Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-11-20

L
over the Neuse and North East rivers. anC
other necessary improvements.
This policy of rebuilding and improving
the Road has been adopted, because {
| Road in good repair can be operated a
less expense than one in bad repair.
| Old debt in sterling. ng.................. STA 664
| Sale of new bonds ................ 100000 Ot
| Funded debt. 81 ,474 664 81
| which has been expended in rebuilding
and equipping the Road.
| Since the war the Road has been sup
| piled with new station and water houses
| new cross-ties, trestles and bridges, except
at Tar River and Fishing Greek, eight new
| locomotives, and five rebuilt, two hundred
] and five cars additional, four Thousand
eight hundred and fifty tons of new rail,
| and large number of old rails repaired
and new chairs to such parts Of the Road
as had never had any.
A large sum has been expended in drain
ing the road bed, which is more thor
| oughly drained than ever before old
bitches have been cleaned out and new
ones cut. The capacity for transportation
has been greatly increased. The condition
of the Road in all its departments will com
pare favorably with any previous time
| The history Of the Road shows regular
At first through travel was the great
source OF income but as the country be-
gan to develop, the local travel and freights
began to increase, and are now the largest
source of income, and will continue to in
crease as the country becomes more
densely populated and highly improved.
Recent experiments with calcareOus ma
nures or marls, which uuaerlle almost til ;
entire country, show that the pine lands
along the line Of the Road, which have
heretofore been considered Of little value
except for timber. are capable Of very
high degree of improvement. These lands,
having d capacity for growing u greater
variety of crops than any other lands,
giving health that will justify white or
black labor, will soon be more eagerly
In buying lands in an old country it is not
so much what they are as what they can
be made the one is buta temporary value,
while the other is permanent.
In the last annual report attention was
called to the adaptation of the climate and
soil to trucks, fruits and grapes. During
the past season there has been carried
more than II, 900 barrels of trucks au6
fruits. The success OF those who have
tried this new field of enterprise is guar
antee to the future increase of freights
from this source. Coming at what has
heretofore been the leisure season, it will
not require any additional expense for
transportation beyond altering cars to give
proper ventilation.
Experiments of the season show that
Wilmington has twentydays the advantage
of Norfolk in early products for market,
with better soil Cor trucks the farms
around the latter city, which heretofore
hlxyo fol lon Nf fla arlx
markets of the Northern cities, will be
transferred to the banks of the Cape Fear.
To such persons as will engage in this
branch of business there shall be no want
OF facilities in transportation to market.
North Carolina grows greater variety
OF native grapes than any where else in the
country having warmer climate they are
more delicate in flavor and richer in wine
properties than those grown in higher lati-
tudes. Points further South, the vine is
more liable to disease and the grapes to the
rot.
Eight thousand pounds on unimproved
land to the acre is very moderate yield
while the soils improved in other places,
less favorable, yield sixteen to eighteen
thousand pounds, which command from
ten to thirty cents, according to season and
quality, for table purposes. The profits
from fruits, trucks and grapes, with much
less work, are much larger than from the
usual staple crops of the country. It is
submitted that the company ought to en-
courage emigration and especially of that
class that will engagein the growth of these
products. Indeed, our own people ought
to say to northern capital and labor, if you
will not come and occupy our cheap va
cant lands, we will take some of your more
valuable crops from you by growing them
at less cost aud putting them in market at
a season of tile competition.
During tt e present fall considerable new
business Las been done by a steamboat
connection on Tar River, which would
have been larger if the Rail Road track had
extended to the boat landing on the river
so as to avoid mile of drayage between
the river and depot.
When the Tarboro' Branch was built,
considerable apprehension was felt by
some that the river would take freights
from the Road ; experience has shown that
the Road takes from the river
When the Williamson and Tarboro
Road is completed, it will give an increase
of travel and freight, especially on grain
| and provisions from the rich Albemarle
| counties, to the markets of Wilmington.
The new Iron Bridge across the North
East is completed and the one across the
Cape Fear will be done about the end of
the year. giving a connection OF the same
guage of track of 120 p1iles to the Pee
Dee River with the Wilmington, Char
lotte and Rutherford Road, and when com
pleted will extend 279 miles into the rich
valleys and mineral regions of the western
counties. These Bridges will save the ex
pense of two ferry boats, and will econo
mise time and expense in the transfer with
the Wilmington and Manchester Road.
Ihey will give an increase of income be
yond the interest on the cost of work, and
being built of iron and stone will be per
manent in their structure.
The freights to the south of Wilmin gtor
have been gradually increasing. BetWee1
Baltimore and points in South Carolina anc
Georgia they are daily growing in impor
tance. If suitable connections could bt
made with the roads beyond Klngsville
the business from that direction woulG
soon become one of the largest sources O
income. 1t is hoped that at no distan
day parties will find it to their interest t,
make these connections, and that point