The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-03-10
VIRGINIA NEWS,
For tho Dispstch. I
Another /" HtrniEnS.ahoOf.s, !

t4
The problem is TO find that location for a
railroad from Clifton Forge, In ALLEGHENY.
70 Richmond .affordihg the.lowcst erades'
the longest curves, and shortest line. with
tue least cost in money and time to build Il
and the greatest benefit to its stockhoIdars
and the community.
The location nia L%ynchburg to Richmond.
aiohg she tortuous valley of the. james as
struggles through the round, rocky eorres
Oh the mountain may furnish possibly ia
7orable grades and curves, but necessarily
It nigh cost to accomplish them. Every
foot of this entire line must yet be built.
and will encounter and interfere with rival
companies-railroads and canal-throueh-
| out.
The "straight-shoot" Via Lexington,
Amherst, &c.. crosses transverselv the
long, interlocked ridges in the Valley, the
Blue Ridge and it's buttresses on both sides.
and must also yet be built entire and en-
counter rival lines already in existence.
Now, the map shows that an airline from
Clifton Forge to the Blue Ridge tunnel at
kockhsh gap, thence ria Charlottesville
direct to Richmond, is shorter than the
route ria Lynchburg, and not materially.
If any, longerthanthe Lexington "straight-
shoot"
This Rockfish Gap route must afford most
favorable grades and curves, running, as it
does, will, the direction of the ridges and
streams in the Valley, and, from the Pc
culiar formation of the north side of the
Blu Ridge at Rockish gap, admitting an
approach by q most easy grade to the very
mouth of the tunnel thence eastward the
grade is all descending with the direction
of the valley of the Rivanna and James to
Richmond.
This route from Richmond has already
been tested by the engineers instruments,
by the surveys, for the " short track ~ to
Charlottesville, by the construction of the
railroad nor in operation from thence
THROUGH II MOUNTAIN, and from thence,
by surveys for the Valley railroad, to and
beyond Lexington-more than three-fourths
of the whole-and found to be peculiarly
favorable in all requisite characteristics.
This location, moreover, passes in all is
length through a rich marginal country
now without proper facilities to market,
| and capable in itself of supporting q rail-
road and thus, too, it interferes with no
| other or rival line wherein the State and
citizens have already vested interests.
Less time and less money riH be required
to construct this line. The Blue Ridge is
already tunnelled to embellishments cost
of both time and money q large per cent.
of the line eastward is already in operation
10 Shadwell der6t). and the short track
has virtually received a subscription from
Richmond city of 50, 900, 0O0-cnough to
build it and the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
road Company is compelled to build it in
any event. Thus more than halt the dis
tance, more than half The time, and much
more than halthe entire cost, Of a shortroad
from Richmond to Clifton Forge is already
orcrcome Jy this route, 1rhile not crenapre-
Hminary surrey is yet nude on any other.
This location, if built on by the Chesapeake
and Ohio Company, interferes with nc
other. Tie Southside can still have the
route from Lynchburg to Clifton Forge
available as ever for its service the Val
ley railroads can connect earlier with this
trunk line; the Orange and Alexandria
will be relieved of any serious marginal
competition.
Details Of distance and other character
istics Will bc given in q second number.
ROCKPISu GAP.