Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-14

| OF the
ing line In less than one month forty miles of i;rs
class double track will be added to your road anC
durhg the next year 1t is contemplated TO buiid III,
entire line Of double track to Cumberland Tins aIsC
ailordlng this great additional facility to the Goa
| The policy which you have inaururatod in rosord
70 periectng every portion of the road and itI
branches, and increasing the equipment of the Com.
branch is being rapidly improved The work for tbs
bridges connecting the Central Ohio and Baltimore
and Ohio Roads, between Belar and Benwood and
the Marietta and Cincinnati and Parkersburr Roads
between Parkersburg and Belpre is also progressing
Your aid to the Washington County Railroad has
assured the rapid prosecution and early completion
OF OF that important branch. The people of central
Pennsylvania and of large section of Maryland
WI have by the construction of this road and the
metropolitan branch, a greatly improved and most
economical route to Baltimore and Washington
In the new era that has opened another subject OF
tne greatest Importance to the country, and especi-
ally to the people Of Virginia and Maryland has
been presented Many of the most distinguished cti
of Virginia have expressed their anxiety for
early construction of line of railway leading from
Harpers Ferry, through Winchester to Strasburg ia
connect with the great Virginia and Tennesse Road,
In the southwestern part of the State and thus open
| direct and effective line of communication from,
Baltimore to New Orleans, presenting to the States
| sippi and Louisiana an admirable economical and
direct line to the National Capital and the great seat
| otG0mmerce at the head of the Chesapeake
The valley Of Virginia, fertile rich in mineral re-
sources with hne water power with most heathful
climate, presents region of wonderful attractive
ness and Characteristics for great populations and ex
| tenSlve deyelOpement.
Inc ehtlre region through Virginia. Tennessee and
the connecting states, presents the greatest adyan
ases for emigration and those arc such ms to give
absolute assurance of prosperity and wealth During
the existence OF slavery in Virginia jealousy exist
ell Of any line leading to the free States nv which
| slave property became less safe.
That obstacle having been removed all jealousie,
appear also to have ceased and have been called
| upon ny many OF the most eminent and sagaciou5
citizens OF that great State. who urge that the aten
uon OF the people OF Baltimore and the managers of
the Baltimore and Ohio Road should be directed to
this subject Iheirregion has been desoated thercap
anxious that the enterprise and capital of this com
munty shall be thrown to their aid in accomplishing
| objects which, whilst vastly benehtting them will
also yield .ci trulton, increasing fraternity and
comlherelal prosperity. Such link will accomplish
mutual interests and the best and greatest commercial
| advantages, and will aid in binding in iron bands
| those great c0mmonwcalths 10 the Union of our
| A natural route, full of local aud general adyan-
tages thus presented. 1t is true, that whilst por-
tion of traffic, which now comes Up the Ohio river
SouthWeSt thus passing over the whole 9I9 miles of
valley line pass over but S0mcs of the Main Stem
yet in view of the great objects to be achieved for
those interests and in securing direct communica-
ii n to Washington and adding vastly to the com
mercial strength and importance Of Baltimore | do
not hesitate to commend to the most earnest and ia
Yora6le consideration OF TINS community, and to this
| The Baltimore and Ohio Road has built up the re-
| gion OF Virginia through which it passes.
1t has aided largely in the construction of the Park
ersburg Road, winch has cost more thaa seven mill
lions OF dollars and, whilst it has enormously in
creased business and prosperity upon that line and
made monaires of the owners Of oil lands of coal
lands and largely advanced the value of all pro-
perieS i'll that region, that Road has thus far failed
directly in paying any interest upon the investment:
yet, III the future. it is believed that remuneration
can be secured, whilst the general commerce Of Bal
timore has been benefited, and that region so Spe-
cially improved. Like difficulties may embarrass the
enterprise proposed but its results IN tbs future will
! Justify every effort in is behalf,
The advantages to the people Of Virginia of a SINH
lar system OF management to the Baltimore and Ohio
Road, can perhaps not be better presented than BY
quoting from the recent message of his Excelcncy
Governor Plerpont, Of Virginia, namely
AS above stated we have upwards of so 100000
invested in railroad @ stocks and bonds. Something
more than Sl5G0OWO of this sum IS in railroads in
running condition and would, in the hands Of private
stockholders soon yield revenue Of from seven TO
ever yield anything to the State and stockholders un
der the existing system remain to be seen. | ex-
press this doubt from the experience of this and other
States that have embarked in general system in
ternal Improvements 1t was found that, while the
State was an owner or partner, little profit
lied. number Of States sold out their interests
in their internal improvements to private Compa-
nes, who became the owners. where the State owned
the whole or the Joint owners with original stock
holders. The works in the hands of private individ
uals Immediately became profitable. | make the
suggestion with great Difference but think it must
be from the present organization Of our roads
| that if continued they are not likely to be very
profitable to the State or to the stockholders On
the south side of James River we have the Norfolk
and Petersburg SOuthSide Virginia and Tennessee
and Richmond and Danville Railroads These roads
are under the management OF four different of
officers employed at remunerative salaries. All these
