The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-03-29
GEAa1teILigltate1.
The chesapeake q Ohio Railroad
IFrUm The Richmond Dispatch Of Saturday.
Our friepdoi the Wheeling ISTELIE-

The chesapeake q Ohio Railroad
[FFUm ths Richmond Dispatch Of Saturday.
Our iriepdoi the Wheeling ISTELII
GEScER saysi
awe TCnember hearing one Of their lRiChnond,
prominent citizens ny IN 1871 that the very d1s
from The Wheel u thp Chelap peake = Ohio would "
wealth and pFcspeFily 70 Richmond
Wen, and why may not the "Promias.ni
citizenb still smuke their mark y The
figure Of speech il not inappropriate;
aud az far as the influence oil the road
upon tle trade Of the West is concerned
there isno good ground to change 1t. The
road from circumstances that We are not
prepared to speak Of, has met trouble,
What incomplete railroad has nOtl In
deed, what complete railroad has not
been crippled by the money tamine2 But
the country Is the same that II was; the
trade Is governed by the same geographic
cal and physical circumstances that pre-
vailed al the time tho "prOminent citi'
zenn made his remark; and we have the
same reasons that then existed IOr, ,antiCt-
pating great advantages from the Chesa'
peake 3 Ohio Railroad,
We observe by the above that our
friend Of tho Dispatch has not forgotten
his remark Of 1871, And what is more,
we notice that he still holds to the opin-
ion then expressed, And yet we think
tim. tho lapse Of time must have modi-
fed tho ardOr Of his views Just little,
The Chesapeake & Ohio Is al important
road to Richmond-no doubt Of that
but II is questionable whether It ia likely
in the near future to realize the high
hopes that were originally entertained Of
ltin that city. The trouble with the road
is two.iold, First, 1t has no Western
connection at the Ohio river terminus,
and ut that point II touches upon a field
that Is already well occupied by other
roads, especially by the baltimore &
Ohio, la most natural and formidable
competitor. Second, its Eastern terminus
is not point Of sufficient trade to afford
It an Independent business. Tho Virginia
system Of railroads Ia passing largely
under alien control, and Richmond Is no
longer la objective center The leading
lines are seeking to do what the Chesa.
peake 4 Ohio has essayel TO do, yia,i a
through business between the South and
Southwest and the great cities Of the Az.
lantic seaboard. Such roads "a the Bal
timore & Ohio and Pennsylvania Central
have penetrated Virginia, as they have
other States, and made connections that
ignore Richmond altogether. These roads
will also meet the Chesapeake 4 Ohio
in the West, and force Il TO take New
York freight at ruinoualy low rates.
And the same Is true of iroightshipped
westward from New York. The four
trunk lines now running Ontof that city
must always do the profitable partOf the
business with the West. Whatever the
Chesapeake s Ohio gets will be in tho
nature OF discarded freight, or freight
taken at rates that will be unremuncra'
tive,
We do not mean that this will Away
be the case, The time may come when
the excessof production In the West will
afford business for all the East and WeSt
lines. Much will depend on tho export
demand to Europe for our agricultural
products. When ships can lie loaded q
Richmond with grain anil pork for Liv
erpool as cheap as.at Baltimore and New
York, then tie Chesapeake 4 Ohio road
provided meanwhile II secures favorable
connections with The West can hope Il
do a aconsiderable through business. Tia
day seems q good way of now. II mus
therefore depend largely on ib lOca
business. And while there Is danger thai
such business will not keep the roat
alive In the hands Of its present owners
vet 40 far as the States Of Virginia AIT
West Virginia are concerned II must be
come, in somebody 3 hands, most impor
tant means Of developing their resources
1tisa blessing 10 the two States that The
capitalists Of the East had faith enougl
in liz bonds to buy them at (nCarly) par
and to thus enable Huntington and hi
co.adjutors to build the road. And wllilt
tic present price Of said bonds (iS) en-
tails heavy loss on those who bought
them, yet tic road itsolf, having been vel
built, remains as a permanent source Q
prosperity tothe people among whom Il
Ia located.