The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-12-03
AMERECAN CHEAP TRANsPORTA.
TIOH CONVENTION.
SECOND DAY.
fTS315- 49, & SECOND DAY. $3.50 5..ss
REPORT OF C0NAITTEE ON ARTIFICIAL
RAy8R-LIHES- ADDRESS, BIZ u o.
soUTHALL, EsQ.-RBS0LUT70NS-
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES '
OTRES0L LUT70Ns AND ..ss.f. s.
REPORTS
OF GovERNoR 4KEMpER, AND
HIS RESPONSE. &C., &c.

lines were recommended d--a northern route.
connecting the Mississippi with the great.
lakes, q central route between the Ohio and
Chesapeake southern route uniting the
Tennessee and Ocmnlgee-and the improve
ment and opening Of, the Mississippi. The.
report felicitates the Convention that the
Senate committee had recommended all four
Of these routes. Itrecommends the careful
reading OF the Senate committees report,
and quotes In full the closing part Of the
Senate committees report. As this report
has already been published Ia these columns
h need not be reproduced here. The COM
mittee conclude their report With the fol.
lowing resolution: --
"That we heartily endorse the recon-
mendations upon Water-Iines contained in
the report Of the United States Senate Com
mittee on Transportation Routes, and we
earnestly recommend Congress to adopt such
measures as will result in their speedy con-
struction." sssgs ,.
The report is signed by B. W. Frobel, Of
Georgia; c.. S. Carrington, of Virginia
William 81. Abel, Of New York: James M.
Columbia, and f. C.Capreol, of Ontario.
ports. hid
Hon. James C. Southall submitted a sup
Elementary report, which was very carefully
prepared, very able, and showed great re-
search and full acquaintance with the whole
subject. q ~ = Han .--'i'-
MIR. Southall begun by saying that the com.
rni..ee Of the United States Senate had SO
thoroughly investigated this whole question,
personally, visiting and inspecting the pro-
jected routes, examining experts, and taking
testimony on the resources Of the country,
the cost of transportation, &C., so that the
testimony makes a volume Of one thousand
pages and, the report one of five hundred
pages, that he was rash man who would
attempt to break q lance with that commit
tee. .1 1.s 7.tF ~ :, u
He considered the report of the Senate
committee thoroughly conclusive and en-
tirely unaDswerable;- yet as there were still
those who insist that railroad transportation
is as cheap as that by water he would enter
little into the discussion. - l',i
+! He insisted that few facts are.worth all
of the fnely-spun theories on this subject
that haye ever been put forth, and gave
figures on the relative cost Of water and
railroad transportation from Baltimore to
New York, on the Erie railroad and Hudson
river, and from Pittsburgh TO New Orleans
by water and by rail, to show that. She ad-
t1NIoSO ID. hSLA bOcA ~ hNS w oaS SAsSSIS ~
water transportation. 90 =.
He cited the fact-that the Pennsylvania
Erailsoad has been leasing and improving
canals and making them pay as giving the
testimony of that great corporation in favor
| of wafer transportation. he showed that rail-
road charges from New York to Chicago are
cheaper than over any other route, just be-
cause these roads have to compete with
water transportation and yet he gave facts
and figures to prove that during the time
that the water is not obstructed by ice the
grain transportation from Chicago is almost
entirely absorbed by the water-route. AS
the successful competition of the railroads
with the Erie canal is the great argument
relied on by the advocates of railroad trans
portation, he proposed TO meet this argument
in minute examination Of the facts. He
admitted that the tonnage over the railroads
had increased very rapidly, and was willing
to give the railroad gentlemen all legitimate
advantage from this, fact; but he desired to
present several explanatory facts which
should be duly considered.
Il. The rates on the Erie canal are very
high. and the canal very profitable invest
ment for the State of New York.
Q. Since 1856 the railroads have greatly in
creased their length and consequently their
3. The last twenty years have been an era
in railroad improvement to the neglect of im-
proyenent Of water transportation: ~
4. The railroads have had an immense
tonnage lin coal which the canal has not. Z
&. By the great administrative ability or
tbe5r iroads and combinations with the lake
stssaiers they have gotten great advantages.
p g.. The centre of the great grain region Of
the West is very far beyond the lakes, and the!
railroads have combinations with lines which,
extend into that region and absorb transpor-I
tation which the canal cannot reach, but 1T
will be far otherwise when the lakes are con- %
nected with the Mississippi river. :-z.d
I. The railroads are open all the year
round while the water.route is open only
two hundred and ten days in the year, !,
8, Yet ,igrspite of all these facts the canal
has an immense tonnage, which is very "a:
piGily increasing. ~ tN ~ .3." - |
s. steam and other projected improve
ments wflf.very largely increase both the
capacity and the tonnage ofthe canal. Having
ably elaborated and enforced each of these
points, he quoted fully from the testimony
of distinguished railroad men TO show that
water transportation is immensely cheaper
than that by rail. Noticing the argument
that the railroad has Overwhelming adyan-
tape in the quick transportation OF freight,
lie quoted the testimony of railroad men
to show that a cargo by rail from Chicago
usually takes from eight to twelve days, and
by water not more than. from ten to twelve
DAYS, aud steam will put the canals on per
fectly equal footing with the railroads. he
quoted from a letter to show that the sue
cessful working OF canal-boats by steam IS s
NlIch al