Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-15

I
OF thousands ofdoars taxes from the failure of thu
! capital. "t0" !"
| lie omts reference to the Northern Central Road
upon whleh our people chiefly depend for their sun
plies of coal for domestic purposes yet here again We
see rates exceeding by Is per cent the chorras ,a
ION Per mile Tor the Transportation on coal by Tho
| Baltimore & Ohio Road. compared respectively from
the Anthracite and Allegheny coal eld dsto Baltimore
| lie appears not to be aware of another great cie
ment OF cost IN the present management of railways
Inc united States now require tax upon the groS
revenue revenue oi railroads. upon the net edruinss upor
cars ana engines, and the repairs of each u6u iron
ana nearly every manufacture and material required
Tor ILe use OF the Company. The estimate of take.
paid to the United States in various forms from tht
amounts received for the transportation Of coal now
But has the baltimore & Ohio Company neglected
the interests of the community in connection wi b
the coal trade? The bituminouS Goals OF The CnnI.
6erland region were introduced in 1872 and we find
from an interesting compilation recently made from
| Official sources that that trade. which was
In lSi2.......... ,7OS tons In 1847. $3.50 tons
IN Si3..........l lG,HlS In ISIS. 1851 -
| In lSi4.......u....l4 $50 " In lSfq...1i24ig
In 1916. ....".....2g,795 In 65l......357,C79
continued gradually to swell until the commence
ment OF the war when, from Interruptions upon the
lines 1t decreased; but again. during the year 1865
rose 10 %j4S3 tons, being the largest aggregate for
any year IN the history Of tho coal trade of that re-
| gon.
1t is well known that the Baltimore and Ohio
| ka!lroad Company tostered this trade encouraged
Its introduction and work ed for many years at un-
| increased use. That region has enioyed thn advan
tage OF an expenditure of more than twenty mil
mons OF dollars upon the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
nllSt that work has transported quantities vary
ing from 4Oi2 IONS in 1850 to the largest quantity
3t32J4 tons in 1903, the tax payers Of the State OF
Maryland. aud citizens of the State Of Morv
land. embracing of course. our fellow citizens q.
Baltimore, have paid the interest on more than
fifteen million of capital of the State invested in thai
work from winch no revenue, no net earnings have
ever yet been derived for its owners whilst there
fore, the coal region of Western Maryland has these
two great outets-the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad-the object of
the Mayor appears to be TO force the CITY of Bati
more INTO an enormous expenditure in building a
IhlTn, ana nearly Il parallel Inc to the Baltimore
and Ohio Road to Cumberland 1t is not diicuIt to
lQresee that II he should succeed in accomplishng
thls wild scheme the ax-paycrs Of Baltimore will
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
Whilst the business of the Baltimore j. Ohio Road
IN the transportation of coal for its own use and far
the trade, amounted during the past year to IS POS
tons-the Mayor as usual being grossly wrong in
stating the quantity shipped to Baltimore at but
5H,UUJ JOnS-and whilst the Company is rapidlv IN
creaslns Its facilities. that during the coming wear
1t VIII be prepared to transport million Of tons
we ma. recommendations to Involve the city to the
extent OF more than two millions Of dollars in nm.
enterprise that must hopeleSsly fail III alording re-
munerstlon for the capital invested. When we notc
the radical errors of the Mayor on which he bases
his dGFlgfIlU JQFolying the City of Baltimore in th
ery owners may well fee! alarmed the dangerous
scheme. 10 prepare road competent Tor half the
work that he proposes to be performed by the West
ern Maryland Road from Cumberland il nust be
dOuDlO tracked, ana OF locomotive and
capacity. such road and its equipments will nee
essarly cost at the present prices material and
labor and machinery, thus equipped, more thaiI
twelve millions Of dollars. Should the city there
fore, be induced TO involve itself in this work the
present sums demanded viii be but the BEGINNING of
series Of enormous demands that will ultimately
impose the most serious taxation upon our people.
In noting the Legislation procured at the recent
session of the Legislature, it is remarkable that
while the passage of laws was procured looking 20
the lnVolv vement Of the city OF Baltimore for more
than S2ODOO0O for the Western Maryland Road and
its extentlon to Canton, and TO Investments by Wash
ington ana Aiiegany counties III the Western Mary
land Railroad, ye. the citizens Of the wealthy coun-
tics OF Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick appear very
Sagaclousiy TO have opposed the efforts TO induce
them to involve their tax payers il this costly and
Icuious experiment, although the road passes
through an extensive portion of these counties.
hllst these three counties receive the local bei eff
OF the construction of this read yet the programme
appears to be to throw the burdens of taxation
which must result from the prosecution OF this work
chiefly upon the city Of Baltimore.
The Mayor claims that the Cumberland mining re q.
glons and the lateral roads proposed to fur
nsh three million tons OF coal per year ior market
Again, how contrary TO the facts? During the past
year the business Of the Baltimore and Ohio Roai
frequently limited and reduced largely bv tLr
inability Of the lateral roads to move and return
promptly the cars Of this Company for trausporta-
ton upon its road. 1t is believed that hereaftc.
the capacity OF the canal and the Baltimore and
Ohio Road will tax to the fullest extent during the
season OF navigation especially, the capacity of those
roads for forwarding coal.
