Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1867-12-12

4
Simeon Nash, Esq, of GallipoIis,
writes a long letter directed to the
business men of Cincinnati. He
argues in favor of the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad being diverted
down the Kanawha river so that-it
may pass through Gallipolis to Ham,
dem, and there connect with the
Marietta road. 1t would certainly
be well for Clncinnatians, as well as
all others, to know that when that
road goes down, the Kanawha it will
take 80 miles TO reach the Ohio river,
when it can cross over to Guyandotte
and Big Sandy and reach the Ohio
river at 40 miles, and then it is 80
| miles or more nearer Cincinnati than
| it would be at Point Pleasant. II the
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad wants
| to- crock around to accommodate
small towns like Gallipolis and Point
Pleasant, it will be well for it to
adopt Mr.. Cutters route, but if it is
to be a southern road, on the shortest
direct line, its curves having long
radii and slight grades, it will con-
tinue to adhere to tsnatursl route to
the Ohio river at Big Sandy and
Guyandotte. Thence it will find
connections and feeders enough.
We find the above in the Ports
mouth Republican, and it indicates
an amount of geographical ignorance,
which we did uot suppose could be
found in Southern Ohio. What may
be the object Of the writer we cannot
imagine. Does he want to injure
this part of Ohio and Cincinnati? Or
does he indulge the absurd idea of
making railroad from Big Sandy
via Portsmouth to Cincinnati? What
are the facts?
And first as to distance. The
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad must
run down the Kanawha river to Scary
Creek, whether it terminates at Big
Sandy or at the mouth of the Great
Kanawha. Now the distances from
this point are as follows: To the
mouth of the Kanawha, thirty six
miles; to the mouth of Big Sandy.
forty-tive miles. From the mouth of
the Kanawha the distance is 80 miles
to Hamden on the Marietta and Gin
clnnati railroad; from that point, it
is about 120 miles to Cincinnati,
making the distance from Scary to
Cincinnati about 1s6 miles, while the
distance by the other route and the
Ohio river is just about the same. The
difference between the two lines is
not five miles, and that difference is
in favor of the line down Kanawha
and out to the Marietta and Cincin-
natl railroad.
But how stands the matter as
question of economy? To make
connection with Cincinnati by this
line, it requires only sirty miles of
new road, and that over line, which
will cost less than any sixty miles of
railroad in Ohio. The line has been
repeatedly examined and surveyed,
and we know therefore what we as
sert to be literally true. The line
will come in to Berlin and thus save
near six miles of new road, which
leaves only sixty miles of new road
to be made.
On the other route, III order to
reach Cincinnati, it will require one
hundred and eighty six miles of new
road, over a line which will cost more
than any other line of the same
length in Ohio. We were told by
Mr.. SHAW, the first engineer who
made the Virginia surveys, and also
a survey in Ohio, that it would cost
more to make railroad from Scary
Creek to Guyandotte, than from
Scary to junction with the Marietta
and Cincinnati railroad.
1t will thus be seen that in dis
tance this line is as short as any
other, and that in cost it is by mill
ions the preferable route. Indeed,
if this Virginia road is to run to Big
Sandy, it is done for the purpose of
passing through the interior Of Ken
lucky to Louisville, and away from
Southern Ohio and Cincinnati. This
was the line originally adopted, when
it was sought to keep the road within
the territory of slavery, but slavery
being dead and buried, the line
should be settled on principles of
trade. engineering, and economy.
Every engineer, who has been on the
Virginia line, has decided in favor of
a connexion with Cincinnati by the
line of the Kanawha river, and thence
out to the Marietta and Cincinnati
road at Berlin or Hamden.
~ Mr.. CUNNINGHAM, one of the
Commissioners from West Virginia,