New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-10-14


where men could only crawl their hands and knees
be supported by ropes.
The result Is o roadway which passes through the
mountains easier grade by far than any other OF
the great East and West lines connecting the Atlantic
with the West Tho Erie Railway has grades "a high a.
81 feet TO the mile the Pennsyvana has os feet to the
mile the NewYork Central, though in general 1t has
easy grades to 95 feet to tho mile the Balti-
more and Ohio runs up to ZIG feet TO the mile. The
Chesapeake and Ohio will have grades over 80 feet to
the mile facing west and west Of Towards Creek 1t has
none over 20 feet to the mile 1t will have the lowest
grades Of all the great East and West lines, and this
joined to the fact that 1t taps tho Ohio at point Hun
ington low down that Is always accessible to steam
boats and that 1t will give the Southwest Its shortest
connection with the Atlantic, would make great en-
trpse important the country even If 1t did not pass
through region Of unexampled richness in COAL iron'
and timber which has heretofore been shut out from
market and closed against capital and industry.
The New River and the Greenbrer have In the course
Of ages their way through the, mass OF Hills ana
mountains which lie between the Falls OF kanawns anu
the White Sulphur SPRING. In all this country 80 lar
could notice, there very few signs OF the upheava
strata The rocks lie in their beds ss they were DO
posted and the river to have worn Its way down
from the tops Of the mountains to Its present level
was to carry an easy grade that the engineers or 'e
Chesapeake and Ohio Road selected the course VI
the New River for their line Inero' Ne'"0
had done, in the course perhaps, OF miiiions y, '
work of excavation for them, which gave tnem 'he
means Of laying roadbed 90 nearly ieVel uhsS ~ p
sents no obstacles to travel transportation Tney had
only To take care that the road should run above tine
level OF high water and the river rises sometimes ~
or 30 feet this placed the line mRn ABOVE inc 10"
water which prevails at this season OF the year. AT TWO
GREAT bends which the New River makes, tunnels are
building One Of these. oOo feet long, will be the long
est in the United States until the Hoosao tunnel Is CON-
mill NJ
ing In these tunnels large gangs Of men are employed
at several points; and the whole line Is in
good state Of forwardness. With the excep-
ton Of some miles Of easy work near the
Greenbrer which be done rapidly that 1t was not
advisable to put 1t under contract until next SPRING
whole line Of the New River and Greenbrer Is under
contract and everywhere the contractors gangs are
busily at work. great part Of the road-bed
has already been completed, and all s 30 planned and
carried on that the whole line shall be done stimuli
taneously with the tunnel at Great Bend There no
reason to doubt that the work is now going on, tho
road can be opened by before next october, which
believe the engineers expect to accomplish. Indeed,
though there Is still heavy work to be donc-for 1t
is ALL or nearly ALL heavy work-t seemed to me that the
worst had been done first, and that what remains Is
neither difficult likely to be SO costly or tedious
what finished The piers of the bridge at the Gross
ing Of the New River Mlers Ferry for instance the
longest bridge the road completed and one span
Of the bridge will be laid this Fall This bridge will be
$40 feet long, and the span which was being raised when
passed there was $50 feet in length.
There s very little bridging needed on the New River
believe there Is only one other bridge besides that men
toned above), and there will be no trestle-work at all
for ITO miles of road. Eventually believe, 1t LIS In
tended to replace all the resteworS there Is with ma
sonry or with dirt embankments noticed that every
BRIDGE since we left the Ohio River Is completed for
double track; and told that all the tunnels but two
Ia Mo oils
Indeed Thorough to be the motto Of the engineers
About 5000 men employed on the work OF con-
structon along the unfinished part OF the line The
greater part Of these negroes from Eastern Virginia
AS rode along among the working parties thought
them for the most part stalwart able bodied fellows;
and everywhere through this New River country wnere
the hardest work Is to be DONE the engineers and con-
tractors assure that the blacks not only the best
aborers they can get but good they want. There
ia no better labor In the world, Sir than these feows
said contractor to me, who Is himself Vrgnian ana
was, I believe formerly alsavehoder. l inquired at
every working station and Of every man who had the
management Of them, and this Is the universal tes
mony. They obligng, quiet sober, goodtempered
they do not shrk hard work. reasonably Intelligent;
make-eo the contractor oDe Of the tunnels told me
land he also Virginian)-the best miners In the
tunnels; and many Of them bscksmiths, and work
at other mechanical employments.
believe but few OF them have learned to read AS we
rode
and with very few exceptions the reply was No. Sar,
often with shamed face The contractors tell me that the
negroes good deal Of money more, one contractor
thought than the rshmen; he had often considerable
sum in his hands, the savings Of his He asked me
notice the quiet In his camp, where 800 men were en-
p3Oyed and where arrived on Sunday evening, just
at dusk. 1t was indeed quiet New England town.
On the divisions where the force cOnsists partly OF
white men, usually discovered grogshop or bar. The
counties license these nusances; but was glad 10 be
told that the negroes do not frequent them Their ex
emptoa from this vice of whisky drinking which seems
to he general must think, do much for then in raising
them respectable place in the community wherever
we rode, saw whites and negroes working together,
pushing at the same car, shovehng at the same dirt
heap lifting together at one In the work there Is
absolutely distinction Of color nor did in any case
see any dislike bullying Of colOred man by white
man. The foreman addressed the men quietly, and
though In the tunnels especially, everything Is pushed
forward with energy and vigor and the men are much
crowded together the work went with less noise and
fewer orders than have heard in similar work ct the
North, among force of white laborers.
Cant you read" asked blacksmith at work his
forge. He replied, "NoSarI amt had time to larn."
reproached him for dlsness when ne replied, arn
dis handiwork since de freedom come sar In Slavery
he was only field hand, and he seemed ~ be proud
that he had acquired trade.
The contractors have but complaint to Of the
negroes-that they wH homo during harvest and at
Christmas This, they say breaks up their work, at
Christmas for nearly month. believe they could, to
considerable extent prevent this they would provide
some kind Of amusement for the men. advised one Of
them TO set up evening schools end to provide
onay In his camp sort OF game, show which
should gYe variety the lives Of his workmen. 1t
pity that the opportunity Of this life in the wilderness
could not be used teach these people, in their Idle
evenings how read and write and that they
would be steader laborers were they thus provided
with for their unemployed hours But as one
contractor remarked to me- 1t lie the Of lives
who build railroads. that have hardly organized