The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-03-21
rne enron fosks Connecfion,.

ire enron FORGE Gonnecfion,
M sihe asa5tors of thes ispatM:
4 wrTiaf in the EsQs1refos the lSth in..
atant stfsr1nously opposes the passage or me
hili nv fheF House Iofs Delegates, which nas'
r,assad hid Senate. To organize COMPANY 20
20, strnft Il railrosd from Clifton Forge 70
Hrehanan TO connect the chesapeake anu
Ohio railroad with the canal at that poinI-a
distance .of bnly twenty-seven miles. Enc
oronnd Of his objection seems to be mainly
F{hat ne am dwarf The cities OF Lynchoure
ami sichu,oud. aud subject them and NOT
solk fn baltimore by having this short line 40.
snrhed into the Chesapeake and Ohio OF tne
valley railroads. and will make the ffon.ore
,eonle above Buchanan fat at the expense o.
every other, part Of the State. Tnese o13ecr
t,ons are very fippantly expressed, Dut, 1
think. are wholly unfounded 10 realty.
= The great advantage of this connecnon,
ubether rby rail or water, Is to bring tne
s,,rer;or and cheap coal Of KanaWna IN
opnecf;on with the Ysluable iron ores Wnlcn
II 10 eaid lie-inbedded in the James River
vellsv in Immense masses both east anu west
~ thu RIue Ridge, and thereby bring wealth
tn thu, State ;and ito bring the trade fon
Wet Virginia and Ohio, and Kentucky,
-rh,eht ia CONVEYED, by the Baltimore fano
Ohio railroad into the heart OF virginia, anu
~ ,revent its diversion to Baltimore NOV,
100 a railroad from Clifton Forge Sbu-
oho,,an. vviIl make fat the ironspeopfe aooVe
Rncbauar, at The expense of every other part
ar the State, or how it wiil:nos gtvethe IRON.
neonje in the valley Of James river east -oi
Rnchanao all the facilities of getting the ha.
VIVA coal that the extension OF the canal y
r. we're now practicable, to Clifton Forge
cn,1ifa give them, I confess l am unable
IN comprehend, In either case there would
nave to be transhipment OF the coal from
rho cars to the boat In the one case 1t
would be made at Clifton Forge;l 10 the
other at Buchanan, thirty two miles by water
nearer to the ore.beds east of Buchanan than
at Clifton Forge. And how that would
Il warf the cities named is also beyond my
The coal and other tonnage
thrown upon the cansl at Buchanan would
benefit Lynchburg, Richmond, Petersburg.
and Norfolk as much as it would II thrown
upon the canal at Clifton Forge. as:"
> But this writer thinks it would be divert
ed to Baltimore from Buchanan by the Val.
lev railroad. At Clifton Forge it is nearer
to Baltimore than it would be at Buchanan.
And when it, is brought to Buchanan 1t is
wenty>seyen.miles by rail nearer to Lynch
burg and Richmond than 1t was at Clifton
FORGE. And the grades of the Valley rail-
road in the direction of Baltimore from
Buchanan are at least as heavy 80 they are
by the Chesapeake and Ohio road east OF
Clifton Forge, and the heavy grading upon
the former road, or large portion OF IL, is
done and other heavy work. It seems to me
that the fears Of the writer In question are
vain and groundless. Indeed, have always
regarded it as matter, if not OF necessity,
at least of great importance to Virginia, TO
have railroad from Clifton Forge to Lynch
burg, which should and would ultimately
be extended to Richmond. in order to secure
to our own State and cities the benefits TO
which we are entitled from the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad. From the facts stated it
will appear that there is much greater dan
ger of diversion of the trade aud travel
BY the Chesapeake and Ohio road from Cliff
ton Forge to Baltimore than from Buchanan,
even if that should be the terminus of the
proposed railroad 1t ia evident that any
tonnage intended for Baltimore, when i,
reaches Clifton Forge, would not leave the
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad and go TWEEN
ty seven miles to Buchanan, thence to be
carried greater distance and on as heavy OF
heavier grades to Baltimore.
All of us feel the Importance and the Inn
mediate necessity of a connection Of the ca
nal with the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad
either by canal or rail, from Buchanan
Many of the best-informed and most practi
cal men in the State are Of opinion that i
will be utterly impracticable for this impor
tant connection to be made by the cana
company in its embarrassed financial condi
ton, and that it is entirely practicable b.
.s,i. Itseems that the able and honest pre-
sident of the canal company, whose predi
lectiops were naturally in favor of the water
line, has, uuon mature consideration Of til
subject, reluctantly come to the same con
clusIon. Who have we who ID likely TO b
as we'll informed as to the financial condition
of the canal company as be f?
| It's said that the bonds Of tie canal com
pany bring OIL OIL seventeen cepts in the do
lar in the markets. And it has required al
the energy and address of the excellent pre-
sident of the company to preserve it from
bankruptcy. 1t is confidently believed
this connection is formed it will at ono
give vitality to the canal company, will pu
it financially on firm ground, and give valu
to the immense capital which the State ha
invested In the company. It is, therefore, {
matter of vast importance that the Legisla
ture at its present session should provide b.
law for the prosecution Of this work, which
the friends of thss railroad say can b.
executed In twelve months. But it is nov
late 10 the session. If the Senate bill, which
/ understand passed the Senate unanimously
is rejected by the House, the probability il
that nothing will be done at the present ses
sion. A Rhols year will be lost, and in tb'
mean time the canal company may be forced
into liquidation and the large interest of th.
State in the capital of the company sacrificed
In consideration of these views it is urget
upon the: House, as was suggested in apre
yious No. of the Dispatch, to lake up th
Senate bill and pass it at once by anf ri,
hi gs;.s@. e~.e PLAIN COMMON SENSE.
March 30, 1876. .an ia -a..s7q - .r,.
,.aq From Mr.. Curlett. .,.