Smyrna times., 1871-01-04

The BOMBAY Hook RAILROAD SCHEME
The Philadelphia Ledger throws cold water on
"the direct Southern route railroad enterprise,
of which the proposed Bombay Hook railroad
is to be an important link, if the chain is ever
completed and ridicules the idea that it will
be direct or feasible route 1t says:
A foolish story, started by New York
paper, Is going the rounds Of the press, to the
effect that the commerce of that city is TO be
largely increased by what is called "a direct
southern route railroad that don't 20 through
Philadelphia" And what does the reader
| think this new route isl 1t is the Nineand
Railway, q little local enterprise that runs
north through the middle of the State of New
Jersey. from Vineland, new village on the
| Cape May Railroad, to AtsiOn, on the Della
ware Bay Railway, the distance being some
twenty miles, thence to follow the old Della
Ware and Raritan Bay road to the sea, some
thirty or forty miles from New York. The
| Flneland link is to connect certain built and
unbilt local lines of railway further south, and
crossing Delaware Bay, in big boats, to form
IA direct line" that is ITO largely increase
the business prosperity of New York. As to
a " direct line, let any One curious in the
matter put his eye on a map of the route and
he will find that the only direct line, and the
only practicable direct line from Baltimore to
New York, having any reference to traffic and
population, is that Of the Philadelph phia Viii
mingtOn and Baltimore, and the Camden and
Amboy Company lines As to the Fineand
route, it is not only far more circuitouS, but il
ignores all the important considerations that
used to govern in railroad making; namely
that of locating them where there is tho mos
Of population and business. The new route
mentioned, does not pass through a town o
the least Importance, on the whole distanc,
from the Chess peake to the Raritan, and run
, through district OF country of little enter
! prise, and that little enterprise already accom-
E mHdated with railway transportation. In ad
ditiOn to all this, there is the costly hinderanc
OF crossing the Delaware Bay, matter tina
| would OF itself defeat far more promising un
, dertaking."
D We do not know to what extent the partie
: now said to be engineering this scheme hav
. raised their anticipations to make "grea
6 Southern route of it, but we think such ar
ticipations are not very great The real objet
seems to be to give New York more and cheal
It or railroad facilities to this great fruit and prC
l. duce section without having Philadelphia as
j. competitor And perhaps it is not known tn;
is the work required to complete the route is
1t limited The Ledger conveys the impressio
= that the Jersey part OF it is only finished
h Fineland, but really it is completed to Stow
n Creek, on the Bay, opposite Bombay Hool
e On this side the route is completed, or will |
in few days doubtless, from Clayton to o,
!. ford, on the Chesapeake. 1t is therefore on
l, necessary to construct the Bombay Hook roa
t. about miles long, to make the route complc
It across the Peninsula, from Bay to Bay Th
> can be done at an expense Of from $40, 600
a 100000, according to the estimate of cngi
5 GERS, who have surveyed the line recent,
Ie Whether this sum will be the feather that vi
T. break the cameps back, or whether the p. Y
ID & B. Co., will break it if they see it /" a COZ
er in, we can only conjecture. Those who pr
ID tend to know say that its back can't be brok
lie and that the enterprise will 20 through fca
ble or not feasble-upon which we hazard
opinion. That there is great interest attachi
to the enterprise is quite evident, and a live
le time is anticipated at the election of Directc
D. to be held in this town on the lltl inst