Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-07-02
THE WILMINGTON AND WESTERN
RAILROAD.
The Great Advantage 10 Wiimington-
Its Prospects and Value.

Editors ofMs Commercial
GENTLEMEN lit is with some regret that
have just read In your valuable weekly, The
Delaware Tribune" an article intended to dis
courage the building of the Wilmington & West
ern X. X. 1t Is In the same spirit Of old fogyism
that has heretofore had the effect of holding your
city back in Its career of legitimate enterprise,
that left the making Of the railroad towards the
schuyikill coal regions twenty years too late, and
that discouraged the making Of the Delaware X.
r., because it would not pay the stock holders.
| To show up the extreme weakness of this If.
fort to dampen the enterprise will require argu-
ments of u general character and of some length,
more SO than feel at present the leisure or in
clination to enter into. Leaving the question,
therefore, for argument at large, by some one OF
more leisure and ability, only propose to touch
lightly on few points, and give few facts bear
ing on the matter.
| One grand central idea TO be cnnnclated and
Kept constantly in nind is this, that The City Of
Wilmington has great natural advantages OF l0cl-
ton rs the centre OF trade and manufacture. and
1t should be the duty, ms well as the pride, Of her
citzcns to interest themselves in the develop
ment OF these manifold natural advantages. Asa
port nearer to the ocean than Philadelphia
equally near to coal, nearer to the great West,
and surrounded By an equally fertile county,
| Wilmington will have herself alone 10 blame ii
shc does not ultimately become large and I'M
! portant sea coast city 10 do this and counter
act the tendency Of trade to pass here and con-
| ccntrutc iu Philadelphia, she must look forward
and lay bel rllus lcgilimately aud for purpose.
| Let her assist all she can in providing lines of
i "a as tn nIl he
then provide for the couutr'ys needs, and pros
peiity and increase will he seen to follow, Now
/ believe the instinct Of every mercantile mind in
Wilmington, and the country surrounding will
| uphold me in saying that this Western Il. X. is
just what is needed now, and has BEEN needed Tor
| years by both town and country. Westward is
the word, and the more extended tile line the bet
ter, even to making your town one terminus OF
the great Pacific and Trans Continental II. Il.
What signifies the nearness, for Il few miles. OF
the projected line with the z. II b. Central r. K
II, through diatorness, you allowed that road to
be made to drain fertile region away from your
doors, you can still, by proper action, divert
part OF it back again. and secure other parts for
ever tributary TO your markets. Allow ne 10 re-
mind your correspondents that it is not alone as
investments Of capital that great enterprises are
always undertaken but to supply great public
needs. The inhabitants of the country through
which the proposed Western ue viii piss need
the road and will help to make it, snd the qucs-
ton is will Wilmington help them, or will she
permit them to 20 of aud aid in the making of
other lines as they are even nos doing-lines
that will serve yet more to divert freight and rro-
duce from your port, where il would il proper
of concentration and distribution.
! Now for few facts bearing upon the subject.
The proposed Wilmington aud Western road
ioes not run parallel with the z. W. n Il. or b.
q. Railroads, stated but diagonally with them,
crossing the latter nearly n right angles where
it commences to turn southwark, below Oxford.
4 The western freight will not necessarily be di-
yerted on to the b. q. X. X. at the Oxford june
. ton, and pass to Philadelphia On hh road, fol
c the simple reasons, that even to Philadelphia an
route uW furnish ro,td # beter gitdts and q
Il about lie same distance. And it must be mani
fest even to slow Common Sense that III
# freight seeking ocean shipment will save twic,
the distance from Wilmington to Philadelphia, !,
v facilities are provided for shipment AT Whining
ton. Passengers from the Yves, towards Phila
"''Pn'" $40 -" io'"i ~ i,N''' ~ - =
.ue "ooNe ie"''"9 "'' = W. y oo''0' ~. y
n'.'c II "hs i'hse' '''.n " i''ss y" " '"e 2 -
pcio" oAioiu. mus ehe nus ~ lF"Jcetou' peiil'
: tclharhauiy allecl 10 rel'sshHfs, anu tiehe
= westward, having many ana varlo's most I'M
portah' connections, VIII nave srlehuld pros
= peets as Inc OF through travel ana freight car
. rage, even scitins ASIDE me sleeh interests
y your cry.
What does your correspondent inctii ~ saAin
- The wilmington and Reading killf"id' vine
e made VIII establish COMMUNICATION win oNor
by route "aimorl as direct us the one pro
posed From Wilmington via the Wc-iei
n road 70 the Junction below oSturd viii he abou
the same distances from sail Junction to Chadd'
IA Ford via TIC b. e.. and lie additional iGitrter
i, miles of Tie ". and L; fFJm Wilmington t
NJ Cmatl's Ford will pt Il constantly acting ffcc
IN drive tie freight AMI passenger. coming estN ii
70 am1y from uiip.iaqa. ,,al liza Ib;htieiah6f. NJ,