The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-01-19
Down the French Bread.
CONTINUED.

Lynchburg, on the f. 7. d Va. Z. r.,
one sees a constant succession of branch
lines, running off into the outlying re-
gions. There are fully one dozen of
these, finished, or beginning, in South
western Virginia, and a number in Ten.
nessee.
Among the latter is the Narrow guage
railroad from Johnston City, running
Southeast towards Cranberry Iron
Mines in North Carolina. This road
Is, as yet, emily sixteen miles long: but
has earned more than its expenses from
the day it opened and the nag
have just put on eight new fat cars.
Here vi see what is needed for the
billy sections Of North; Carolina. A
narrow guage. which can be operated
for twenty miles on $40 a day, is GER
tain Of profit, and will stir the pool
OF progress in many a section which is
now stagnant as a mud fat, six weeks
from rain.
Coming put of Lynchburg, one sees
from the car window a curious sight :;
suggesting the changes wrought by the
war. 1t is this:-a railway track run
ming through the centre Of a canal.
When Richmond was evacuated. six
teen years ago, its defenders had to go
out to Burkeville junction, 40 miles,
before turning westward to Lynchburg.
There was a canal running down the
river line between the two places; but
it was slow, and nearly always out OF
order. This Canal was last year sold to
the Richmond & Allegheny R. II. Com
pany on condition that they should con
stluct a line of track along the tow path
between the two cities. In many places
the track is laid on a tres.le over the
shallow water Of the canal. Had this
railroad been built when Richmond fell,
the war would have gone on for five
years longer. Nay, Richmond might
not have fallen for she would have had
another line to draw men and supplies
from the Sou h-West.
The ''old fog spirit of the ante
beHum South, which s,ught to keep our
section as an agricultural region, and
s~trenuously opposed internal improve
ments, was the true cause of Our defeat.
The Southern people of TO day, if
united as in 1861, could not be whipped
by the combined Yankees and hire!lngs
VI 1T oulNClSC. LIZ SlDSIC llIc vi
rails, called the "Air Line" between
Atlanta and Richmond, would Of Itself.
put a back bone to the contederacy which
no Sherman's Bummers could break.
Had it been In existence in 1865, Lee
would have held Grant with Que hand,
while he sent his other hand to help Joe
Johnston whip Sherman. Or he would
have suddenly called Johnston to uli,e
with him (as at Bull Run, and Gaines
mlk) to trounce out Grant.
The conversion Of the James river
Canal into a railroad emphasizes another
lesson OF the war; namely that water
converted into steam ) as cheap, or
cheaper, for freight traffic, as water
under boats. There are certain heavy
freights, such as ores, metals, coa!s.
lumber, ETC., which can be shipped b,
vessel cheaper thar by car; but unless
me water reate be very much shorter,
and veil managed, the gain n time. in
risk, aud In convenience Of handling
will turn the balance in favor of the
car.
Here we see the true secret OF the
North Carolina System" about which
all of our Governors, not excepting Jar
Wis when he was on hat tack last year.
have periodically penned patriotic para
graphs. Twenty years ago railroads
were bnllt as mere accessories, or assis-
tants, to the shipping at Important
ports. Even ten years Ago., it was sup
posed that when the Carolina Central
reached Charlotte, it would drain the
treights of the Piedmont region to the
shipping at Wilmington whereas for d
fact, it caused a good deal OF freight
from Central Carolina to go to Charlotte
and urn Northward, via Richmond.
When the North Carolina System
was first mooted, all the highland coun
ties journeyed to Newbe n, Wilmington,
aud other seaports, to sell and to buy.
Long trains OF wagons passed through
iiillsboro and Raleigh, and Fayetteville,
every day in the year, going East. So
our patriotic Grand paps thought that
if once a grand-trunk line were opened
from Asheville to Beaufort, the noun
talns would shout for joy, the little hills
skip like lambs, " and the whole west
march down like rams, in solemn single
lille, to empty Its wool and mutton,
actual and metaphoricai, upon the
wharves of the Cities by the Sea
Gov. Morehead had faith in Morehead
City, and Col. Junaluska Thomas could
show you, on the map, Just what Ma
Intended"
But the Pocket nerve is the main
spring of modern NATURE" The open
OF the Wilmington & Weldon r, Il.
gave a safe and swift line of travel in
rear of bowling Hatteras. Personal
forced the 'urand Trunk Route
to leave a direct line from East to West,
and turn and twist, unit! it got in front
Of the front door OF everybody who had
front door in those days SC that when
the road was finished, one half ran east
aud west, and one half North and South,
!. e. from Charlotte to Greensboro. Tn
tor the system schemey I
it needed only 40 miles of track, from
the latter point to Danville, to make
another Northern Route" The nee
-%ssities of Gen. Lee at Richmond con-
PEELED the building of this 40 link. The
irst train through from Richmond to
Salisbury screamed Good Bye" to the
North Carolina system. Why? Be
a Railroad system to succeed must
the line of the Pocket Nerve.
And when traveller, or a freight ship
per, comes down from the mountains as
ar as Salisbury, he has two routes open
o him one by the North Carolina sys
,em to Beaufort, and one by the Rich
nond & Danville System to West Point {
,r Baltimore. 1.-The goes to Beaufort he |
viii travel $50 miles on the cars, before
he boards the vessel to travel 800 miles {
over a perilous sea. If he take '
he all rail route, he will reach Balti-
lore about the same hour that he would