roads combined are less than $50 miles in length
Their aggregate grgs$ earnings in lo6C about
Sl,SOC000. Three of these roads form a continuous
line of about four hundred miles, and all three of
them atording business for the fourth: Yet the Off
| themselves and indisposed to accommodate each
other whilst the State owns three-ffths of the stock
aadfbbl2f d9fb Of them and Il MOI money lender to them in
he would, manitesty; place them III ;.nder the con
troll Of enc head and WORK them in harmony. Ills
first saving would he about forty thousand dollars per
in the item of officers salaries. Cooperation
would ensure increased business ami income. By
working these roads separately, is loaded at
Norfolk with freight for Danville Abingdon; it is
brought to Petersburg to the Southsidc road, and
there transferred from the Norfolk the Southside
thence 1t Is taken to BurkSvC, where it is again
transferred to Danville car if its destination is to
| that town, or taken to Lynchburg and rcshipped
! On the Virginia and Tennessee road if it goes to
| Abingdon. In these transactions the de
layed, thereby causing much larger investment in
rolling stock TO accommodate the business of these
roads, addition to the labor required to load and
| unload the freight, besides exposing the merchan
disc to loss and delaying Its transportation, which
is always to be avoided by shippers. if possible
| Wherever the are loaded on any of the roads,
they should be run to the pIace of destination of
| the freight without breaking bulk. The consoda-
ton Of these improvements under one set Of officers
/ is entirely practicable. The Baltimore and Ohio
| Railroad, with the Northwestern Virginia and!Wash-
ington branches is nearly as long the four roads
above named and the gross earnings OF that railroad
is about three times great the charges for freight
and passengers being thirty hree cent less than
on the Virginia roads referred to; yet the whole bust
ness of the Baltimore and Ohio road is done by one
corps of officers with moderate salaries There the
same reason for consolidating the Orange and Alex
andria and Virginia Central roads. There may have
been a necessity for a different corps of officers
each of these roads during their construction, butnOw
that they completed, ii is the obvious interest Of
| the State and stockholders to consolidate them.-
| It is believed that there will be no difficulty
in harmonzing the interests of the private stockhod
ers By the existing system of supporting six sepa-
rate corps of officers on these improvements, when
the business could be more efficiently conducted by
two it is simply taxing the people forty fifty thou
sand dollars annually to support railroad officers who
| may be advantageously dispensed with. AS above
| stated l am of the opinion that all these improve
ments in the hands Of private individuals would in
short time. yield dividends of from to ten per
cent, and believe that the interest Of the State in
them can be leased say for period of thirty years.
for more than SIN per cent, per annum on the invest
ment, by giving the esSees the privilege at any time
the State paying the amount of the States invest
| ment in money, or in the bonds Of the State. Some
| of these roads are deemed more valuabe than
others; each One therefore, should be leased sold
| to the highest bidder, and in should the
States interest be sold leased for less than it cost
the State This would obviously bo greatly to the
advantage of the private stockholders by furnishing
them active and able partners instead of the State,
which is now unable to assist them This plan would
at relieve the State OF about fifteen millions of
| its debt"
| 1t will be seen, whilst Governor Pierpont aments
the failure OF the railroads Of Virginia prior to the
| war. built under the auspices Of that State, they
| having made no earnings to pay the interest on the
also calls attention to the fact that whilst the Balt
more and Ohio Railroad accOmpiiShes amuch greater
| business, yet that Its charges for passengers and
freight are thirtythree per cent. less than the
| Virginia roads referred to.
| The advantage of the low tariffs of the Baltimore
and Ohio Road to the State OF West Virginia, and
the development and prosperity of the agricultural,
| manufacturing, mining. and other interests of that
region can only be appreciated when the proper cal
culation is made by which the rates charged by the
Baltimore and Ohio Company, viz: but twO-thirds of
those as stated by the Governor, which are charged
| under the railroad tariffs of Virginia, shall be applied
as affecting the net results to the farmers merchants
consumers, and all other citizens of the region ira
| yersed by the Baltimore and Ohio Road.
IfmOre roads were needed they could be construct
| ed in the State of Virginia without entailing heavy
taxation on her people. With such economical tariffs
as those on the Baltimore and Ohio Road how rapid
ly would the restoration Of prosperity of that State
| take place, how much greater its progress in the
future than under the most favorable conditions in
the past
Immediately upon the close of the war you deter
| mined upon inaugurating line of steamships from
| Baltimore to Liverpool 1t is my agreeable duty to
inform the Board that your highest antcipations are
being realized. 1t was the object of the Baltimore
| and Ohio Company to demonstrate by the establish
ment of this line that large and permanent bust
for frstclass steamers plying betwixt this port
| and Liverpool could be commanded. The results
in the brief period which has elapsed. have shown
that the only difficulty not the want of trade or the
| want of reliable and satisfactory business, but the
want of line of strictly tirs-cass large steamers
suited thoroughly for the North Atlantic trade 1t is
| now papable that there will be business between
Baltimore and Liverpool for a line of five frst-cas
steamers, of two thousand tons capacity each; and