The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-17
OUR RAILROAD SYSTEM.
WHAT NORFOLK rs DOING

WHAT NORFOLK rs DOING.
A Tn1ix with EIr. John Everttt. Of Lon
don-qhe Question Of Gauge-Low
speed and Cheap Rates-The Rail-
roads and Resources OF the south
The Virginia Consolidation-General
Malone the Biggest Man In the South
NORFOLK and Direct Trade, &c.
The following is an extract from recent let
ter by Gath" the Washington. correspondent
of the Chicago Tribune:
Yon have been curious to know, no doubt,
the different steps of the process by which
foreign capitalists make American Investments.
with YOUR curiosity luckily fell last night
upon gentleman whose commandments
will satisfy both of us. Returning to Washing
ron from Sunday spent IN New York, made
The acquaintance. between the Whltts OF our
cigars, Of thick set, silyer-bearded, Br1lsh-
built gentleman, whose caro-. as aieer%aIas
don. No. 70 Wall-street, New York." Perceiv-
inc his want of familiarity with the route and
having often experienced myself the need OF
talkatiye railway acquaintance in fore gn
land. I explained the landmarks we passed,
and revived the carly days OF railroadins be-
tweo Washington and New York. BY his par
allel accounts Of railroading IN Great Bri!ain,
saw that this and kindred subjects we're made
luminous by his experience, aud very soon the
;mnersonaIity of our conversation Was put by.
found that my casual -1riend was al agent
and principal of foreign capital, seeking IN
yestments here. The conversation soon turn
ed upon
SIR MORTON PETo AND THE ATLANTIC AND GREAT
WESTERN RAILROAD.
els Sir Morton in q fair way OF getting on his
"Yes: he has passed the Court OF Bank
ruptcy; tho past is wiped out; he is a up en,
did man, with genius and courage. and Will
undoub edly revive. He WAS oVertaAen py tne
panic of 1866. and he had pilhaps been too OK
fensiye in his enterprises But his integrity is
beyond reproach. he anl others were made
the vi tins OF the insufi,lepcy Of the Balk OF
ENGLAND to do the exchanges of England
1.-The Atlantic and Great Western Hlllroad,
Peto's foundliug, seems to meet with the i'll
fate of broad gauge roads in general"
sYes; that road is Mr.. McHenry's scion,
chiefly. His original theory OF it was great
forked highway, independent Of the Erie Road,
to to- tap tan St. Louis and Chicago, and find outlet
at Bos on. Tho junction at Salamanca was an
after thought of necessity. But, as you re-
mark, broad-gauge roads have had the same
fate the world round, aud the original quarrel
between Stephenson and Brunell. ut the build
ing of the British Great Western Railway,
ought to have been conclusive. Bruneii was
the wild protector of broatl-gauge roads.
"Yes," interpolated, land Of broad. gauge
ships, uide the huge failure OF the Great East
crn."
s.precisely sd Brunell contonded that the
broad-pauce was the permanent, the spacious,
the elegant and the ultimately cheap road. 10
which Stephenson replied Now, men, what
do yo spcak.of2 Can ye build the SIX fees tun-
mel cheaper than tho fur feet The six feet
axle, the six feet driver, the sx feet roadway
Wp want the roads for speedy use. This king
dom cries for them. Let US stick to the cheap
yaugel' But Brunell perseyered, and the
Great Western, in England, Is approximately
tho fciI,,~A of tl,a Great Western a"''"'''a'---
CHEAP TRANSIT AT LOW RATE OF SPEED.
"There is q question" said my com panion,
after a pause, (which am engaged in press
ing upon tho people here-tho people OF the
South, emincntly, where have been travelling
and mak:u,, Investments. Ii ls o question
vital to the American people, and their rail-
ways to the fullest extent, by running slow
and frequent trains OF freight at greatly re-
duced rates Of shipment. You know, sup
pose, that very many Of your railways are
in use not more than four hours out OF
the 1wenty-four. You know that. in geo
metrical progression, almost, the cost OF rail-,
Way carriages increases with the rate OF
speed. 1t costs half as much to run train
nj ten miles an hour as at twenty. Incre $50
the rate to thirty and it costs double the
tariff at twenty. The fuel, the wear and tear,
accident, cost of rolling stock make the diter.
ences. An engine, to run forty miles an hour,
as some OF ours dc, costs an extravagant sum
of money; It must weigh SIXTY tons to IN in
rails. The speed shakes the extravagant en-
zine speedily to pieces. We have found in
England, that no railway train pays anywhere
in the kingdom which exceeds thirty miles an
hour. The Royal Holyhead mail, which makes
a mile minute exclusive OF stoppages. has TO
be gu sidized eXtravagantly. Ihe same ap-
plies to fast ships. Behold, only yesterday the
French steamer Periere, built to outstrlp the
Scotia. puts back TO Havro with her engine
room full OF dead men. High rates o. speed
That was the matter. That destroyed your
Collins line of vessels. But for the mai sub
sidy and the extraordinary competition IN
England between railways, We shoul not have
a train to c;;:ke above thirty miles an hour.
Our island is hardly longer than the state OF
New York, but in this country, where you nave
so vast di stances between your grain and cot
ton districts and the sea, Cbc subject OF low
speed for the sake Of cheap fre!ghts Is cf vital
Importance. Let mo illustrate IL by personal
experience.
THE WAY THE ENGLISH GOT CONSOLIDATED
LINE FROM NORFOLK To MEMPHIS.
II have recently made gratifying trip
through the South, investing somo money, ana
proposing to invest more, III tho Mobile aud
Ohio. and tho Selma and Dalton Railroads.. L
was almost thrilled. if an Enslishman can say
80, with the beautiful lands OF alabama anu
Mississippi; noble prairie capao'e, OF raising
grain, tobacco or cotton equally well; anu us
rode in special tain troni chicago 10 aioOile'
met the leading people of the country. wear
ing that incopsolable look OF despair which
has been impressed upon them by defeat, the
loss of their slaves, end consequent poverty.
"Great Heavens, gentlemen J. SAID, you
will make me as sour as yourselves yod
dwell thus persistentlY upon your Gala mltles.
A people have no business TO concern eheui-
selves IN politics to the exclusion OF tier pri-
vate concerns. I have been an associ1te III
Englaud of Golden and those who stroVe TO
release trade from imposition. and the WORK
was earnest and enthusiastic with ME; but
would have been fool t) have enSui1eu III IL
all nv private fortune, ceased my private en-
deavors and become the victim oil sct or pol
iticuus, such as excite you now to make pon-
tics your entire subject Of grief ana a@ltation.
Go 10 work! Set your Affairs rlgnt, ahd nap
rier politics will come. See what you are
doing; paying III Illinois dollar and quarter
q busael iof grain, and growing noIc your.
selves, though with land fully Us excelientl Ii
you cannot cultivate oil your estate, cultivate
part, certainly oDough to raise ioou To Cal.
Keep every cent beside sou ahd put IL lnlo rall
wa,s, Establish fJr yourselves cohSolli itled
line from the Mississippi TO tp5 At an'lc, so
that you can seud cotton and tobacco, %ltiiout
transhiplneut, straight to Liverpool. Ino trae
theory of wise commerce IS to bny Ill the
cbea1s,st market and sell in the dearest Ralso