Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-08-03
8radford geporter.
Towanda, Thursday, August 8, 1866.
RAILROAD PROJECTS.


ca and Towanda, considered at meeting
in Ithaca on the 10Th ult, deserves further
discussion. This is not "a new project, but
an old one newly revived, and entirely by
the Ithaca people, though some of our
prominent men attended the meeting. That
Towanda should take lively interest III
the matter is but natural and proper
Should she urge forward the road with her
money and energy it would only be an eff
fort on her part to open up toher very large
trade rail avenue to the north, and with
further effort when that is completed to the
south. That the vast coal interests center
ing at or passing through Towanda should
feel deep interest in any railway commu-
nication north to a market is self-evident.
| That the Ithaca people should make bold
effort to get direct rail connection with
the coal fields of Bradford and Sullivan is
to them selfprotection, as they cannot now
get this coal except by way of Elmira and
Cayuga lake. The people between Ithaca
and Towanda are all largely interested in
this road, as they never can have a rail
communication except by this route, hence
its construction becomes a question of the
utmost Importance to them.
Important as it is to the people along the
proposed line we may safely risk the opin-
ion that the road must haze their actiue co.
operation to secure its completion within
any reasonable time. They must not only
assist it by giving the right of way, but it
will be necessary to aid it promptly with
money. The real estate owners along the
road will be more benefited than any other
class by its construction, and, unless they
promptly render all the aid they can, the
project will drag. To the Bradford Coal in
terest the enterprise must look for the arg-
est amount of its aid to build the road to
the State line at or near Waverly, and that
interest i'll giving such aid as will secure
the completion Of the Pennsylvania portion
Of the road, should urge the New York in
terests to extend the rail to Lake Ontario.
small, and what our Coal Companies need
is to load their cars at the mines and dump
them on Lake Ontario Very little would
be gained over the canal route if the coal
must be dumped into canal boats at Ithaca,
unless they have a ship canal from Cayuga
to Ontario, where they would meet the YES
sells from Chicago, all the Canadas, the st.
Lawrence and Lake Superior, where an en-
ormous quantity Of coal must soon be used.
Our Ithaca friends may not relish this SO
well, but they must remember we now have
a canal route to all points east and west of
MontcZuma on the Erie Canal, and that we
cannot sacrifice cur present route to secure
one no better
The capacity Of the canal north from To-
wanda, we are assured by its managers, is
half million tons III seven months naviga-
tlon, and this is a much larger amount than
can be sent forward for the next few years
Though more may be mined, market at
compcnsating prices must be created
There is no such market now and will not
be for some years unless the coal is sent to
New York city in large quantit es The ex-
pedicncy Of doing this, in competition with
other Goals, is doubtful problem yet to be
solved. We can all readily see that the
construction Of the proposed road would
work disastrously to the canal interests. Is
it right to sacrifice those interests at all m
til 1t Is certain that far cheaper route can
be secured ? 1t is said that the managers
of the canal will not oppose the road, but
they no doubt feel that it is prudent for all
parties to consider the present necessity
for its construction.
i there and will there be sufficient ton.
mage to Justify building the road ? Certain
y not unless a much wider market is crea-
ted and demand for the coal found. About
sixty thousand tons is the largest ouantitv
ever shipped from Towanda, and certainly
the Barclay Company did all they could in
1864. To say they did not, when they prob
ably made a net profit of over two dollars
PCl i'liJ "OulN NC DuI IlLIlc Tor their
business capacity; for they could sell all
they could get to market To say that the
four companies operating in that region can
ship, in 1866, half million tons does not
say that they can sell it and unless they
can sell it they will not ship it.
Our object in throwing out these ideas is
to place the question of the road fairly be-
fore the people. With the active aid of all
the people along the line, and a reasonable
certainty Of sufficient market for coal to
justify the expense, we are strongly of the
opinion that the road will be built
If the Canal Managers could be induced
to allow rail track to be laid along their
line south to Wilkes Barre-for which pur-
pose they obtained most favorable char
ter last winter and which, we learn. could
be done at small cost and very little or no
injury to their canal navigation-it would
form direct rail route to PHILADELPHIA via
the Lehigh and North Penn'a roads which |
are now i'll use up to Wilkes Barre. This /
would complete the great chain of road
from Philadelphia along the valleys of the