The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-03-27
For the Dispaich.J
The Canal md Railway.


stroy the canal. I believe with Commodore
Maury, that the one is but the proper sup
plement Of the other.
In the DISPATCH OF the 21st ] proved by
the evidence of the most distinguished en-
gineers for the past sixty years that I" it il
entirely practicable to connect the pGterS o.
the James and Ohio rtueTs By 1oater naUi
oation of seuen feet DEPTH" and "to entarg,
The eyistinq James-Riuer canal, ni,acin5
locks 120 BIZ 20 feet, and the 1oidh Of til,
canal at the acater-Eine 70 feet, and to erten0
the canal and stack1cater navigation Of tn
same dimensions to the eastern portal o.
the Iona tunnel, thus admitting the use o.
boats of $50 tons burden"
WHAT BENEFITS WILL RESULT FROM THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANAL!
Commodore Maury says the Virginia wa
ter-line is the nearest passWay to the sea FOL
all the States and Territories OF the Upper
Mississippi, west Of Ohio and south OF Mon
tana; that the completion OF the James
River canal from Richmond to the kanawhi
river, with capacity as great rs the drain
nee and feeders of the country will sustain,
will make tributary to Virginia waters the
whole photographic basin OF the Missouri as
far as the Rocky mountains, and Of the Up.
per Mississippi as far as the falls of St. An
thony; that this line will open water com.
munication from Fort Benton, 3,100 miles
above the mouth Of the Missouri, all the way
TO The mouth Of the Chesapeake bay. All
this is river navigation except 400 miles OF
canal; that Fort Benton is in Montana,
at the foot of the Rocky. mountains,
and the head of navigation on the
Missouri river; that in the st. Louis papers
OF the spring OF 1869 (the year in which he
wrote this) no less than sixty steamboats,
were advertised for those regions. They
brought back $16,0OO,00O in gold. This
line through Virginia being opened, Fort
Benton will be by water 4,GS5 miles from
the Chesapeake, but the freight for that dis.
lance by barge and water will not cost more
than it now does by rail from Toledo to
New York. The distance from Fort Ben.
ton ola Virginia water-line and Norfolk to
New York will be less than it now is either
by lakes or gulf.
Mr.. James c. Southall, in his address in
December, 1874, before the Cheap Trans.
portation Convention in Richmond, in
speaking on this point, said: The Central
water-ine trduerseS the heart of the Union
and connects the waters Of the Mississippi
and the Chesapeake. 1t reaches, indeed,
beyond the Mississippi, for it embraces two
thousand miles Of river navigation up the
Missouri. As the Erie canal gave mouth
to the lakes, the James River and Kanawha
canal offers an eastern outlet to the great
and growing commerce OF the Ohio river,
as we'll as to that OF the Mississippi and tie
Missouri. The abundant waters of the
James traverse the State OF Virginia, while
the New river and the kanawha, rur.
ming in an opposite direction, mingle
their waves with those of the Ohio. It is
only necessary to uEi'e the upper waters
OF these streams, which are divided by the
Alleghanies, to have q continuous water.
line from Hampton Roads to st. Louis, an
Yankton, and st. Paul. The value Of the
commerce Of the Ohio river in 1872 was
SLIGO 0,000-ereater than the total foreign
imports of the United States for 1S72-'73
From the cities on the Ohio, from many
points on the Mississippi, from all points en-
the Missouri, the distances on this line are
less than by any other water-line.
Under the recommendations OF the PreSi.
dent of the United States, by resolutions OF
the United States Senate of the 10th Of De.
ccmber, 1872, and the Goth Of March, 1878,
a committee OF senators was appointed to
consider and report upon various enter
priscs for the more certain and cheaper
TRANSFORMATION Of the constantly-increasin9
western and southern products to the At
lantic seaboard, with authority to sit at such
places as they may designate during the re-
cess, with power to employ a clerk and
stenographer, and to send for persons and
papers. This committee spent nearly
twelve months in their investigations.
Their examination was most thorough and
exhaustive; they took the evidence of the
most intelligent persons in every section OF
the. counfry-men connected i'll every va
rietv OF way with the question OF trans
poriation-whose evidence covers about
! 900 printed pages-and they made very
able report, which covers about 800 printed
pages.
In their report they used the following
language in regard to this Improvement
viz.
"The committee refer to very complete
statement in regard to this work, its histc-
ry, Typographical features, commercial bear.
ings, &C., which has been prepared by Hon.
Henry G. Davis, a member of this commit
tee. This statement may be found on page
1 Of this Appendix.
"Thc committee are Of opinion that the
construction Of this canal would develop
vast resources OF coal and iron now almost
worthless for lack OF means Of Transports
ton. It would favor connection 6etaceen
tide a0Gter at Richmond and 10000 miles OF
inland navigation by the KaDaWha and Ohio
rivers, and open a cheap and Uatuabte chan
net Of transport to the Atlantic coast for the
cereal products OF the West"
In the statement of the Hon. Henry G.
Davis referred to, he says, under the head
ing, " Territory for the trade OF achich this
line aoiN form a competing point-its area,
population, and most important cereal pro-
duCtionS:
"The portion OF the Mississippi valley
and Lake country interested in the opening
OF direct line of transportation, extend
ing the navigation OF the Ohio and Missis-
sippi rivers to the seaboard, and for ,phich
this l,ne ioilt form q competing point, is
composed of some nineteen States and Ter
rit0rieS, aggregating nm area Of 1912, 164
square miles; in population, 1896, 1888
people; and in important cereal produc-
lions a grand total Of 1,O23, 352, 583 bushels.
From these totals there should be de-
Quoted ut least one fourth for that por-
ton Of the territory lying contiguous
to the Lake lines, and for which the
9 Central water line could not fairly
claim to be competing point, leaving an
area OF 909, 1913 square miles, population
Of 14.2l0.059 people, and q total OF 1917
514,Ats bushels Of cereals. It may denoted
at this point that the opening OF this line to
The Ohm river ssyrn,1ld p1aea come: 1T nfln