The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-03-05
An Old Rugbear.

For wears there has prevailed amongst
NORTON of our people, and some OF them
highly intelligent people, morbid appre-
hension that there was sort of conspiracy
amongst railroads to leave this city entirely
ous Of the calculation, and transport every
thing seeking shipment to salt water 10
places where there are neither towns nor
yharyes. Such conspiracies are Of course
mere chineras of the brain. Railroads
seek their own convenience and profit.
That is the worst that con be said OF them
If they have no soul, like other corporations
to do ANYTHING better, they have ncne 10 GO
anything worse. ,,,,.o.
But could they do better for themselves
or the public We believe not, ana tina. 's
the hest security that they will do nothing
to iniure the city where they have their
terminus.
What are railroad wars for? To get
freight and passengers. And what is better
for tho termini of railroad Ana II If
the best way to get freight and passengers
to make the termiui prosperous and great
Every thousand added to the population
every step Of increase to the trade-s"eiis
the freight Of the road and adds to the
number of it's passengers.
No railroad wants to divide its 1reisn's
between large town and an obscure snip
ping-place. The heavy work OF loauihg
and unloading can be pore economically
expeditiously, and securely conducted al
it's terminus in large city, where are
its depots, it's shops, its laborers, and Its
teams. Repairs are done in the intervals
of loading and unloading, and so, at such
times, are examinations of cars and loco
motives made by the machinists, whose in
spection is necessary to the safety and
expeditiousness of railroad operations.
These are oyerruling conditions. No
railroad company would be so extravagant
as to have two places of shipment where
one would answer, and none would select
an obscure place, where there was no town,
and turn away altogether from large
town or city, where ships came, and where
every accommodation for shipment existed.
1t would be q lnonstrous thing to do SO.
Now, this is the bugbear so long possess
ing the minds of some Of our people.
The terminus of railroad must be in q
city, and the chief desire of q railroad
company is to select that which is the largest
of those located at convenient place for
shipment of the freight it carries. Take
the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad for ex-
ample. 1t can bring nothing to this city
which will not find ready shipment hence.
Coal and iron ore will be its heaviest freight
A large part of it will necessarily he for
delivery here for manufacturing purposes.
Will it attempt to divide that freight and
take part to West Point, or some fishing hole
on some tidal stream where nobody lives,
where it cannot afford to build depots and
shops, and where the invitation to ships is
the broken freights that it may have to
take thither? This would be nonserse-it
would be worse than nonsense.
1t has been shown in this paper that
freights may be taken by water from this
city to New York at two dollars per ton less
than by rail from Petersburg 10 Norfolk
aud thence by sea. Where would be the
inducement to lengthen the line of railroad
transportation beyond this city, espe-
cially when we consider that the added
length would be entirely without that i'm
portant support to acknowledgements!
What earthly motive, then, can there be
10 prompt the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail
road Company to seek another point OF
shipment Here will be the ships ready
to receive it's freights here, necessarily,
the point of delivery Of large part OF
what it transports here are its deposs, lts
shops, and machinists; its governing power,
ia engineers, its laborers, and its supplies
here, too, it would have health and comfort,
entire freedom from malarial diseases and
other local sources Of harassment and
weakness, such as may beset railroad ter
mini, at least at some of the points that
the company has been charged with having
its eye uron.
Oh no, the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
road Company is too shrewd corporation
to perpetrate such folly as to attempt to
scatter their freights at the Virginia tide.
Richmond will be their terminus on the
water, and will answer all their purposes
completely.