The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-04-23
a,ohmond and SOUTHWESTERN Realroad.

Richmond and southwestern heairoao'
We have received from Boston number
OF papers sesrine upon the new project OF
= railroad from tie mouth Of York river TO
the southern boundary Of Kentucky. ut
"a INTENDED TO pass through West Poin.
Richmond, Lynchburg, Fincssile, the coua-
ties Of CraigS Giles, Bland, farewell, Ra~
sell and Wise, in Virginia, TO Pound Gap,
0n the boundary OF tirgtuia and hcn-
,ucky. ana from Pvuod Sap along toe
valley a the Ken.ucsy river 10 beat'ys-
VILE. and by the most direct route TO
Louisyilk, KY, asd aisng the vSey Oh
sbe Ohio and Mississippi rivers 70 tue
Sou,,,ers boundary OF The State Touching
-, f,wessboro,, Henderson, and Paducab,
whore Il connesss with the DanfWe, olney
and ohio River railroads. three-ioe'
xauge. which viii gfqe 1t through connec-
lion 10 Cbicsro aad the La1es-now III
scou,se OF construction. From Padusan
ube road VIII lvo to Cairo, with theeeN.
pec.aiion 81 lin q, extension 10 the oW' oi
NIexico Ont TO the far West This llneSili
be bu;h With double tracks. steel rails, ana
oil the esaracsristics OF a first-class raft
way of faree-foot gauge, bringing tue CIV
OF louisville within TGo miles Of tssc best
and srtest pors on the Atlantic coast over a
road xadcr one ownership and one man.
agerent."
THIS u acrand schemc-nothingt less than
Tor = railroad from Gloucester Point 10 Tue
Pacific ocean-possibiy In the northwestern
pa,s Of Mexico. We have said but HUE
about fine scheme because we haze lacked
s.;,b in ;,-not tbat we had any good reason
for o,Sr incredibly, but because we did not
Know why such a road should he desired by
Roston capitalists. We may not be any
wiser now; We: as the projectors have en-
Moved competent engineers 10 prove its
feasibility, skilIal biologists 10 tell what
treasures it viii develop, and able lawyers
80 present IT, claims TO the people OF the
various counties 10 Virginia through which
it is expected to pass, we cannot but think
that there is % something in It,"
The directors are PARKER e. CHANDLER,
WILLIAM ANoRY, Jr., JAMES l.. LITTLE,
Jr, OTls KixBALL. and WALTER II. SWEET,
OF Boston; LEIGH X. PAGE, Of Virginia;
and J. b. MCCEEARY, of Kentucky.
We have before us long report on the
"terminal facilities, - OF the proposed road.
NORMAN w. WHEELER, Of Philadelphia,
made the examination aud the report He
recommends the purchase OF two islands
and so much of the adjacent shore as viii
give riparian rights over the whole terri
tory out to deep water" He speaks rather
contemptuously OF the river above COTS |
Point and OF the southern bank. Read:
at was considered useless TO continue |
the examination farther up than the bar OF |
COTS Point, as that obstruction Is deemed |
sufficient 10 exclude the foreign commerce |
YOU seek 10 meet, because OF the great |
draught OF modern steamships. For rea-
sons tased upon The cOpfiguration Of the |
country, and for others relating in part 10
the healthfu,ness OF the regions, the lOca-
ton was not sought upon the southern
bank"
Mr.. WHEELER wants no terminus for the
new road that is not inside the forts OF the
General Government, nor that cannot be
reached by "lsrge steamships" Chandler |
Qhe name OF the new town. Is preferable to
Baltimore, because the latter makes neces |
SaTV "a useless cafTIdge Oh nearly OUO |
miles "--that is, " northing and soutling"
TO get in and out of the Bay. He adds:
ali you terminate at Norfolk you will |
incur Useless carriage OF about 40 miles |
and gain nothing.
"lf you terminate upon the James river |
your commerce will be involved in the |
crookedness OF so much Of that river as you
may use.
.sIf you terminate upon the York river,
above the mouth, you shorten your own
carnage in part OF the country where 1t
will he easy and profitable for you, and im-
pose carriage upon ships under conditions
of more difficulty and less profit than OBJ
tain as an average for voyage; for, aside |
from other considerations, large part OF
the fitting and value OF q sea.going ship is |
worse than useless when she Is navigating |
inland water, and 1t Is not wise to impose |
such work upon men using such tools. 1
"Therefore hold that you should termi- |
nate your line upon York river, at good and
safe water, and as lar eastward as such Wa
ter can be found.'
Now II all this does not indicate that the
new company intends to give Virginia
new railroad extending entirely across her
territory, then we cannot guess what the
corporators are after. AS 1t Is to pass
through Richmond, she will be sure not to
oppose its construction, especially IL 1t is
to give her direct route to Mazatlan.