12 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 1 



of grade from the point opposite, to the point in the 

 next line. The fourth, the rate per mile. The fifth, 

 the total a.'^cent or descent in that distance. And 

 the sixth, whether the grade rises, tails, or is level. 



No. 1, is at the junction of the two roads. No. 

 26, at the Roanoke. From an inspection of this 

 table, the reader will see that all the grades are 

 as easy as is desirable, till we come to point No. 

 23. From 23 to 25, the grade is very heavy. At 

 No. 1, vou will perceive the elevation above tide, 

 is 141.40 feet— at No. 23, 308.70 feet— and at 

 25, the elevation is 133 leet — about 8 feet below 

 the point of commencement: so that from 23 to 25, 

 a distance of only 10600 leet, the road had to de- 

 scend through a greater space than it had risen 

 in all the distance between 1 and 23. The great 

 ditficulty here, arises from the fact of the summit 

 approaching so near the Roanoke, that enough 

 distance is not allowed ibr an easier descent. 

 Even with the present grade, there is as much as 

 30 feet cutting at its head, and 12 feet filling at its 

 foot. Previously to locating this portion of the 

 road, the whole neighboring country was exam- 

 ined, in hopes of a better descent ; but every 

 where the summit was found to approach too 

 near the river. The country was also examined 

 with a view to an inclined plane, with stationary 

 power ; but no location for such could be found, 

 offering sufficient advantages to overcome the 

 great objections always attendant on stationary 

 power. As objectionable as this grade would be 

 any where else, it is not attended with great dis- 

 advantages, situated as it is, so near the termina- 

 tion of the line. When the Raleigh and Gaston 

 line is in operation, the locomotive which comes 

 from Raleigh, having a head of steam, can, without 

 expense, assist the Petersburg locomotive, with its 

 train up this grade, and afterwards return to Gas- i 



ton. The Petersburg locomotive, in like manner, 

 when it arrives at the Roanoke, can perform tha 

 same good office for the Raleigh engine, on the 

 south side of the Roanoke, inasmuch a3 quite a 

 heavy grade is encountered there also, for the 

 same reason. Again — a temporary depot, with a 

 turn-out, is fixing at the head ot" the grade, and a 

 locomotive can, in two or three trips, take from 

 Gaston to this depot, as much produce as it can 

 carry thence to Petersburg, and the train may bo 

 thus formed on this turn-out, ready to connect to 

 the engine bringing up the mail and passengers. 

 A little experience will show the most economical 

 method of managing the matter; but tiicre can be 

 no doubt that the grade adopted is infinitely pre- 

 ferable to the use of stationary povv'cr. 



Tliis grade will always be perli^ctly safe. For its 

 superstructure, the largest timbers were selected, 

 and iron tv/o and a hali' inches by three-eighths, is 

 used; there is no curve at its foot, and tb.ere is a le- 

 vel grade of nearly three-fourlhs of a mile, belbro 

 reaching the river; eo that even should a brake 

 give way in the descent, there would be no dan- 

 ger of either running off, or of the passengers ta- 

 king a cold bath in the Roanoke. 



The construction not being completed, it would 

 be premature now to estimate the total cost. But 

 that deficiency may be supplied as scon as the 

 work is finished, from the otHcial accounts of ac- 

 tual expenditures for the road. * 



Revenue. — I ■find Mr. Editor, that in these days, 

 any rail road, or any rail road scheme, can be 

 made on paper to yield a handsome revenue, so 

 that under this head, I shall not resort to figures 

 to make estimates of the future dividends which 

 this road will probably yield, but merely satisfy 

 myself with the statement of rather the sources, 

 than the amount of its revenue. It will undoubt- 

 edly bring to market all the produce, (consisting 

 of cotton, tobacco and small grain) of the upper 

 Roanoke — the produce from a large portion of 

 Northampton and Halifax, fi-om Warren, Frank- 

 lin, Wake, Chatham, Orange and Granville coun- 

 ties. To nearly all these, will merchandize and 

 goods of various descriptions, be returned on this 

 road. It will be a link in the great northern and 

 southern mail routes, and of course, the transport- 

 ation of the mail will be secured to it, as well as 

 the great amoimt of travel which always accom- 

 panies, and will invariably stick to the mail. The 

 local travelling, also, will be great. In fact, when 

 I reflect, that in time, the Raleigh road is to bo 

 pushed south, that an improvement will be pro- 

 jected which will bring to this road the products 

 of the rich lands of the Yadkin, and that the great 

 western scheme, pushing itself into the very heart 

 of Tennessee, and connecting with the Charleston 

 and Cincinnati road, is to be connected at its eas- 

 tern extremity with this work, I am completely at 

 a loss to know what then would be the limit of its 

 revenue, were none imposed by law. 



The terms on which this work was let, and the 



* This communication was received early in Decem- 

 ber. The completion of the work has since been re- 

 tarded much beyond the time then expected, by va- 

 rious unforeseen difficulties, which have increased the 

 total cost to $ 227,000. The railway was opened en- 

 tirely to the Roanoke, and its regular trade com- 

 menced on March 30th, 1837. — Ed. Far. Reg. 



