The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-01-16
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Tsfchmond assd AlIaGisaEyRa fi III 41'll's
HscHnoSa. Januafy IL, 1873. 81

,Ess:sors Dlspaida ]: several communiea.
;syas,s have & reached me, sone OIL Wnis u,
Il nnears in your issue this rning, ca ar
.inr, fds portions OF mg rerearks before Ing
Joint committee that are not in inc ! pan..
1isSed report. Some of these, out OF .ns. u,
or,n,,es, IanayHot,l lose their force. ana 1
r.safIv cannot remember all that d1d say.
m "a answer % the ttion, However, How
viii, the Richmond and Alfeghnny i6e aDiet ],
maintain itself as. q IocaLor mineral ROAD !.
n saia ti,ourhtiit even fortunate taae lnt J,
road viii be forced from the first 70 oePenas
On local deyelopmept.o Whoever mas car =
fulIy studied The, relative importance .oi
through and mineral roads has} Deen son
yinced that the popular impression sn a .n.S
take. TheSraiiroads IN Virg INA ase .l .h
all classed as through lines ana lnel. I,a,
bits are subjects Of con gratulatlon, anu ,
the following comparison Of iDustAes i.as'
year is Instructive ., .aalLi II !. coz
miles the, gross receipts S6, 5000; lnes
EARNINGS. 80. 0o9. 075. The Reading Tallroau
did not pass although train, get It's gioss
receipts were S12, La, 9l0, and net earnlnS
% .613:G54 and after q large renewal lunu'
Sc. /, divided over four nil 81 - !
The Virginia railroads carried passenger,
I AL 1T2:, tons,g 1,930,531.I! Ihe.hteau..iS
carried carrie passengers {. GA. $50, and toBs' H.
ssg Sa gross re SCENT OF The Union Pacific
loot YEAR were only Sl2,4T8, EOS, nn9 9! atne
R,itimore and Ohio and all its leasea n hne'
extending 1900 miles, were only @ie'1S''
500. aigtt 81 ,ygGssiy I'D oo,,rce
The Reading is an exception: q so onna,'
800 ers 90 aiie The Lehigi Valley
and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Hud-
SON each report larger earnings tnan I'LL LUG
railroads in this State; the Allegheny var
iey ond the Norris and Essex each more
than half as much. M.
We need not 90 out Of this State for illus.
4r,tion The recent enormous increase OF
business on the Chesapeake and ONO Is
LARGELY due to the opening OF few mines
and to a single furnace. The Midland has
iust opencd a single mine in Pittsylvanla
county. ard the supply under single con-
tract. to Harrisburg, will give them, for one
mile. s. $50. 600 tons. The entire tonnage last
wear was 16, 7GS,750. Another mine, and
their product would give burden equal 10
nj, that was furnished by the farms and
towns on $50 miles OF railroad. There Is
limit to the offerings Of farms and forests,
but the only limit TO the offerings OF such
mines as ours is the market demand. Inc
demand in our case Is or course llmlteu,
and yet it is so great that it need not concern
this generation.
1t has been objected that while the Rich
mond and Allegheny may handle large
amounts, its haul will be short compared
with the Chesapeake and Ohio or the At
lantic. Mississippi and Ohio. for instance,
on all the westward ores, while we would
have haul Of perhaps 120 miles, the Chesa--
Dcake and Ohio would have 240 miles, and
the greater benefit would reach that com
pany. 1t is enough that our haul is suih-
cient for Our needs.
In all Of this long argument I am con-
scous that I have failed to give proof OF the
minerals to be developed, and that this is
the weak place in it. 1t was not that dld
not have the "proof absolute but dld
not dare extend speech beyond human en-
durance. AS to the quickening power OF il
railroad, may cite the instance OF the Le-
high canal, which made way for two prosper
Gus railroads; and the exhibit OF canal out
OF Cincinnati that was sold for $4,000, ana
now furnishes place for two successful
railroads, one Oh the tow-path and one In
the bed.
Very respectfully, Fl. c.. PARSONS.