Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-03-01
Connection with the Great West.


We have been looking with deep inter
est at movement of the Virginia Legisla-
ture on the subject of connection between
the mighty West and the Atlantic through
the Old Dominion. We confess to par
TALLY for whatever received the sanction
of that great and venerated man, George
Washington; and it is probably known to
many of our readers that among the first
projects for the improvement in internal
transport in America, were sketched by
him. That to which he first turned his at
tention was communication between the
Mississippi Valley and the waters of the
Chesapeake. This was greatly more i'm
portant in that day than at present, as a
national measure, for the reason that at
that time the Spanish government, and sub
sequently the French, owned the Territory
of Louisiana, and of course had III its
power New Orleans, the outlet for
the produce of that mighty Valley
In Washington's day it was of the
greatest Importance to the United
States to establish direct communica-
ton between our Western country, then
extending only to the Mississippi river, J
and the ports of the Atlantic 4; and he saw
that through the Ohio and Kanawha, and
thence to the James river was the most di-
rect route, and SO great was his anxiety to
effect this junction at the earliest possible
moment, that, as we have heard, he devO-
ted much of his time from 1888, when the
war closed to 1889, when he was called to
the Presidency, in personal examination Of
the intervening country, making plats of
several routes, to determine which was most
eligible. AS part of his plan was to improve
the navigation Of the James river, he took
On active part in the incorporation of a COM
pany for that purpose, of which company,
if our memory is correct, he was the first
President. Nothing being known of Rail
roads in that day, the plan of Gen. Wash
ington was to connect the Kanawha with
the James by canal, and the line was indi-
nearest point on the James. The last
movement of Virginia on this subject, some
years before the late war, Was to run rail
road very nearly on the line originally
pointed out for the canal.
We have made these "reminiscences in
consequence of having seen that, in the
present Legislature of Virginia a PROPOSE
ton is pending for reviving and consum-
mating this great scheme originated by the
Father of His Country. That it is the most
direct route by which the treasures
of the mighty valley of the Mississippi may
be brought to the Atlantic, is obvious from
an inspection of the map that it will be
preferable to the circuitous route through
the Lakes, on account of the ice of that re-
gion in one-half the year, is as obvious and
We learn that the transmission of grain
through the Gulf of Mexico has been found
lowing to the temperature of that region
during large part of the year, SO injuri-
GUS as to constitute serious objection to
that line of transport. If these things be
as represented, the route through Virginia
must be preferable to any other, and we
need not say that our own Legislature, be-
ing now engaged in penetrating into that
very section of Virginia by our Western
Railroads, through Mt. Airy, gives the sub
ject additional interest to our people.