The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-05-26
North Carolina railroad Company.

lions from COL Smith in relation to the con-
solicitation of the North Carolina Railroad
Company aud the Atlantic s. North Caro-
lima Railroad Company, and the meeting
called by Edward R. Stanly, President OF
the latter Road, at Newbern, on the I'd day
of June. This is very important subject,
not only to the stockholders of the Roads,
but to the people Of the State. The great
question in the South now is, how shall we
get through and connecting lines of Railroads
from the Sonth and South west so that
freight and passengers can reach New York.
Baltimore and Norfolk without change OF
cars or breaking bulk The commerce OF
The country demand this, and we may pass
laws, hold meetings, resolve and re-resolve
as much as we choose, the great laws OF trade
and commerce cannot be changed. If the
roads we now have will not do it, new roads
1 will be built that will 1t is time the people of
North Carolina should study the lines If trade
that come from all points of the compass
to North Carolina, through which State the
] principal trade south and west must pass.
| Before the war, in building Railroads in the
South, through communication North was
not desired Every road must bend so as
to build up some "Southern Harbcr." The
cities of Charleston and Savannah were great
| shipping ports for cotton; but with the war
came new era in Railroads. !. Heretofore it
| was said that cotton must seek market by
water communication. 1t is found by expe
| rience that railroads can, not only compete
| with water, but can take the cotton by rail
to New York and Baltimore cheaper than it
can be hauled to the sea and shipped. A
large portion of the last years crop of cotton
reached New York by rail from Georgia and
Alabama. The freight, or the bulk Of it,
passed over the Western and Middle Ten
nessee Railroad, around by Louisville, and
reached tide water by the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, when every pound of this
freight ought, of right to have passed through
North Carolina Our State is peculiarly
situated, bounded west by the mountains
and east by the sea. Experience proves
that railroads cannot be run in a country of
high grade and compete with those of a
low grade Hence it is, when we have COM
pleted some of the great through lines, We
can take the crops from South Carolina,
Georgia, Alabama, and even Mis- issippi north
over our roads, cheaper than by the Tennes-
see roads. The Wilmington and Weldon
Railroad is far in advance of any other line
in rearching out for through combinations.
The stockholders have purchased the Man.
chester Road, and are preparing to extend
this to central Georgia, thus sweeping the
coast to Norfolk by the Seaboard and Roam
oke, or New York via Baltimore While they
have greater distance than other lines,
they have the advantage of low grade.
The next line is the Chatham, which, when
completed to Columbia, S. c., will shorten
the distance some eighty miles. This Road
has also the benefit of low grade and
when completed will be the only dangerous
competitor the Wilmington and Weldon
road will have. Next we have the North
Carolina Railroad, which extends from
Goldsboro to Charlotte. This cannot be
called, properly, through North and
South line. 1t starts from Charlotte and
runs to Greensboro, thence bends South to
Raleigh and Goldsboro. The freight which
passes South from Greensboro does so be-
cause the guage of the Danville Road is the
wide guage, while the North Carolina Road
has the narrow guage. Let this difficulty
be at once remedied, and the air line from
Atlanta, Ga, to Richmond, Va, will be the
shortest and third through line, North and
South. However, neither this nor the Chat
ham is yet completed. Each of these lines
will have the tendency to cut up the North
Carolina Road from Greensboro, especially,
now that the new terminus of the Western
Road has been fixed at Salisbury. By
looking at this matter impartially, we
can come to but one conclusion, as to the
future OF all the North Carolina Railroads,
which run East and West, except the Will
mington, Charlotte and Rutherford and the
Western North Carolina Railroad, and
that is: they must become feeders, or
branches of one of the great through lines.
of which We have spoken. The Western
Roads can never be more than arms of the
Chatham. The same is true, as it seems to us.
of the Atlantic and North Carolina, and that
part of the North Carolina Road east of
Raleigh. 1t is not SO evident that the
North Carolina Road, between Greensboro
and Raleigh will be merely side road, as
it points to Norfolk. When the Western
North Carolina Road is completed. the
freight that starts from the sea, will 90 to
Wilmington over the Wilmington Charlotte
and Rutherford road, to Morehead CITY. or
over the Central, Oia Raleigh and CASTOR to
Norfolk. In that case, the air line will be
only competing line, for Baltimore or New
York trade
There is another view of this matter. II
is conceded that we must have, at no distant
dag, South Pacific Railroad. While manv
lines are spoken of, the one upon the thirty
fifth parallel is that which commends itself
TO the people. This will terminate at Fort
Smith. Arkansas, and from thence to Mem
plIis. Chattanooga and ever the Western
North Carolina Railroad to Salisbury Rv
this route k'an Francisco is nearly four hun
dred miles neGrer tide scater 5y ooino to WI.