The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-12-11

rrespoLcance or the Richmond lfspstch.
OPENING OF THE WESTERN DIVISION OF TIE
| oHEsAPEAKE AND ONO RAILRoAD-THE
| cry OF HUNTINGTON. '...'
| HUNTINGTON, WEST EIRGISIA.2 49,.
December 4. ISL :
! It gives me the greatest Satisfaction to
announce the realization on yesterday Of
hopes long deferred, In The successful open
| ing Of the western division Of The Chesa-
peake and Ohio railway. s ....-U ii .,
A train of cars, under the supervision of
| Captain Mallory, and IN charge OF Captain
Dabney Williamson, coDductor. was dis.
patched 20 Charleston on the 81 instant,
and to-day the first regular train left that
place Mt 9:30 A. NJ. and arrived at The city
Of Huntington about | O'Clock, bringing
quite number Of passengers.
! The track being not IS yet Thoroughly
ballasted, considerations oi Slflt%. instead
| of speed. controlled all il authority. and |
am happy to say "tlir oi,cniG2" was
complete success. This .ni!ial trlp was one
of great anxiety TO those III charge, whose
attention and watchfu! u3re was welt re-
warded by general acanow.1u slAert by
tall who participated OF lie occ.sioG OF the
! satisfactory management ii c.efy depart
Inent. The train returEcd To Charleston
ut $3.50 =. NJ, and EcEucioiil 7ac aI.all have
daily communications via tho &, !.C.l tro IN
this point.
Whilst this suspicious oE..!;..-r Of the
railway has been Tic Occasioli III such UNI
vcrsal satisfaction to tbs section Of our
State, we have not been wl;lnl, ciu@c OF
rejoicing for reccnt relief in c'i>r direc-
tions. In fact, the opening O! the road
found us in tie n.idSt OF 4 general jubilee
| and our hearts tiled with Thanksgiving"
that our Ti1er of troubles had (ISsEcd For
three long and wa&!y months ,;,.r aeonics
hppn IN In Ia a
unprecedentedly low condition Of the OHIO
has hung like funeral pail over the impa-
tient and groaning people Of the Ohio VAL
ley. Navigation has been alHlnst totally
suspended, business Of all kinds has been
clogged at every point. enterprise iiwarted
and vercome-altoge;he makinG the situ-
alton most disheariciiing uaE 10 those
who have their hcmes and liuosile their
avocatioDs in thi; hitherto favored section
Of our "glorious republic"
! The recent rise in the Ohio, however. has
lifted up every interest and set in motion
the wheels Of hundred steamers that are
now afloat and "laddcniu@ he hearts of the
coal famine-thrratencd people Of Cncin-
natl, and In fact the whole lower Ohio and
Mississippi rivers. Coal towS icnD, above
are passing our city every hour nf the dly
and night, signalling 10 us that all danger
has passed. and we rejoice #bundarLly
thereat.
Hitherto the cities below 1ls have de-
pended mainly for their cQal supplies from
shipments at PittSburg and ;ihuvc on The
MOnongahela. During a low liver that
source OF supply has been a very uncertain
one, and often placed Cinaiuutll. Louis
vile, and other places, st the mercy Of IN
unScrupuUllS gang OF coal dealers, Wh0
stand ready at all times t. ,ousrice III
Eralsing the price Of Coal sucdcnly to the
hA n ifU ff
Icoal, however, which the Chesapeake and
Ohio Railway Company viii ~ IA caii: day
be able TO deliver ut this r!iy, and ship
daily down the river, "iii, fortunately for
the public, soon put IN end tc can, ,pilacics
for high prices among the toai operators
who have so long iattened lirnn ill-eottcn
profits. realized through ne:aSiuuS "iing"
combinations.
Our young city has suffered somewhat
for few weeks past from Tie same cause
that has afflicted our rivals, ;iltsburg
and Ciucinnati-viz.. q t0aO 1scer. 1t has
been difficult to procure Il suili lent guam
tity of lumber TO supply the demand by
builders consequently imprnv meiits have
not progressed quite SO RAPIDLY recently rs
during the earlier part Of the scason. The
rates of freight, also, upon tic sm.Il crafts,
which alone could navigate The liver, were
more than qu1druple those at O: ti.uafy sea-
Sons. The cost OF building m!!criai is
consideration in new cities, however gteat
and wonderful their growth, Us well as in
old communities and finished pllces. and
vet, as an evidence of our prog csa. I must
say that even with the present somewhat
diminished activity in the erection of
buildings (as it appears to ny the visitors
from all parts Of the country Who arc daily
arriving and crowding our lllo,oughtarcs
halt in am,zement upon the avenues ut the
4 at. Ia },n md
spirit of enterprise, that confrunts them.
on every side in the Wlde-awake, prosper
ous. and soon to be excelsior, city Of West
Virginia.
Altogether, however, we bave made q
most satisfactory progress during the sea-
son, and the "lookout" for the tutuieis
of the most gratifying and encouraging
character. The elements have beea against
us, but we have done We'll, nevertheless.
Before The "tirst campaign . Ill Hunting-
ton closes. and winter shal! have set In. we
can count over one hundl ed houses erected
| in our city since the first Of Juy. Among
these we have two fine hotclS-"ue Of them
| completed and in operation-ihe other, u
larger one, will be furnished and ready for
guests by New Years. We have several
dry goods houses and drug stores, Il hal d.
ware store is just opening, IN extensive
and tirst.class furniture establishment has
! lust opened, We have stove ard tin stores,
| produce stores, two good btkerie:. dc. q
| few oyster empOliums' have been
opened, and are we'll patrOnizad. l Daye
been informed that thete aro several
"agences" in the city ut which popular
medicinal beverage known III Augusta us
"old rye " is dispensed to those VINO need
| q restorative. / shall Inquire about this
| Next spring we are TO have national
bank started here with 4 capital OF not less
I tbop c50o 000 which will Dri,hably ne sniff !
cent to do the business OF our city until the !
further arrangements under this head, now
! in contemplation, shall have been perfect |
ell. Such an institution Is very much !
needed in growing city such rs ours.
There is not vacant dwelling house, or
office, or room, to be had in this city. In
| this respect we have not been able 20 sup |
nIy one.Lwentieth the demand for dwellngs,I
and apartments to accommodate the tbrong
that has crowded In upon US since the gates
were thrown open to the public four
months ago. Complaints on tnls scoIe, !
however, will be remedied after this season. !
Next year, as the first step, think may
safely say, from Inc extensive i:fa' 2ements
and prepuratiors already maize. we shall
erect not less than two hurdred and fifiy
dwellings, and not less than that number
annually for some years to come. In iacs,
the railway employ Is alone will need more |
than that number. /
The trains will not run farther east than |
| Charleston for the present !; but II Is lie! |
signed to run through as speedily as posi-. !
bic to s'Gauley Bridge two miles above |
Kanawlla Fails and eighty-e!sht miles
from Huntington. The track Is graded,
ties distributed, and iron delivered Tor that
distance. 1t is safe to predict The compile
tion of the road to the poiISi named.
u tie ro.5;pocs by fh fIrst, Ot |