The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-02-20
.Taa coesapease and Ohio Railroad-

The Chesapeake ana 0nlo Sss%hA oessA &
It's Business-Its Shipping-Wharves.
A few gentlemen yesterday visited fhe
wharyes Of the Chesapeake and Ohio haii.
road Company, below Rockets, to see wha'
was going on there. Chie;-EnHtneer WHIT
corr aud Superintendent PERRY acoompa'
MED them, and lsid them under obligations
by their politeness and the statements and
explanations they made with regard to the
business and the operations Of the company
The gentlemen were highly greiifed. and
their faith in the prospects aud benefits OF
the road was greatly strengthened.
They went by one Of the trains from near
the depot, on Broad street, through the tun'
mel to the wharyes. 1t was the first time
most OF them went through the tunnel, ano
they were struck with the spaciousness an6
strength OF the structure. 1t is great i'm
movement for Richmond. 1t affords ia
City for the transportation Of immense
freigh.s to the shipping wharves without
conflict with the local commerce, that canno
DC too highly valued. We felt in passing
through 1t to tie wharves more than ever
convinced of the wisdom Of tue city
government 10 voting Liberal sum
to tle construction OF that tunnel
The through business already upon the roao
conlG not be carried on without it. Indeed,
il is probable that without this facility OF
Transportation even the present business
could not have been thrown upon the ROAD.
1t may be said that this was the affair OF the
company. But that is q narrow vie" OF the
oncstion. 1t was the affair Of this city. sup
pose the aid had not been voted. The tun-
mel would not have been built. The panic
the disabled condition of the company would
have fallen upon 1t before the building
of the tunnel. And how long would we
have tcen compelled to wait for it in that
case? Whether we ever got it or not would
h,ye heen altogether Qrob!ematicai, ana
eyerv day Richmond might be without this
great promoter OF through business on the
rod she would have been most seriously
injured. The want of through business
would cripple the road and restrict fatal!
the trade of Richmond.
But we suppose nobody now except one
OF two men, who everybody can at once
n4ne is satisfied of the great advantage OF
the tunnel, and it is supererogatory to COM
mend it.
The wharves are spacious, yet from what
We saw Yesterday they will have to be great
IL extended. There are two stories to them
i .t,a,x Ep&.A shnn 70 fOr,
loading vessels through which each car of
fen tons or moro is unloaded in five
minutes. The car being unloaded, is let
go and runs to where 1t is stopped by
upward-curved rails strongly braced. It's
movement is then reversed and in its return
il is switched of by n switch that works au-
dramatically and sends it way on another
track to join its emptcd colleagues. The ar
rangemcnt is very complete, and win IL
vessels are laden with wonderful rapidity.
The coal business is increasing. Yesterday
morning there arrived at the wharveS forty
ear loads of coal for New York from the IA
nlRha mines.
The wGarves for shipping and receiving
goods are not so elevated AZ the coal
wharyes, but are double; !. e., two
stories high, with matches for 10 ~ering and
e.evatlug freight to aud from the lower floor.
4 stationary engine is used, but much
freight is dropped through the matches. Cot
too, ior instance, is so disposed of.
Yesterday there were on the wharf
thousand bales of cotton waiting shipment.
This cotton was from Red river. From that
region and from Texas there will be an i'm.
mause shipment of cotton by the Chesa-
peake and Ohio railroad. 1t Is conveyed
first to st. Louis by the Missouri and Texas.
I Q ID and thence by rail to Cincinnati and
water to Huntington, or by water all
the way from st. Louis to Huntington. We
.,re sure that the great majority OF our peo-
pie would have been surprised to see SO
much cotton at the Richn,.ond wharf from
the far OF part IF the Union in which it was
lrodAses'
..ere were on the wharf whskey, lard,
bacon, lard oil, and lnseed oil, from Gin
cinua,i for Philadelphia, New York, New
Bedford, &C.; and cotton goods and great
variety Of things for lronton, Cincinnati,
and other river cities on the Ohio. Be it
remembered that all this trade is but in its
incipicnt stages, and must be immensely Ell.
Earged. Yet the road is already put up to very
near its present capacity, and will have to
iacro.se with all possible celebrity its rolling
stock and oil lis facilities for transportation.
For instance, an application is just made to
the amount of 1000 cars during the year for
the transportation Of lumber.
Th. article Of sulphate of copper, which
is iuiuet, in Lou;sa-an article somewhat
novel as an item in the list of freights lis to
be shipped to the amount of 5000 tons this
season. A vessel was yesterday taking on
$50 tons Of this material for Philadelphia,
where sulphuric acid Is manufactured from
ID. A large part of this acid Ia brought to
this city to be used In the manufacture o.
fertilizers. Why not make the acid here?
Weshall not undertake to run through the
catalogue OF the things that are shipped to
and fro on this great highway, which has
commenced with such bright promises, aud
which must become one of the very first of
railroads in the Union. When its western
connections are finished I'LL the predictions
OF its most enthusiastic advocates will be
more than realized.
We should not omit, however, the article
Of pig-iron, piles Of which are upon the
compauy's wharves. Coal and iron are the
greatest of all elements Of national wealth