The Mayor states that the entire amount of coal
transported last year by railroad and canal was 65
900 tons Statistics from official sources, however,
show that the Mayor Is mistaken in this amount t.
the extent of more than 100000 tons. lie deducts
$1,000 tons from the alleged capacity of 600 Ol0tons
thus leaving Z,t3,UtJ tons. lie claims the distance
from baltimore to Cumberland by the cStern Mary
land Road 10 be 65 miles and calculates that if these
2343 600 tons brought to Baltimore at 81 6 Der
ton, say one cent per ton per nile it would amount
to the large sum Of $3,S64,g5O. This he adds, i.
more than sufficient To furnish the amount not YET
obtained by OaI to complete the unfinished pOrtior.
of the Western Maryland Road from tide water +"
Cumberland. "''' W
What an exhbitiont lie names rata FIR trans
cannot find in the United States 8 single rnad tyho
WORKING expenses on coal do not now exceed one cen
per ton per mlie he presents calculacion of
at that rate, claiming the whole anonnt - Go -
tGa!1 ProW without any allowance for expenses
Whatever, ana then, marvellous assurance -" adjs
hat II IS therefore evident that the amount received
in year for freight On Ei3 600 tons Of coal N 81 a.
or two lthS otth9 present freight paid the Baltimore
ana ONO Road, would furnish amount required 20
complete the Western Maryland Road from BALI
more to Cumberland
He states, Il have gone into these facts for the
purpose Of convincing those who are Interested in
them that there is sufficient freight in the ortIcIe a
coal alone, now ready at Cumberland to be sent to
baltimore at the paying price Of I65 per ton to pay
an interest OF 40 per cent u the cost of building
and equppiug first class railroad from tiie yatn-
at Baltimore to Cumberland"
1he rawlings of an inhabtant of the Mount Hope
Asylum could not present more paIpable nonsense
to the community than such a statement.
Inc whole gross earnings of this remarkable rOaG
are to be prott. and to be used as a portion of thr
capital Tor the construction Of the road and thai
gross revenue IS TO be earned by working al a rate
per ton per mile less than the actual cost Of working
any rarOad IN TINS country y this period, whilst the
rates charged are in many instances largely mora
than twice the :ate proposed by the Mayor: the
WORKING expenses OF railroads generally vary from 81
to SO per cent.
The increasing capacity of the Chesapeake and
ONO Canal Is ignored the immense increase of power
equipment and double track on the BalrimOre and
ONO Road are to be ignored and thus This grand
road Of His Honor the Mayor is to accomplish nm an~
gregate transportation of coal in single year nearly
* n flG=n
able to transport in any year. in their long history
These earnings which are calculated at s. S6l $50 he
states are more tnaR sufficient furnish the amount
not yet ohtaned by loan to GGmpiete the unfinished
POI eot9 m ~ lpe " 9ste[ maryland Road. from tide
f "TV' ~ land. The estimate OF the ensineer
--'A-' anperand to HagerstowH is S5IGo4iUoJ Inc
amount required to make up the deuclencY -
Union Bridge and HageTstoWn Is :" ma I'm IN
amount necessary to complete uouble trsci, from
Relay 10 Canton Is S2VOOV makngin all 100 600
MarvelOusly low the construction of railroad
prepared Tor heavy traffic. are these estimates nj
the Mayprl has he not had occasion to appreciate
tEe great cost oI construction during the present
period Inc case Of the new Almshouse is sureIy
au illustration He states in his message that ",ts
COSY win the site and all the Improvements as far
as hhsheu' mas Deen 402, 1925" =" and vet the tax
payers are assured, whilst this pr0dir0ns cost fr
such property looms before them that the inter
@ eSts ~ ln9 clty mas been watched with a frugal
care at all times IN connection with its construction
NotWltnst2ndng the frugal care" of his Honor the
Mayor IN supervision and management the expend-
r ente @ upon bay Jew Asylum will make such prop
tion.
Mhat fearful sums. even under similar frugal
care will the construction Of costly railroad
through mountainous region between Baltimore
and Cumberland, aggregate? Low estimates, pleas
ant antlcpatons, and the most fantastic VISIONS re-
garding results which the common of the people
will appreciate, will not save this community from
fearful taxation IN connection WIN such eXpendl-
tures if the partnes and absurdties OF the Mayor
are to be INDUCED and are to control.
The Mayor states that he has been Informed that
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company has four
teen millions surplus to expend in any manner they
might feel disposed.
Unfortunately the Mayor it as grossly wrong on
this subject as upon every other feature of his CON-
mupicatlon regarding the Baltimore and Ohio Rail.
road Company. The members OF the COMMITTEES of
finance will remember that some months since a
statement was presented, showing that the compile
ton OF the PlttSburg and Connellsvle Railroad the
road from W Mashington to Point of Rocks the sub
scrpton to the Hagerstown Branch Railroad the
oost OF double track on Main Stem of additional To-
benMoOd and Parkershnra of ths nonnlerinn of the