The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-11-02

!. Gom Richmond to Covington, a distanc
D of 205 miles, in 1861. While it wa
, building the State OF Virginia undertoo
5 to build railroad from Covington t
the Ohio river, to complete the lin
from the west to the tide-water. On thi
work the State spent $3,40O,O0O, an
what it did was magnifcently done
The masonry tunnels are all doubl
tracked, the cuts are straight and clean
and the line its engineers laid has al
mirably low grades and easy curves.
But the war stopped this work
After the war the State was unable t,
finish it, and finally law was passec
granting to the Virginia Central com
pany all the franchises and property o
that portion begun by the State, on th'
condition that they should complete il
to the Ohio river. The two portion,
were consolidated under new name
the Chesapeake and Ohio-and, at 6
later period, New York capitalists, dis
covering the
1 GREAT ADVANTAGES OF Tue ROUTE,
and its immense resources, stepped in
with abundant means and determined
to complete the work. They received
from the State free gift Of all that the
State had done west OF Covington; are
relieved from taxation until the divi'
dends reach ten per cent, and have
some other important privileges. The
gentlemen who thus seized upon what
seems to me one OF the greatest oppor-
tunties in the country for solid and
profitable investment of capital were
Messrs. A. A. Low, William II. Aspin.
wall, Jonas g. Clarke, Richard Irwin,
William B. Hatch, P. Fisk and G. P.
Huntington, the last named being Pres
dent of the company.
General w. e. Wickham, General
Anderson, and several other Virginians
are also among the directors. With men
like these al. the back of it the work is
g9iassaa RAPIDLY, lyy,sAe and yillS SbsiaaaIg,"sisH
the solidity OF the masonry and the tho
roughncss with which every part Of the
work is done. The tunnels and bridges
are all, with the exception OF two tun-
nels, prepared for double track; the
whole line can be double tracked at a
mparatively small expense whenever
it becomes necessary, and the land In
vestments made, not only at Hunting
ton, but all along the line, at every
point where there is likely TO be an
important town, promise in themselves
to pay masnifcently. The work is done
for cash, and accordingly there is no
waste; with a country of wonderful min
eral and other wealth to delvelop, and
western connections, which will make
it, when completed, one OF the great
through lines connecting the west with
,idewater-considering also its low
grades and its small cost compared with
other through lines, it will have great
advantages over its competitors.
On some parts Of the line east OF the
White Sulphur, where the State work
was not completed, convicts from the
p.nitentiary are employed 10y the con-
tractors. They are dressed in shirts
and trowsers, with broad black stripes,
live in logcabins with iron-grated win
dows, and work in the neighborhood OF
guards armed with carbines. They
looked lively, healthy and vigorous, and,
| was told, thrive much better than IN
prison. White and black are at work
together; and | was told 10y one guard
that he had more whites than negroes
under his charge. Their work is chiefly
| in Lewis tunnel, and at two great EN-
bankments, of which | will tell you
presently. The State receives for their
labor 25 cents per day, and the con
tractor clothes, leeds and physics the
convicts.
East of Lewis tunnel these State
prison bird. are just completing mon
ster embankment, which stretches
across a great gap in the mountains
This bank is already 10 feet high, and
is to be raised Is Zee, higher. 1t II
1900 feet long, and the engineers told
me that ii wa- already the
HEAVIEST gNBANKuENT IN THE WORLD
Lick Run enIbankmcnt, some mile
east of Jcrrys Run, is another surprising
piece OF work, which is nearly com
pleted. 1t is l65 !eet high, 1900 fee
long, and 5OJ feet broad at the base.
You will understand that these em
bankments and an unfinished tunnel, il
; which several OF Burleigh's drills are
work, DO not interrupt the traffic to tn
White Sulphur Springs, which no'
, passes along temporary line.
East Of Covington lies famous iro
region, which has already few larg
+ furnaces. But they need the coal whic
r the Chesapeake and Ohio road ca
J. bring them 40 cheaply when it is con
pleted, to enable them to work to adyaI
tage, for they have skinned the
forests for charcoal. A Pennsylvania
an expert in iron, who had been PRO
4 pec,ing" in this region, reported it +
4 be very rich, having distinct and yer
i. heavy vein Of iron ore, and, in fact, b
4 asserted that this region was for iro
n what the great Ksnawhs Valley is fc
r coal.
!, 1t is marvellous to me that regio
e go near the great monetary centre OF Il
e country and 30 rich in mineral wealtl
= should have been left untouched un,
{ now. But the blight OF slavery bur
8 over it, and capital and free labor alil
k avoided it. Chesapeake and Ohio RAJ
" road, when 1t is completed, will quick
T. create q new Virginia. Prom its COZ
b pletion will date, l do not doubt, Il
10 real prosperity of both Virginia 81
" West Virginia. 1t will draw capt.
,e and labor TO the now spsrsely settled al
be undeveloped coal and iron country; 4
el facilities for cheap transportation "
t. create numerous iron furnaces, salt a