423 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 7 



and Roanoke rail roads predicated on 

 actual expenditures, would be $8,000 

 per mile, making lor one hundred 

 and filly miles the sum of ."'1.200,000 



j resenting an aggregate expendi- 

 ture on the whole ol the proposed 

 route of 81,750,000 



Allowing then for every contingency and the 

 most unfavorable result of the surveys, it i 

 safely asserted that the round sum of two millions 

 of dollars would cover the whole expenditure on 

 the contemplated work. 



Is that a sum within our resources? Is its mag- 

 nitude such as to deter us from the prosecution of 

 an enterprise, pregnant as we believe it is with 

 blessings inestimable to so large a portion of our 

 people? Upon this part of the subject no obser- 

 vation of ours can be necessary. 



In times like these of unexampled prosperity, 

 when so large a portion of capital in every part of 

 our wide spread confederacy is courting a profita- 

 ble investment, it can only be necessary to show 

 that ample returns must reward the investment to 

 insure the application of the estimated sum to any 

 contemplated work. 



By a reference to 'the synopsis of the James 

 River and Kanawha Improvements, &c.' we find 

 the amount of tonnage on the south western route, 

 embracing part only of thai region which must in- 

 evitably seek our improvement as the cheapest and 

 most expeditious, estimated at 100,000 tons. Oi 

 this by far the largest portion is now carri d to 

 Baltimore, at an enormous expenditure of time 

 and money. The time ordinarily occupied b\ a 

 wagon in travelling from Wythe court house to 

 Baltimore may be estimated ai 

 on the contemplated rail road the rich pro, 

 of the valley may reach Norfolk, Petersburg or 

 Richmond in two days, or the Baltimore market in 

 three. Taking then as the basis ol our calculation 

 the report of the slate engineer confirmed by the 

 report of the Abingdon Convention, as set forth in 

 the synopsis above referred to, we may estimate 

 the immediate trade meeting this improvement at 

 JEvansham as yielding a tonage ol 100,000 tens. 

 To ibis add the trade of the com: 



east of Wythe in Virginia and 



North Carolina bordering on the 



proposed road, which on the. fair- 

 est principles of calculation known 



to the committee may be estimated 



at 50,000 tons. 



The aggregate amount of tonnage 



now anually seeking its destina- 

 tion by wagons, and other means 



of transportation is 150,000 tons. 



From this calculation are excluded the vast 

 mineral resources on the immediate line of'the 

 roid. The salt, lime, gypsum, iron and lead, the 

 three last sufficient to supply every possible de- 

 mand, in fact, inexhaustible, yet. according to the 

 report of the Abingdon Convention, which valua- 

 ble document we beg leave to recommend to the 

 attention of the public — "The transmission of 

 mineral productions of south western Virginia and 

 East Tennessee, would form the largest source ol 

 profit to the stock holders of the rati road compa- 

 ny." Add to all these the continued stream of 

 travel which now runs through the southwestern 

 valley, and which, as certainly as cheapness, com- 



fort and expedition invite the steps of the travel- 

 ler, would mainly be diverted to the projected route, 

 and the revenue of the road would 'swell loan 

 amount which this committee would feel reluc- 

 tant to indicate. Here we reach the great tho- 

 roughfare to the south and southwest. Since Jan- 

 uary last not less than thirteen thousand slaves 

 alone have passed the western terrninous oi this 

 improvement. But excluding horn our estimate 

 of profits all these, sources of revenue, excluding 

 also every prospective addition to these resources 

 which maybe derived from the awakened ener- 

 gies of q people now slumbering over their inval- 

 uable interests; and confining our calculations to 

 Ihe tonnage known to exist, and now inviting this 

 improvement, we shall see that on a capital of 

 #2,000,000, adopting the calculations of Col. Cro- 

 zet, the return would almost exceed credibility. 

 Suppose the 150,000 tons actually seeking its desti- 

 nation, to travel on an average only through half 

 the extent of our contemplated road, and suppose 

 the average on freights, exports and imports to be 

 reduced to lour cents per ton per mile, the aggre- 

 gate amount of the tonnage on the road would 

 yield a Revenue of six hundred thousand dollars 

 annually. 



Without pretending to accuracy in all our es- 

 timates and calculations, although they seem to 

 us based on undeniable facts, and on the public re- 

 ports of accredited public agents, we. may safely 

 ■ that no error can | lace the revenue on this 

 investment below twenty-five | cr cent, it may be 

 d thai we have not taken into consideration 

 the cost o! the necessary engines, superinten 

 and repairs. To meet this objection, we suggest 

 that the conveyance of passengers and the trai s- 

 portation of the mails must am| !y cover, if not 

 largely exceed all such incidental expenses. But 

 should our expectations from these sources prove 

 fallacious, can a doubt be entertained that, the 

 transportation of the minerals above referred to 

 which as certainly as the work shall have been 

 constructed must, in large quantities, be transport- 

 ed on this route, will more than compensate for 

 any deficiency in the other resources of the im- 

 provement. 



In presenting these details we have endeavored 

 to exhibit a simple and condensed view of the 

 commercial advantages of the contemplated work. 

 We cannot, however, overlook the social and po- 

 litical benefits which it cannot fail to secure. Who 

 can look upon our vast territory and observe the 

 advancement of our people in those stupendous 

 improvements, which, spurning the common limits 

 of space, are throwing their chains over the ex- 

 tremes of our union? Who can behold the contin- 

 uous links which are already connecting Boston 

 with the Roanoke on the east, and which promise 

 tnd New Orleans in close approx- 

 i with the southwestern valley, that does 

 not feel the necessity ol' completing the interme- 

 diate link? In peace 1 must it contri- 

 bute to the promotion of kind and social relations 

 i rent portions of our territory ? 

 How rapidly will it diffuse among our people the 

 i blessings of knowledge and information'? In war, 

 should that evil unhappily come upon us, what in- 

 J valuable facilities will it afford to every operation, 

 ■ whether designed for the annoyance of a common 

 enemy or for the defence of our common coun- 

 try? in every view which we take of this 





