eight hundred and thirty .throc-then
South Carolina with eight hundred and seven
then Alabama with seven hundred and ninety
eicht-thcn North Carolina with seven hundred
md seventy and so on down to Arkansas when
has only thirty eight miles Of railway actually
made. though she has over seven hnndtad pr"lect-
ed
ltyiD thus he seon that OF all the Southern
S,ntes Virginia takes the lead in raiIroa enter
rrise,. THIS viii more fully appear when we
como ~ anm IN thc MY expended by th" d'he-
rent S.ates in such works. Virginia has expcnd-
oil over f,rty three millions IN railroads, besides
canals and turnpikcs Georgia hassrcnt twenty
6,c millions Tennessee, twen,v.sesen millions
Miss uri thirty -one milhons-Ala twenty
one millions. Taxing everything into con''drfa
ton, we may safely say Virginia has been behind
note Of her sister states Of the South in all enter
pt.es Of internal Improvement
C,mpared with ssme 81 the Northern States sfrc
shows. Of course. to disadvantage. Thus. New
York la. shoui three Thousand miles Of railway
but they have been made at the enerm1 nus cost OF
over enc hundrcd millions of dollars Pennss va
nj, has three Thousand milcs-bnt it has taken
one hundred and fifty millions Of dollars to foot
the bill Massachuset,s has srcnt sixtyfve mil
lions f,r less road thun Virginia has. Ohio has
eApehtti oHc GU A''i twenty "'''i'hoi
and Illinois one hundred and eight.
Railroads are moro costly in the Na-,h,r IN States
than with us. exceptas t. the Northwestern States,
where the cost is trang over the Level iiairIcs.
If we were as tticky populated as the Northern
States our roads would be much more valuable
than ,hcirs--for we would have to pay dividends
upon, comparatively. about Que half Of capital
stock mile for mile
Besides the rail that has been already laid in
Virginia, the extension and completion of those
roads that have been commenced. but not finished
Will carry the aggregate up TO over two thousand
miles. Add to this the roads that have been
Projected and that will soon be built and it will
be safe to say that IL ten years Virginia will have
at least three thous sand miles Of railway. There
will be hardly county Of the State not iuersect
ed at some pointby this great modern instrument,
of civilization and commerce.
If we can have domestic tranquility in tho Tn,
ion, and can establish foreign trade Of our own,
instead Of relying upon Northern factors and
agents, We anticipate the day-not FAR distant =
when all our railroad enterprises u i'll be rcmune-
ratiye, in double sense, to those who have invest
cd their money in them. For such n consumma-
ton it becomes al true Nirginiaus 10 labor with
unceasng dligenconnd energy.