Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-11-04

quondam peddler of Vermont fell out
with Vanderbilt, and their quarrels was
worth, during the year 1870, one-ffth
of cent per ton per mile to the farm
ers; 100000 on the crop of wheat
alone if it had all been shipped at the
reduced rate. In July, 1872, somebody
raised the rates from the west FIVE cents
per GENITAL. His act cost The farmers
millions Of dollars
A running review of the history of
transportation viii show how the North
west was developed by the railroads,
and how, and at what point, the rail-
roads of late years have come to be an
oppression. In 1888 wheat sold in the
interior counties Of Ohio for 81 cents
per bashel, and corn for ten cents, and
just 70 bushels of wheat were shipped
from Chicago. In 1910, the entire
movement of grain Eastward from the
Northwest by lake and canal embraced
sos, I42 barrels of -four, 1,004,56l bush
els of wheat, and 71,327 bushels of
corn. The cost Of transportation from
Buffalo to New York was $40 per ton;
before the opening of the canal it had
been 500. In 1850, 1854 miles of rail-
road had been built west of the Ale
ghanies, and had increased the lake and
canal shipments of grain, until the re-
ceipts of all grain, -four included, at
Buffalo and Oswego combined, were
Is, 166,503 bushels, The price Of corn
in Cicinnati had been raised from 80 to
81 cents. The value of farms, which
contained in 1850, 1856, 2l0 acres, had
been enhanced to S11.39 per acre. Mr..
Grosvenor continues:
''The year 1850 is the dividing line be-
tween the old era and the new. Its statis-
ties mark the growth to which the north
west had attained with water channels as
the outlets for its products, and 1854 miles
of railroad tributary thereto. In April,
1871, the Erie road was completed to the
lake; in the same year the Pennsylvania
was connected with the Portage road, the
consolidation and revolution in the man
agement of the New York Central began
to take effect, and the long war of COMPETE
ton between railroads and canals began.
So great was the revolution in the manage
ment of roads that the average charge for
freight over all the New Y ork roads, which
was four cents and One-twentieth per ton
per mile in 1851, was reduced to two cents
and One-fith per ton per mile in 1860. The
effect of the competition is clearly shown
in the record of rates charged on the Erie
canal, which in the year 1S47, prior to the
completion of the railroads, in 1851, the
year of their completion, and in 1858, for
flour and wheat, were as follows:
1S47. 1851. 1858.
Il Ipli 80 % -.r III
Wheat, per buShel. .l73 14s 10d
Notwithstanding this reduction of rates,
the canals lost material part Of the grain
traffic, and, in spite Of many improvements,
have continued losing to this day, so that
the quantity Of western products moved to
tide-water by canal was actually greater in
1861 than it is now.
Thus the railroads, at first subsidiary to
water lines, after 1850 entered into direct
with them, and not only forced
down rates, but secured a large proportion
Of the through traffic. The reduction in
cost of transportation of western products,
to twelve cents per hundred
weight, effected by competition during the
decade Of 1S50-1S60, as appears from
tables already given was equivalent to an
increase in value for all the Northwestern
States Of S13 per acre for 100000 acres
in farms in 1850, or not less than Sl,034,-
100000; and moreover some value had been
given to 47,200,000 acres Of land not en-
5raced in farms in 1850; if we suppose s.
per acre, we have an increased value OF
81, OO,OOO,CG0, due entirely to the railroad
system. The actual increase in value Of
farms, from 1907, 1885 to S2,421 ,413,973,
was over 81 ,5G0OC0,0O0. During this de
;ade, ll,5S9 miles Of road were built in the
Northwestern States; if the cost was $40,
100 per mile, or $4G3,000000 (and it was
eSS prior to 1860, it was repaid more than
hreefold during the same decade by the in
.rease in value Of farms. Tie successful
Of railroads with canals would
lot have been possible had not the Great
Trunk roads been enabled, by the building
# 1i,jS9 miles Of road at the West, TO
each a multitude Of farms. For every adj
litional mile of railroad to 100000 acres of
we have an increase in average
-alue of such land varying not widely from
me dollar per acre, making the railroads
worth to tie Northwest 100000 per mile"