The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-11-04
The Eastern Terminus Of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Railway


Hotchkiss' Vi'yinias for October. con.
tains the following interesting statement of
the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and
Ohio Railway. This new departure. made
necessary by the western extension of the
Clesape Ike and Ohio Railway. and it's con
nections with the great western and soutl,
western systems of railways. will constitute
this important line a continental hipbwa,
md draw to it vast trade and travel
which now seek the east over other com
pleted lines further north
The Chesapeake Ohio Railway has purchased
some 700 acres of land at Newport's News on tn a
magnificent harber OF Hampton Roads, miles
Hampton Roads, and but 81 miles, by the shin cha N
nel, from the Atlantic at the mouth of Chesapeake
Bay The Chesapeake 4 Ohio will be immedia taIy
extended down the Peninsula to this deep-water
terminus. most probably from near Atlees station
10 miles north If Richmond, by line so miles lon,
tollowlng the YorkJames waters he'd, without cross
ing single stream of water, and by grades of from
30 IT, to the mile, since Atlees is POI it. above
i,ie and the banks at Viewpoints News are abont 81
rhis will make the C. o. road 500 miles lonc
from Hampton Roads to the Ohio at Huntingdon e
We have already contended that NETWORKS Newa
vas the only proper terminus for this great Virein-
ian anu at the same time trans continental ratga
necalsa at no other point it lind convenient a
accessipIe storage and harbor room for the vast ont
yoiny and incoming trahc that, beyond the slight
sst question, it will have. President Huntington
mas displayed his usual sagaciy in this purchase
tnd flAing OF a seaboard terminus. Since he gave
mis- personal attention to The completion of the Ones
ohio as through line, ne mas, In few MONTHS
nearly comp eted it, and now has the cars running
TO Ashland, KY; the work is so we'll under way
that by end of the year it Will be finished to Mt
sterling and connection with the entire railway
system Of the West. And now he will push the con
5lruction OF the eastern end-a comparatively easy
task over the Underwater plafn-so that, as we pre-
| months and
last centennial OF The Revolut1on the Yorktown Gel
ebration year hence from the Bay OF San Francis
co to that of the Chesapeake, across Vlrginia's
ancient sea'tosea territory, viii be by the ArougA
| Chesapeake Ohio hallway.
In this connection ii may be well to emphasize
the significance of this Ches. y Ohio terminal con-
| clusion by quoting (from Hotchk1ss Photography
Virginia, p. 1875. now in press the following -"Th
HtDltt 2oids exp ansion of the james, the WIDEN
Ing of this river for IL miles from It's mouth upward
| In broad, irregular oval with numerous tidal
arms, is one of its most remarkable features; 1t is
also one of the most noteworthy and important fea
of the coast of the United States,
it forms the largest and most central and commodi
| aus land locked harbor on that coast This great
roadstead i bounded north by the miles of shore
| oetween Old Point Comfort and Point Newports-
news, and south by the than 81 miles of shore
| between Point Willoughby and Ragged-Island New.
| ports and Pig, Newports-news and Sewalls
| and Comfort and Sewalls, to 8.5 in north and
south course, between the mouths of Hampton
| Creek and E izabeth River. Its is about 400
square milesor 256 900 acres some $50 square miles
Of this, in continuous belt IL miles long and from
to miles wide, has depth ranging from IS to 80
1t. at mean low water, which includes but single
tract some 200 acres, Newport snews Middle
| Ground, having less than IS ft-that having from
II to 49, this is bordered each side by BELTS have
ing II Is #. of depth, that occupy So suuar-
miles: and these in turn, by wide belts, in which
the depth is from to II it,, occupying 100 square
mies;-hence, this great anchorage has some 345
| square miles of valuable ship room.'
These facts OF the condition OF this great harbor-
the first settled upon in the Union and ereong be
most resorted to-will be more appreciated if we
turn to the U. S. Coast Survey Report for 1871 and
read what ii says are the requirements of oredt
tdrbOr, requirements that very few I'LL 1t saws
t-"Roominess of length and breadth, in channel
ways, roadsteads and harbors, is scarcely less i'm
dated that requires fleets Of shipping-for naviga-
BILE facilities do not vary in proportion tides and
depths. flrst-class ship requires half mile, and
"A medium sized schooner 600 feet of way or sea-
room, when beating to windward, and in straight
channel steamers and vessels in tow of steam tugs
must have at least 100 feet In anchorage 81 acres
of swing room, beyond the 18-feet curve, are needed
for each ship of coasting feet and 80 acres In not
less than 10 fathoms of water, for man of war
some of the latter take A acres.''
.The draught of sailing vessels taking the regis
try al Lloyd fol guide, is over 20 feet for about
onethird of all afoat, and 16 feet for 95 per
cent OF large sailing ships 16 per draw "a feet
and over, while of barks only per cent draw over
| Is feet. Coast-wise coal-loaded steamers usually
draw is feet and coalloaded schooners 70 feet the
| average draught of merchant schooners Is only 1f
feet and that OF fishing vessels Is less $50 in one
or another OF the large of different depths In
Hampton Roads, the largest feets of any class OF
vessels can have anchorage and tswing" room
without occupyiny or obstructing the great channel
ways.