The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-06-13
EorihN dispatch.

r,}ly preceded by an appeal to the purses
~ nriyatc individuals and the credit al the
community in whose behalf the enterprise
i, projected.
Now. the success Of such appeals depends
-, f,c value OF the work 10 the parties APP
,,,s,.s 70. the certainty Of It's accomplish
,ocni, and the extent of the demand on the
;m5ydual'S pocket and the communities
>rrnnC-boN.
~ The rGlue Of the " straight shoot"
,h;nl there can be but one opinion, espe-
'.;.iK if in making the estimate its conncc-
,.,n with the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad
y. hroucht into the calculation. AS 10 the
CERTAINTY Of its construction no one can
>,rak positively. hut If there Is any truth in
t,r logic O! events, the time Is near 1t hand
whcn il must he built under the idscS Of ne
r<,ty and Scif.prcSerrat'oa unless, indeed,
Richmond is so suicidal i'll her measures, so
dad to her most vital interests, as to bring
~ active opposition TO bear against it.
Let u> see what will probably be the de-
,,,,nd on our purses and >tronS-aoH, and
,,hrther in the investigation we can man.
an. ~ place the demand below the reco'linJ
..Y.t: and lust here | be- my fcllow-citi-
g,n,to" lend me their ears. not Tor the pur-
;,,>e al whec6ing the lnwary into looSiug
their DurSc-stringS, but to show them what
arrears 10 me can DC done towards build
in, The road in question by comparatively
small outlay. In former article on the
straight shoot : have spoken of the pro-
',.EiIiiy of obtainin. gratis the right of ardy
and land sufficient for all the purposes of
The road along the entire line. To this l
will add. from information recently oh.
fHu,i,. tho probability Of getting the tics
a The cost OF cutting and hauling. Besides,
l., an Inspection Of the map it will be seen
HAT. starring from Richmond. an air.
I'm" H. lynrhburS would coincide with
IKE Richmond and Danyille railroad to
Tcna!awk station. distance of twenty
v.lc>. 20 much, then. of the "strai" ht
.hoot " may DC considered rs already built,
.u.l that, too, the most expensive and most
t.fHrult portion OF the road. From Toma-
aiwk station to Lynchhurg is screnty-seven
and half miles, as the crow flies. The
country between these points being for the
most part the ridge from which the water
flows on the one hand into the Apponat-
tx. and on the other into the James river.
speak by tho card when | say if the
connection is made with the Richmond and
I3uSiile railroad at TomahaWk station the
- Of that road for the "straight shoot"
an hc obtained at Il fair compensation for
},i" conveyance OF its frcigctS and paSScn-
-rI> TO and from its terminus ut Richmond.
The cost per mile of building the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad was $50, 900, that
o The Washington Branch $4,000, the
Grange and Alexandria 10000, the Rich
mont and Petersburg go 900, and the
Richmond and Danyiiic $4,000, including
rquipmcnt sufficient to meet the demands
upon the roads at the time of throwing
Them open to the public. The country
through which the "Straight shoot" will
pass comuarcS fayorahly with that travcrScd
ty the Richmond and Danvillc road. So
that the estimates for building that portion
at The "Straight shoot between Tomahawk
>t5'ionand Lvnchburg may be fairly based on
TIM cost of the Richmond and Danvillc. But,
taking into consideration the donations
and concessions that may reasonably he cX-
prgted to he made to the former, ltS cost
would he at least $1,000 per mile less than
the latter road. Putting it 1T So, COS per
mil" IA mere barttellc compared TO the cost
Der mile Of the Baltimore and Ohio rail
ready. the entire cost Of the straight shoot
to be built would be considerably under
-, ono. 600.
The suggestion Of connection with the
Richmond and Danyille railroad at Toma-
hawk station is only made Oh the grounds
Of cXpcdcncy. with view to temporary
and economical purposes for. to dclclopC
the full capacity Of the straight shoot, it
must eventually stand independent and
alone.
have spoken before of thc reasonable
cXprctation that the counties OF Chester
field. Powiiatan. Cumberland, ana Buck.
inghanl. would contribute something 10 the
work that i to confer such great benefits
on their people. To the counties named
we might add that Of AppomattoN.
have also alluded to the subscription 10y
the city OF Richmond Of -, 10000 to the
thesapcake and Ohio railroad, part o
which we might justly claim to be applied
TO the building of the " straight shoot, IL
this road will become the terminal section
ol the iron bands between the James ant
the Ohio. Ii these expectations are b!l
partially realized, it will materially ald II
raising means for building the road Inqucs
ton, and at less moncyd outlay than an.
other railroad built III Virginia, unles
it bc the York River, OF which have n'
knowledge.
There is every reason to believe that |
will be but short time after the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad is united with the Lynch
burg road at Clifton Forge that the HrS
continuous double track in Virginia VIII p'
on the line of the - straight shoot" SIN
ole track not being sufficient to acconmo
date the vast trade and travel that VIII D'
poured upon it Ivy the Virginia and Ten
ncssce and the Lynchburg and Cliitol
Forge railroads, with the return trclghts
&c.. going West. ~
There vas a time in the progress of TIN
building Of the Baltimore and OHIO railroad
when the pledges and obligations oi tn
cilv of Baltimore on account OF the roal
amounted to the value Of the whole oil th'
real estate in the city and from the sam
cause the State of Maryland was placed OF
the verge Of bankruptcy. 1T this crltic'
period George Peabody stepped 1orWart
and sustained their credit; but it remalnet
for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. ate
i< completion, to redeem the pledged taltI
Of both city and Stale.
In the foregoing remarks l have enuea
yortd to shadow forth the elements OF sue
cess. and TO give an outline of the value o
the results, together with the approximate
COST A. tie tt6-Tst Straight SHOOT"
With the economical advantages, the
liberal donations for its construction, ana
the immense transportation business to fol'
law its construction, herein glanced at,
where could capital find better invest
mcnt in railroad stock? If capitalists can
TO induced to put their money IN any rail-
road south of Mason and Dixon, surely
nothing can be safer or more desirable than
The straight shoot"
/ feel now that / am approaching The
most delicate part Of my subject, ana pro
pose to get over it as soon rs possible. MO
ney will be required for preliminary ptlr,
I'nscs-such as making reconnaissance o.
The county to determine the route, the prl'
mary survey, drawing, etc; This REQUIRE s>
about g., 800, which may be readily raised
lv individual contributions. Next, fol-
starting the road and building about twenty
miles, the city must lend its credit to the
amount of S50O,0O0 That is all the rest
will he voluntary subscriptions and mort
na..u k,nnds Thnn the road will 90 along