Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-01-02
iC mmunicated.
OUR RAILROADS.

".
In a former article described in ageneral
way, the main features of the propoed Will
mington and Reading Railroad, " it, connec-
tions with the Peninsular system If Roads,
and the p, w. II B. Railroad, at Whining
ton, and with the great Railroad OF Penn
sylyania at different points Tie position
which it thus assumes, of linkconnecting
several of the great highways o trade, by u
shor transverse line, and forming a direct
means of communication bctgeen sections
of country differing widely il their charac-
ter and productions, is the pint of greatest
interest and importance in Onnection with
it. For, as commerce depelds upon the in
terchange of the productios of different To-
calities, it follows, that uatoW Interchange
dJlo products there can he o commerce Be
tween two neighboring oints of purely
agricultural district, for Xample, there can
be but little trade, for he reason that the
productions being iderical or similar in
character, there can In no inducemcnt To
| transport them, except to the more distant
market. On our owl Delaware Railroad
which traverses only II agricultural district
the staples of its renInerative business are
confined to two or three articles: grain.
peaches, lime, and cher fertilizers, besides
passengers. Far diercnt is the case with
any avenue of trad6whcll passes through a
region of varied rcpurces, agriculture, min
eral and manufacturing; and in this view it
is that the success d the Delaware Railroad
affords us an argument on which we can
fairly rely, in estimating the probable future
of the Wilmington AID Reading Railroad.
For if Il district of ccintry without mineral
resources, destitute 4 manufactures except
of the most simple find, with sparse pop
'llatlon, and contaiFng much poo. land, has
furnished the madrials for remuncrativc
business over the brmer how much more
probable IS the success OF our projected i'm
provemcnt, possessing all the three sources
ot revenue in arge proportion? The
farming land throuh which it must pass, is,
much of it, of the les quality, and brought
TO the best condition by sneratons of high
farming. The average Pee of land ncr
acre is probably five times t,t oc ,ho land
in our own State traycrsed by nv Dolo,ra.a
Railroad at the time it was bui. ondIas
same that the proportion of markt lio ,,,a
ducts of the two sections is fairly re- o,a,,,
ed by the price of land. Yet the prGso,.
of the soil are but one, and that one
least important of the sources of revenue,
The Wilmington and Reading Railroad. l.,
us suppose that the Delaware Railroad, ft
the first fifty miles of its course trayerscd
""Gion OF agricultural resources several tim,
us great as those it possessed at the time
was eonstrncted; that in addition il passc
by the doors of say thirty Manufacturers, n
r ADJUSTMENTS, many of them of considcrob
importance, all of them certain from tho
position to become customers of the Ron,
because they are now obliged to convey the
materials and productions for considerob
distances by the common roads T.
US suppose, also, that the proposed lr
passed through region rich in limeston,
ana that by its means the Unsuitable marx,
oil the Peninsula could be supplied with lin
at price less by one-t third than II now cor
mands at New Castle, the point of dclive,
TO the Delaware Railroad that il also ca,
tanned numerous beds of iron ore. mon,
them long worked and of known and ovco
lent quality, at present excluded from III
general use which their position and onoli,
would en'itle them TO, il supplied with Raj
road transportation that it intersectcd in If
course the three great western lines of trad
ana travel conyerging in PHILADELPHIA on
oil them being the principal channel of tb,
very Anthracite Coal trade for which IN
larger cities are eagerly contonding, and ar
eApehulhs large amounts of money: IN
other, OF the Bituminous Coal trade of II,
Broad Top region, now rapidly GROWING i
Importance Let us imagine lastly tbat
terminated in direct communicates, ,,.;,
Reading, the Iron Centren ms i, hos haa
called, of Pennsylvania, and with "A voIlo
like mat of the Schuylkill, Of rich and vorio
resources, now anXiously looking lor n,,
outlet to tide water. Let us comn,ro =
these sources of trade with tbe sin,,l, -.
cultural element which induced the cn,,.,.,i
ton, and has insured the succesg or ~
delaware Railroad, and we may I th;nl
lalrly conclude that financial surcoss is =.
mare aeely to cnsue IN this case, than in ~
other And yet those who are familiar ,,.i,
the subject will bear witness tlat hayo :.
over-staied the rclattec importaace Of n
trade that is actually waiting for the 90,
struction of our Railroad, to seize nj onl
upon the new channel Of communicate
which will bring it to our doors
Let it be remembered too that orr nronoso
Road has all the elements of progressive Il,
Velopmen' that can make the fortune of nm
line of internal communication wbotoyo,
lhc increased facilities of Transportation (,
market, and the reduced cost of our materi,-
including coal THE great motive powcr
our modern industry-must result in consin
the rapid extension of the manufueturnc +,
ierests that will be tributary to us. while
Will foster agriculture and cause nrogro,
slye increase in its products, and those of II,
mines and quarries in the neirhborhood =,
The line The water-powers on the limo n
the proposed Road, and near It. are ne va
only partially occupied; those that are de
Yeloped are in the hands of a class of mo,
who are entcrprising and energetic win
| have prOsDered in their I,,s;,,,c, -,