National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-05

small capacity,-a long way from the
sea, or more properly deep water. The ex-
perience of the Chesapeake and Ohio rail
road for three years has satisfactorily dem
| OnstTated that it must look beyond Rich
mOnd for support, and that it never can bea
success financially until it abandons her as
a terminus and seeks to open up its natural
channels of trade to the East, through
Washington. We have not copy of
the Census report at hand, but if we
remember right the population of Rich
mond is little more than fifty thousand
souls. 1t is a stationary population, too,
large portion of which is composed of the
poorer classes, such as afford very little rev.
enue to a railroad. We believe it is we'll
established fact, that the Kanawha and
James River canal deliver a larger freight
tonnage in Richmond yearly than the five
railroads which concentrate at that point
That simple fact tells its own story, very
damaging to the railroads; and no super
fiicial reasoning the editors of the Rich.
mond press may use can change its mean
ing. In regard to the fuel, Goals, and tim
Der brought over the Chesapeake and Ohio
railroad Richmond absorbs but very little
fit. She uses a cheaper article, and draws
her supply from different source.
Let us turn now to Washington. She has
population of at least one hundred and
thirty thousand; nearly three times as large
as that of Richmond. This, it must be re-
membered, is exclusive of the large floating
population which gathers here for pleasure
and other purposes during the sessions of
Congress. The Washington of to-day is
not the Washington of twenty years ago.
Its population has during and since the
war increased faster than that of any
other city of the Union. A very large
portion of this increase is made up
of retired merchants, gentlemen of wealth
and taste who spend their money
freely, and live in prIncely style. Her
climate too is one of the most delightful
in the world. She is the capital city of
great nation; and as a great attractive cen
tire with the people of all parts of the coun-
try, she has no superior, not even New
York. We have all the Government depart
ments-the Capitol, the navy-yard, arsenal,
and other objects OF attraction to the visi-
tor, such as are possessed by no other city
in the country. And it is through this
city, not Richmond, that the great Chesa-
peake and Ohio railroad must seek its
means of support.
We did not include Alexandria in our
estimate of population. The facilities
which that city offers as a railroad termi-
nus must not be overlooked, especially in
regard to coal freight. She has deep water
and an extensive wharfage front. The
Potomac, too, is a broad stream, with deep
and well-defned channel, and easy naviga-
ton, very different from the James river.
Again, if Colonel Smoot should ever finish
his Southern Maryland Railroad to Point
Lookout, the Chesapeake and Ohio, on
reaching Washington, would have extra
ordinary facilities afforded at it by making
a connection with that road and establishs
ing great coal-supply depot on the Chesa-
peake Bay, and within easy reach of ship
ping, to say nothing of Government vessels.
A resolution passed Congress sometime
during its last session, if we remember
to have survey made of St. Marys river,
with view to making it coaling station
for our naval vessels. Whether the Secre-
tary has taken any steps in the mat
ter or not we are unable to say.
We might enumerate many other advan-
tages Washington has over Richmond as a
point Of attraction for railroads. Travel to
and from this city has already increased to
such an extent as to warrant us in predict
ing that the time is not far distant when
she will be great national railroad centre. |
Mr.. Garrett understands this, and is pre-
preparing himself accordingly. His Wash
ington branch of the Baltimore and Ohio |
road is one of the best-paying roads in the |
country. The business of the Metropolitan |
branch has increased so rapidly that its earn
ings already exceed the sanguine expecta-
tons of Mr.. Garrett himself The same is true |
of the Baltimore and Potomac, its business
in freight as well as passengers having in
creased far beyond the expectations of its
projectors. 1t is to day a financial success, !
notwithstanding the heavy OUTLAWS it has
made for permanent improvements.
All the financial difficulties in which the
great Chesapeake and Ohio management
finds itself involved may be traced to two
primary causes: First, running away from
its natural line of travel and supply; sec
ond, because too much Of its line is and al
ways must be nOn-paying. Let the intel
ligent reader spread before him map of
Virginia, and we will illustrate what we
mean by this. Let us go across the coun-
try, or for convenience sake follow the line
of the Orange and Alexandria railroad from
its nearest point from Washington to Cor
louisville, which we will make a converg-
ing point on the Chesapeake and Ohio rail-
road.
The distance from that point to Rich
mond, south, is about the same as it is east
to Washington over the Orange and Alex
andria. Both roads are in good running
from that point. And yet moth
ing, perhaps, would present more strik-
ing contrast than the earnings of these two
roads, if estimated from this converging
point one line running to Richmond, the
other to Washington. President Barbour,
in his report just made, shows his road not
only to be in a fourishing condition, but
its earnings to have increased during last
year more than thirty-fve thousand dollars
over the year previous. This is another
proof of the advantages Washington pos
sesses over Richmond as an attractive centre
for railroad enterprise. We do not, we
confess, know what the earnings of the
Chesapeake and Ohio road, between Cor
louisville and Richmond, would foot up, if
a separate account were kept. But we
venture the assertion that they are very
small-not twenty-five per cent. of the
present running expenses. We had occa-
sion to travel over that portion of the Ches-
apeake and Ohio railroad not long ago, and
were at times forcibly reminded of Virginia
in its primitive state, and as we
q in, o,,r |