Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-11-19
The Nest Successful Trunk Line in the u0uL.

lie EssL nucceSSIul i runR hlIe In the GouI--
try"
This iswhat the st. Louis Courier
prohonnces the Baltimare and Ohio
railroad to be and sums up the history,
facilities and advantages of the great
Baltimore ronie and market as follows
TIE New link w hatever may be:
the opion OF certain inland cities at Ger
tain times on the subject of railroads,
it must be admitted, after all is said and.
done, that the welfare of these same
cities is intimately connected with, if
net dependent u'on these same rail
roads, and so will be so long as rails
roads are the veins that circulate the
l!fe-blobil of the country. ftigs -
Our neighbor, Chicago. is fortunate
in having in Immediate prospect a new
friend and feeder, the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, that company having
just completed ,Aeir track from. sou
them point on their lake Erie division
to Chicago, this being the last link In
tie Baltimore and Ohio chain between
lndL CITY ana tne wafer.
The company has also made extern
sion Improvements on the Marietta and
Cincinnati railroad. Their new s'cut
off : straight line between Athens
and Parke, sbur9 lessons the times
between Cincinnati and Baltimore two
hours. The valhe of such an alterna
ton is obvious to every business man
without further connaent
As this great carrier extends one of
its long arms in onr dire ctiun also, an
outline of its progress and present cons
Gition may be interesting to our, rea
ders .s ..,.f J., la.
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad
terminated in la28, and grew solely
out OF demands Of local traffic in the
neighborhood OF Baltimore. From that
time till the breaking out of the war
its history is one of slow iut sure aud
healty growth-the growth Of a giant
oak rather that hat of a mushroom
in the course OF which it extended its
terminal points westward, and improv.
ed its terminal facilities eastward until
it became great ''t4.unk line The
war damaged its equipment but did not
cripple IT'S energies nor stop It's progress
evidences OF which are seen along its
whole line from Baltimore to Cincinna
ii and Chicago. The read has in oper
a line of seven steamships. running be-
tween Bremen and Baltimore These
land their passengers aud baggage at
locust Point, within few feet Of the
cars that take them westward, thus
avoiding all the expense, delay and con
fusion of a long omnibus transfer.
The first American sight that as
tonishes our German. frit nds are two
immense grain elevators Of this com
pany, one of which. just completed,
towers us feet from tide water, tofrooi
and has a capacity for 500, 900 bushels
Every possible facility has been pro-
vided tor the handling ,oi other classes
of freight BY means Of tracks ex'
tended over the water coal cars dump
their contents directly in the hold Of
the vessel below; and in the year 1873
more than 2,0e0,l tons were thus
speedily and economically transferred.
| The company has also displayed tx
cellent judgment Ii, fitting their road
for the passenger traffic. Large and
| commodious hotels have been estab
lished at convenient points along the
| line. These have been -recteti with a
view to that Increase OF business in the
future, which past experience has given
lEen reason to expect. and are taste
fully built and carefully managed, The
passenger coaches OF the Baltimore and
ONO railroad are str,ng and cnntor
table, and by no means devoid o.
artistic aslornment. Such pleasant
SUR oundings at once PUT the Traveller il
a mood To enjoy the scenery for which
this route is so celebrated, and il i,
wonderfully pleasing and in evtrchang
ing panorama Of the beautiful, the CRANE
the. historic. M
Asa natural consequence of its at
fractions, facilities and good manage
ment. the financial condition Of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad has steadi
| ly improved, until to~day it stands pre-
eminently a ''solid road. 1t has ;
surplus fund Of $2a.ONO,oDO, and it:
stock ranges from sixty 10 seventy pei
cent above par; therefore it can readily
obtain loads upon reasonable terms IL
| European markets, when its rivals
cannot secure them at Any price Ii
supports no watered stock. and but a
small debt, and hence it finds profit il
carrying passengers and freight at {
rate which could not be ieptuneratire
TO other roads. 1t extends its tack
not by leasing old lines upon terms
which must eat nip the profits Of the in
vestment, nor by purchasing Will, NONE,
obtained on watered stoek, or borrowed
at an enormous rate OF Interests Such
a financial policy as this. could never
have made the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad what it is to-day the mos
successful trunk line in the country.
}