Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-06-27
The Shenandoah Valley Railroaa-Th
Progress it Commenced.


The receipt of very tastefully arranged
illustrated pamphlet issued by the Shenan-
doah Valley Railroad Of the country and
the natural resources and Improvements
made along its line has suggested some
references to that leading highway which
we will make. The writer, Mr.. Ernest
Ingersoll, remembered for his valuable
contributions in several Of the departments
of scientific Investigations conducted by
the General Government has presented the
subject matter, divided into several chap
tiers, in very attractive style with maps
and illustrations executed in the highest
style of the engraving art. Scenery, lie
gends, material, and social progress are
sketched in glowing thought, and charms
the reader as he reads the faultless letter
press.
The Shenandoah Valley railroad has ele-
gantly equipped rolling stock, and the
passenger trains make two trips each way
every day throughout the year at an
average speed of about thirty miles per
hour. 1t is one of the parallel lines from
North to South. Numbering from East to
West it is the first in the enumeration of
those lines built west of the Blueridge
Mountains. 1t is the shortest and most
direct Of AL intermediate lines constructed
or that can he constructed west of those
mountains between directions of North and
South, taking New York and Atlanta or
New Orleans as starting points. Neither
the Ohio River railroad nor those to be
built hereafter across West Virginia from
North to South, admitting that they shall
have direct connection with the lines
through Tennessee, can be put down short
enipg the distance as it is now, and will
continue to be as secured by this important
intermediate line Of travel and tonnage
We will give an illustration Of its capacity
for rapid communication. The arrange
ments of schedules have bearing upon the
facts we refer to as they sometimes delay
the transportation of travel and mails to
points where quicker facility is desirable,
but under all such contingencies the Shen-
andoah Valley route maintains with its
rapid speed the earliest schedules. Take
Waynesboro' as the proposed illustration
The mail train which arrives there at l p
NJ, delivers the morning mail from Balti
more, Hagerstown, Harrisburg and per-
haps Philadelphia, and intermediate points
and in addition to the letter mail advanta
yes, the daily papers Of that day from New
York and intermediate cities are also de
livered. In this particular the news-deal
crs may be ahead Of the mail schedules
nevertheless, it is fact that the peopl
along that line have advanced mail ant
news facilities over all others west OF th
Blueridge Mountains, reaching Roanoke a
5P. NJ, on the same schedule time of tn
Washington, Charlottesville and Lynch
burg route. This Illustration will serve tt
show the advantages this line of communi
cation is furnishing the people on its route
and they are twice day each way every
day in the year, and it is not possible TO
any other route to supercede it in speed o
plenitude of mail travel and freight trans
portAtion.
The location Of the Shenandoah Vale.
railroad is Immediately along the western
base of the mountains, and thus it has no
a populous, nor large agricultural countr!
to draw from. Its route through Rocking
ham, Augusta, Rockbridge and Botetour
counties is on the borders Of those coun
ties, and consequently there is not tina
general interest in its prosperity which
should receive in view of the fact that it
a very large taxpayer to the counties
well as to the Stale. Following tie intro
duction of railroads there is always gen
eral necessity for the construction and i'm
provement of the highways leading to il
not only as a matter of right, to which tn
railroad can lay claim, but the failure
make these improvements works an iDjur
to the people who desire to ship thei
products and to travel by it. The road /
question runs parallel with streams ofte
impossible, and dangerous to cross in time
of highwater, ard if there be not reason
able number of bridges, or none at all, as
the case in long stretch of the rout
through Rockbridge county, hardship le
suits both to the people and the railroad
for the advantages it furnishes has change
the trading direction of many producers an
business men along the route. The raj
road has largely increased the value
property on its line as the coming assess
ment will verify, and the taxes it pays i
some of the counties are annually lncrea
ing in amount as the record will show, an
it is not Justice either to the people or I
the road to hold the facilities Of intercon
municati0n of whole communities down
the modes of primitive times, when, II
part only Of the progress in other parts
the same counties in making roads an
building bridges was observed in these IL
stances, it would be more cfeditable to tn
powers that be, and recognition to tina
extent of the demands Of public necessity
already too long delayed. If the amour
realized from this tax paying railroad wa
appropriated to the improvement of til
roads leading to it, a rich boom in tina
way would be the result to all such CON
munities, and whilst not suggesting such
disposition entirely Of these funds, it i
nevertheless right that at least so much a
is necessary to place it on equality with tn
communities on Notwithstanding railroad
in the same vicinities would be the thing t
be done, especially when investigation he
sanctioned the expenditure upon the groun,
of public necessity.
In Augusta, the County government an
the people recognize the relations whic
should exist between the railroad and tn
communities along its route. There is
bridge at Lipscomb, superior iron-bridg
at Waynestoro', and another to be built