Year: 1870

To the Editor of the Pittsburgh Commercial.


SIR-It is gratifying to see that the
people of Pennsylvania and West Vir.
GINA along the line of this road are
holding railroad meetings and adopting
resolutions pledging themselves to con-
tribute, if sustained by others interest
ed, to the full extent of their means.
But we are sorry to see that the people
of Pittsburgh, more interested and more
able than they, give no promise of aid
or word of encouragement. 1t is true
that the City Board of Trade at the
commencement appointed committee,
with General Cass at its head, but as
far as We know this Committee has
never met or taken any action what.
ever on the subject. Now, if Pitts
burgh will do nothing to promote this
work, we don't know who should, as it
will furnish them a cheap and mex
haustable supply of hematite ore, inds-
pensably necessary to neutralize the
ores of Lake Superior, and yielding, by
analysis, sixty per cent. of iron-Only
six per cent. less than the Lake Superior
ores, and at half the cost. 1t will at
the same time furnish equally cheap
and abundant supplies of char
and stone coal lime equal
to Louisville, fire clay, glass, sand
timber and agricultural produce of
every kind, and its value in financial
point of view is manifest from the fact
that the first twelve miles of this road
already made from Conucllsville to
Uniontown now actually pays forty
eight per cent on the present stock, and
more than sixteen per cent on the
entire cost of the road, as appears from
tho official Certificate of the Treasurer
OF the Company. And if this branch of
twelve miles pays from its local trade
exclusively more than sixteen per cent
on its original cost, what will
it pay when it becomes part of a
grand trunk road, connecting the lakes
and Pittsburgh with the great markets
of the Southwestern and Atlantic States'
VIII not the business, freigNtS and
travel on this portion of the road be in
creased ten-f;ldf Then as mere in.
vestment of money, where could the
rich iron man. merchants ana other
capitalists of Pittsburgh find more
profitable investment of funds than in
this read 7


In this connection it might be we'll to
state the additional fact that while the
twelve miles of this road already made
passes only twO furnaces, the next
twelve miles will pass eight, some of
them now in operation. One of the
furnaces ref rred to (Dunbar) is now
making from fifteen to eighteen tons
daily. Therefore. would not the first
twelve miles of this road to be made,
passing over continuous deposit of ore
and coal, fully developed at eight fur
naces, pay as much if not more than the
twelve miles now fnishedf We there.
fore submit to the citizens and corpora.
tion of Pittsburgh, whether in view OF
the great commercial, mechanical aud
manufacturing interests involved, they
ought not to do something to keep thi:
enterprise alive and prevent it from
again dying out for want Of some pro
per manifestation Of interest and ma
terial aid on behalf of this great and
prosperous city.


In vindication of his own motives
the writer begs leave to state thai
neither he, nor any of his family, owl
dollars worth of property on any OF
the lines proposed for this read. s.


UNIoNTOwN, Pa, Jan. 1lth, 1870.