Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-06-28
LuRAY, Va, june goth, 1870.
W. n. Hubert, Esq, Eslito, Roanoke Times

~ IL huOOeFL, Esq, Edu0y h0AH0+Se t"teS
Salem, Va.
DEAR SIR Your letter of the 5th inst,
reached here during my absence at Phiadel-
| phia, and since my return, only few days
ago, my time has been so much occupied with
my business that have not had the leisure to
reply satisfactorily to your interesting inqui-
! ries till this moment. l am much gratiied
at the evidence which your letter affords of
the fairness with which you are disposed to
deal with the important enterprise in which
the s. v. r. R. Company is engaged. In or
der that your inquiries may be fully UNDER
stood, and that my reply may be seen and
properly appreciated, Ct take it you design to
published both,) have determined to make
my reply as full and succinct as possible
! LIST. The Shenandoah Valley Railroad
| Company has the ability to complete its road ];
but we desire local aid and county subscrip-
tions>to a limited extent, and the right of way.
This we deem important in order that we may
secure the friendly feeling and support of the
people of the counties along the line of the
proposed road, and protectthe company against
future hostile legislation.
2nd. I am not able at present to inform
YOU whether Salem will be the terminus of
the road or not (?). That will depend en-
tirely upon the result of the survey to be com
pleted in few days, and the aid given to our
road by the town of Salem and.the county of
Roanoke.
3rd The Shenandoah Valley Railroad will
be built regardless of the construction of any
| other road and there is no contingency in
which it will be abandoned in favor of the
Valley Railroad Company. We have fixed
| purpose and determination to build the road.
| We will not use the track of the Valley Rail-
road after leaving Staunton, in the event it
be built before the S. V. r. r.. which event.
however, 1 do not anticipate. We intend to
| construct through line from the Potomac to
the Va. & Tenn. X. r., and in no event to
construct road simply from the Potomac to
the Chesapeake & o. r. II. We intend the
| Shenandoah Vallry Railroad to be the short
through line from the North to the South and
| South west, which contamination we can ac-
complish fully and easily with friendly north>
ern railroad lines, and the favorable connect
ions we will be able to make with the Allan
tic, Mississippi and Ohio Road under the
management and control Of Gen. Malone
Now sir, permit me say, in addition to the
above answers to your inquiries, that we have
prosecuted our plans and purposes quietly,
but with great industry. The survey was
commenced the first of May, and three corps
| of experienced and accomplished engineers
| were placed in the field, comprising thirty
men IN all, all of whom have been promptly
paid out of funds other than those subscribed
by citizens and counties along the line of the
road The entire survey of our road, inclu>
ding branches to Harrisonburg and Lexing-
ton, will be completed by the first day of Ju-
| ly next. So far as the survey has been com>
| pleted it is of the most satisfactory character
| The line is almost straight, the grade very low
for the nine-tenths of the entire distance it
does not exceed so feet to the mile, and no
grade exceeds 50 feet 1t will not vary from
| the Potomac to the Va. g. Tenn. road five
miles from n perfectly straight line in dis
lance of 220 miles. The character of the
country through which it passes is unsurpass-
ed in the rich aud broad valleys of the Poto-
mao, the Shenandoah and the James, and
their abundant agricultural products of every
| description are too we'll known to need any
extended remark of them here. And along
the whole line of the road continuous and
most extensive veins of iron ore of a most SUI
perior quality and unsurpassed by any on this
continent abound. Numerous furnaces of high
grade already exist along the line of the road,
whore this ore has been fully aud thoroughly
| tested. Whilst much transportation of
profitable character to the road will be furnish
ed in agricultural products, all this will dwin-
die into utter insignifcance when compared
with the heavy freights furnished by the
transportation of mineral products, including
iron ore, manufactured iron and coal. [ think
l can safely say, from my own personal knowl-
edge, that the mineral products will furnish
| twenty-fold more transportation to the road
than all the agricultural products of the great
| Shenandoah Valley, from the Potomac to Sa-
| lem. For instance one Iron Company situa>
ted in the county of Page, will erect a rolling
mill, in addition to their present works i'm
mediately and guarantee freight to the road, to
the amount of one hundred thousand dollars
in the brief period of five years the mineral
tonnage to the road will amount to $1,000
| 900 per annum. Again, for one moment, let
me call your attention to another important
view of the subject, the increase in the value
of the lands along the line of the road Sup
posing the lands along this proposed road to
| Salem to be worth S25, OOO,O 900 at this time,
1 think 1 can safely say, judging from the
country on the lines of the other roads in the
| State of Virginia, that our lands will be worth
at least $4,000, 900 in ten years time, or
| double its present value. All this may be
accomplished by the construction of the Shen>
andoah Valley railroad which, with its nothern
connections, will pass through Maryland,
Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the city of
| New York in which States there is q surplus
of people and capital, which will be trans
ferred to the Shenandoah Valley to increase
our population, purchase our lands, develope
our rich mineral resources, and erect useful
manufacturing establishments ofvarious kinds.
Our engineers are now engaged in Office