The New York herald., 1872-11-26
Great National Wokk-The Tesns.
Allegheny Canal.


Great NationaI WoAk-The Trs~s.
Allegheny Canal.
few days ago the telegraph informed ~
OF the visit of Virginia delegation to Presi.
dent Grant to solicit his interesNin behalf Of
the completion Of the James River and Ka-
nawha Canal by government. The two
States, Virginia and West Virginia, anxious to
secure cheap and capacious transportation
OF Western produce to the seaboard. offer tcs
surrender their interest in tho work to the
United Stotes, provided it be completed and.
after it has paid for the government eTpenGii-,
ture, he made highway, free of all tolls OK
cept such as are necessary to keep il in re-
pair. This wise and liberal proposition met
the endorsement Of the President. and, il u
said, will be laid before Congress with his re-
commendation for Legislative action. It is
hard to overlook the immense importance Of .
water passage for the Ohio Valley by which
II may reach the sea ; and now that the long
agiated problem of the steam navigation Of
canals has been almost, If not fully. solved.
it is evident that the consummation of the
Virginia scheme is the part Of timely and
sagacious craftsmanship. The James River
water way has long since been in operation for
about two hundred miles from Richmond and
was constructed at an expense of Sl0 436, 800.
to Buchanon, leaving about two hundred miles
to be completed. 1t has prisn,atic stream.
fed from the mountain sources, five feet deep.
thirty feet at the bottom and fifty feet on the
top, with locks one hundred by fifteen feet
III the clear, and its projected terminus is the
head OF canal navigation on the rich. coal
bedded waters of the Kanawha. 1t was
designed as an outlet for that immense
trade OF the West, which cannot have
access to the Erie Canal or the lakes,
to the noble bosom of the Chesapeake
Bay. The completion of this work would
re telling blow against the rapidly solidify-
ing railroad monopolies which now hamper
the commerce and retard the growth Of some
OF the finest and most fertile sections of the
trans-Alleghany country. The Development
of these sections has long ianguished for want
of cheap and convenient outlet to the ocean,
from the fact that the Erie and New York canals
are already taxed to their utmost capacity,
and there is no way Of sending off their in
creased production except at the ruinous rates
of railroad transportation over thousand
miles. Unfortunately the annual closing Of
lake vigation-during the average frost
and ice period of one hundred ard eighteen
days-is q serious drawback to the business
prosperity of the Atlantic seaboard while for
twenty years past the average annual closing
of the James River Canal has been only
fifteen days, and in this time for ten years
it was not closed a single day. The
equinoctial gales which ravase the lakes and
imperil its shipping necessitate for several
months Of the year the large increase of tolls
and freights by nearly sixty per cent while
shipments are often frozen in for the whole
Winter During this dangerous and icy
period the only water avenue for the trade Of
the Mississippi Valley also is by sea
from New Orleans to New York-a
long route, and attended with delay and
danger, especially in the Florida Pass and
thence to Sandy Hook. The population Of
the inland States, which are cut off from the
corn markets Of New York and the world by
the heavy cost Of railway carriage is esti-
mated by Poor, for 1867, at not less than four
teen and half millions. There can be no
doubt that the opening up of this great and
free water highway would greatly increase
the productiveness and prosperity Of the
Ohio and Mississippi valleys, and would also
immensely enhance the trade of New York and
all our seaboard cities. In time Of war such q
work as it is now prop osed the government shall
take free Of cost and complete would be Of the
greatest military value, and in this view has
long since attracted the attention Of our chief
military engineers. In the event Of hostilities
with any naval Power Of the world, the Chesa-
peake Bay would be for us a magazine Of ex-
haustless military supplies from the great
West, and its entrance, between Capes Henry
and Charles--a distance of only nine miles
could be easily commanded by small naval
force. AS great national enterprise the COM
pletion of the trans-Alleghany Canal must
commend itself to the Judgment of the whole
country, and as an admirable initiation Of tho
new progressive policy Of the government, as
foreshadowed by Presidential suggestion.
CosT OF METROPOLITAN RAILROADS. The
success of the London railroads, notwithstand-
ing their enormous cost ought to satisfy our
capitalists that similar lines, whether by
viaduct or underground, in New York would
pay The Metropolitan cost eo22, 2S6 mile,
over $4,000, 900; the Chatham and Dover
Metropolitan Extension cost 95OO,0OO; the
North London, G281, $40; the Blackwall,
e266, 900; and the Greenwich, E2O0, ,000 We
do not know what the estimate is, if any has
been made, for viaduct or underground rail-
,f Manhattan leland lk,