The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-02-04

Fdends. has from net earnlng gs invested S2J,.
100000 in other stocks md real estate.
What is the stocks in your canal worth
| Nothing. See the effect ON Richmond and
Baltimore in poplilatio In 1880, 9popula-
| tion Of Richmond and Henrico. Is, ,797i; !; in
1870. Ge, 179-increase, 81 1882. 1n.1S30, Bal.
| timore city and county. 120,S70; ini1S70,
$50. -increase, 209,871. q ttsss}sfe
We are told that freight can be carried
cheaper by water than by rail. This is true
on the ocean, roads, and rivers which God
| has made; but when man makes the riUeT'
| il costs more than a railway. This is clearly
shown in the annual report of the auditor
OF the Canal Department for the State OF
New York in 1871. tits stated on page s,
where contrast is. given between the Erie
canal and those which feed it, and the Erie
and Central railroads, which are rivals
| and run parallel to it. mileage on canals,
$40, 969, ,084; mileage on railroads, 2,7l4,-
| 8TS,97S; mileage on canals, or number Of
| tons moved one mile, has decreased since
1876, 156,628, 800; and the mileage on the
railroads has, during the same period, in
creased 294, ,252, ,S97 TONS" Sirs, the freight
on the Erie canal from October, 1875, to
October, 1876. was 1926 boat-loads of 200
tons each for 345 miles, equal to 570,969,-
064 tons for one mile, or 1885, ,495 tons for
345 miles, while freight on the New York
| Central and the Erie railroads for the year
1S75-'76 was 714,S78,976 tons for one mile,
or 7,863,417 tons over 345 miles-equal to
39,317 trains OF 200 tons cach, or 1868
trains for each railroad, or GO trains per day
for 80 days.
Again In the annual report OF the Audi
tor, 1878. it is stated that the tolls on canals
amounted to SSS0,000, which was $780,
707. 10 less than the expenditures for collec-
tions and repairs for the fiscal year. On
pages 81 and % it is stated that " For the
past three years the Canal Board and the
Legislature appear to have been convinced
that in consequence Of the sharp comneti-
ton OF the railroads, and the efforts OF
neighboring States to increase their trade in
western products, it was hazardous to at
tempt to realize from the tonnage of the ca
mails any more revenue than would barely
suffice to pay their running expenses, leav-
ing the principal and interest of the canal
debt to be procured by taxation" And on
page %: g II has become impracticable to
pay the remainder of the canal debt or its
interest from the revenues Of the canal"
The age OF canals has passed away. They
suited the days Of ancient Egypt; but this
is m era OF steam. g
We are told railroads in Virginia do not
paw. 1t is because they are built on the
hills and poor lands. If located in the val
ley they would. Look at New York. The
New York Central railroad, with four paral-
lei tracks, is 442 miles in length, from New
York to Buffalo. One hundred and forty
five miles OF it are parallel and immediately
on the banks Of the Hudson river. The
Hudson admits vessels drawing ten feet OF
water. Two hundred and ninety-seven
miles of the line is parallel to the Erie
canal-seven by seventy feet waterway
averaging less than mile from it. 1t runs
through twenty-five of the richest counties
in the State, through seventy OF its incorpo-
rated cities and villages, and through 1000
townships, containing population OF
2,S26, 900 in 1870. The gross earnings year.
ly per mile is 100000. Forty thousand Of
it is from local business. Each inhabitant
furnishes transportation equal TO SG.67.
It is said that the James River and Ka-
nawha canal brings down all that there is
made in the valley Of the James.
This is because that country is locked up.
In the summer of 1875 Colonel Byrd had
an old mill en- the Manchester side of the
James. He wrote to his wife that there was
not water enough in the river for the MAIDS
to wash their faces, and that the mill stood
as still for the want Of water as dead wo-
mans tonguef for the want of breath. Now,
you have ciLies, aud i'll one mill twenty-five
run OF stones daily. II you permit us to
build this road beautiful villas vii rest
on the hills along the line. while the slopes
and lowlands will yield abundant harvest.
The products and rich ores Of the land
flowing in to Richmond will give work to
thousands. Last summer stopped in Ro-
chester, n. Y, on my return from Canada,
and went to see the falls, but found nothing
but rock. The water had been taken from the
natural bed, and was giving life and wealth
to population OF over one hundred thou
sand. surrounded by country not half rs
fertile as this around Richmond. Here the
water in the James is equal to iorty-four-
thousand-horse power. Richmond and Man
chester use only four thousand, or one
tenth.
Give us this road and capital will come,
and both country and town willfeeli its magic
power, and our days OF mourning will be
over; peace and prosperity will be ours;
because You will open to us not only a
land suited to agriculture, but we can
make pig-iron in the upper valley Of the
James and ship it to the seaboard at 3 to
$5 less per ton than from any other point
in the United States.