Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-12-22
Chesapeake & Ohio r. r.

letter by y OS. Logan 10 COl. d. NJ y ones, Cnlef
Engineer of the Norfolk and Great Western
r. R., dated October 1st, showing the great
importance of the construction of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio R. R., and its claims to aid
from the Federal Government, will be read with
interest:
The Chesapeake and Ohio railroad seems to
be doing WE'LL and | trust that every effort of
our people will be made to carry it through to
the Ohio 1t is noble enterprise, with far the
lowest grades being only 292 feet to the mile
233 feet less than those Of the Pennsylvania
Central 302 feet less than those of the New
York Erie, and S63 less than the track of the
Baltimore and hio-comparatively with the
latter almost dead level-and bringing as it
does, the Ohio river on an equation by grades
and climate one hundred miles nearer the ma
tional capital than by the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, 1T furnishes much the shortest, far the
cheapest, and much the most expeditions transit
between the great West and the tide waters of
the Atlantic.
Its superiority in respect of grades. climate.
capacity, expedition and cheapness is controll
ing and invincible, and had it been completed
ten years ago, it would, ere this, have become
the main thoroughfare for travel and light trade
between the West and the East, and as an
emigrant line to the West. And yet it fingers,
scarce half way to its Western destination.
while the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, under
the gallant enterprise and energy of single,
and not then, very populous city, has Chamber
ed over preclpltous mountain heights, and in
| little more than a generation has made Balti-
| more large city, and one of the commercial
marts of the seaboard
What would have been the population and
| trade Of Richmond, had this shortest, cheapest,
most expeditions central thoroughfare of ours
been opened twenty years ago to the Ohio?
repeat 1t is grand nterprise-continenta
in its Characteristic central airline branch of
the Pacific railroad-but have little faith that
in our present crippled condition we can of our
own means consummate it, certainly not with
out long delay. And hence, would beg again.
to urge upon the people of the State the neces-
slty of appealing to the National Legislature
| for aid.
Gam ace get aid from Congress2 I have not
doubt OF it, either by an appropriation of
public lands, Or by loan Of Government credit
if we will but use the proper means.
First, our claim to national help is so rresist-
| bly, just that help is our manifest right-a right
not to be argued away.
At a time of critical emergency in the s'tmes
that tried mems SOULS" Virginia, with I'm
calculating munifcence, gave away all the lands
then hers-composing the present States of
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wiscon-
sin. Out OF this and other public domain ac"
CURED by the common means, Congress has ap-
propriated to various railroads and other i'm
provements near two hundred millions of acres
illinois has had donation which turned her
out forty millions Of dollars while the Pacific
railroads have had donated to them one hun
dred and twenty four millions of acres, worth a
whole billion of dollars And yet Virginia.
that gave the Union half dozen empires of
| territory, has not received 81 acrs.
Could any member Of Congress, with a soul
| in his BOSOM refuse US. out of the billions we
have given, the few millions that will be requir-
ed to fuish such Of our public works as are of
national Importance, and that tend to the last
ing veal Of the whole nation?
Secondly, there are imperious reasons fo1 ex-
tending Us cid
The rapidly extending population and pro
duction Of the great West absolutely require,
and will soon demand, additional outlets to the
ocean. The present channels of transportation
are already inadequate to the movement east
ward, at endurable rates. of the vast products
of the Western inferior. Not even the Erie
canal and the many railroads crossing the coun-
| try east and west, are sufficient. For want of
competent cheap channels Of transit, very
large trade which has heretofore studiously
Stunned the damaging climate of New Orleans,
and the expense and dangers of the circuitous
route by the Gulf and the Atlantic, has been
forced to resume that unweIcome transit and
again go down stream by the gulfand the ocean
to the eastern centres OF trade.
This simple fact is conclusive demonstration
of the incapaoity Of existing avenues to accom-
modate the production which, with tumultuous
rush, seeks outlet to the seaboard.
| The people Of Iowa have seen the pressing
necessity of the Western people for another
cheap line of transit to the ocean, and have in
structed their representatives in Congress to
ask aid Of that body for the completion Of the
James river and Kanawha canal as that addi-
tional cheap route demanded by their own and
the necessities Of the West. Seeing the outlet
by the lakes and the Erie canal already gorged,
and unwilling to bear the heavy charges of over
land transmission, they have appealed to Con-
gress to look upon the water line Of Virginia as
it by federal means,
What Iowa has so sagaciousIy DONE the other
States of the West will soon do.
They will ignore the costly transportation of
railroads which SO absorbs the producers pro-
fits and the tedious and perilous transit of from
| four to FIVE thousand miles down the Mssissip
pi, and round by the gulf and the ocean, They
will unite with Iowa. and invoke Congress to
give them that other and shortest, and most
central, and cheapest outlet to the ATLANTIC, the
| Virginia r-line-this James river and
Kanawha canal Of ours.
In a word the Virginia water line owing to
the insufficient means for sending forward the
immense products of the West, every day aug
menting almost incidentally, has become, almost
unconsoously to The people of Virginia, great
national interest, and will become, in time of
grander nationality than even the Erie canal,
because with the greater capacity of which it is
susceptible and being scarcely ever obstructed
| by ice, it will do more to accommodate the
Western tonnage than the great water-line Of
| New York, and at the cheapest possible rates.
1t Is to be the main ontletJar Westerp prodpc-
ton and do not despair Of seeing the day
aolen the Vest a0iU cry aloud a0ith a loud voice
for the opening Of At IN all Its grand capacity
and aczea Congress, obeWng the irresistible be-
hest of the West, aoiW add another Erie canal TO
the internal transportation Of the United States.
There will be no sectional OR political obstacle,
because the irresistibly necessity in which it is
founded will sweep away all politics. The great
work having become broadly and permanently
national, and being demanded by the whole
West, from the sweep, of the Rocky mountains
to the Kanawha, Congress will not dare with
hold the means to complete it in all its capac-
tiles.
With these cheering probabilities before US,
we cannot too soon put In our claim for aid, at
least for our two pre- eminently national works.
| In what mode we shall make the application,
and in what form receive aid, need not now be
considered in detail. ''Where there is will,