The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-07-13
RAILWAY nIATTERs.

IL "a
by the last English steamer, has the fol-
lowing in relation to the Atlantic & Greai
| Western Railroad:
We give below extracts from a letter
just received from Il. w. Kennard, ESQ,
the En3ineer-in-Chief, showing the pres
ent state of the main line -
81 have just been over the works as far
as UrbaDa, one of the PROTEST towns in
this country, and found matters progress
ing satisfactorily. Considering the very
severe winter and wet spring hat we have
had, the track was in a better shape than
could have been expected.
Now that the fine weather has set il, the
road bed will settle, and the track become
in good running order. The ballast
around Urbana is of the very best kind,
and is to be had in any quantity. The
western end of the road, when put in or.
der, will be far the best portion of the
line in every respect. The grades ar.
easy, long tangents, and a road bed of the
best description, SO that an engine will be
able tofhaqf with ease thirty to thirty
five freight cars from Gallon to Dayton or
Cincinnati twenty cars are considered a
very good load generally.
AAS VIC ~ heoL Ou OuT 1luO,
the richer the country we pass through.
The towns west of Akron will furnish US
more business than those east; Ashland,
Mansfield, Gallon, Urbann, Springfield and
Dayton are all fourishing places, and are the
outlets of produce from a vary rich agri-
cultural district. From Galion,cr there
abouts, to Dayton, our line is bordered on
either side by one vast garden, 80 fertile,
beautiful and rich does the soil appear,
~e9ualling the far-famed M~iami,valley in
its capacity for production. A large
number of cattle are also raised in this
section of the country.
81 had hoped to have advised yo1 be-
fore this date that our track was connect
ed with the Ohio and Mississippi, but the
weather has been against US. In the
month of April it rained twenty-six days
and nights, and the whole country was
under water. There never was knowa in
the country, so much rain, and this is the
sole cause why the track is not completed.
l am now hard at work at it, and expect
to go through on the 10Th of next month.
This rain to a certain extent was a good
thing, for it has settled our new banks,
and proved that all our water courses are
ample. On the Erie and New York Cen
trail Railways the sides Of many ~culverts
were washed out, and great delays have
taken place in the traffic; On our line we
did not lose one, and no train was delay
ed an hour. This proves that we are on
firm foundations, and 1 lave no longer
any fear of water.
"The traffic on the Mahoning Railway
is five times larger than we lave cars to
supply, but l am getting more every day,
and that branch will return loo, 900 dol
lars per month. The oil trade will also
begin again, and this viii add 20, ZOO dol
lars per week to our returns. The roads
now are six feet deep in mud, and it is
impossible to cart oil 100 yards. L shall
be even with this very shortly and then
we shall have a steady supply. 1 am in
formed that a large number Of new wells
are being put down, and that they antici-
pate the quantity OF oil raised will be 20
900 barrels per day next fall"
From the above it will be seen that
the short delay which may arise in open
ing the entire line has been caused by
the unusually heavy rains still it is con-
fdently anticipated that the track will
be laid ready for trains to run through by
the end of this month, when we look for
a material increase IN business. For the
first four months, however, of the current
year, with but little more than half the
line OPEN, the earnings have amounted TO
nearly $500, 900, exclusive of the Erie
toll, at which rate a net profit would ac-
crue for the twelve months of 81 100000,
whilst the int crest on the entire bonded
debt for the three sections of the road
(frst and second nortgages) will only alb
sorb $500, $50.