{ 1870 . 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
April] 
A SAFE AND RELIABLE INVESTMENT. 
$1,000,000 
First Mortgage Sinking Fund Seven Per 
Cent Gold Bonds 
OF THE 
FREDERICKSBURG AND GORDONSVILLE 
RAILROAD COMPANY OF VIRGINIA. 
Principal and Interest Payable in Coin, 
Free of u. s. government tax. 
THE 
Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad 
Commences at Fredericksburg, running west, crossing the Orange and Alexandria Kail- 
road at Orange Court House, thence through a gap, and down the west side of the South¬ 
west Mountains, to Charlottesville, which is the point of junction of the Chesapeake and 
Ohio Railroad, and the extension of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, connecting 
with the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad at Lynchburg, which, with its connections and 
extensions, is the only Ain Like l'oad leading to the entire South and South-west. 
The whole length of line is (S3 miles, in two divisions; the first one of 3S miles, extending 
to Orange Court House ; tiie second, from Orange Court House to Charlottesville, 24 miles. 
The two divisions are of vast importance to the connecting roads, the first division 
being a feeder to the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Road, of local freight to 
Richmond, and of through freight and passenger travel over that portion of their line 
connecting with the Potomac at Actfuia Creek. 
The second division makes an Air. Lixe connection between Orange and Charlottes¬ 
ville, and, besides passing through a much more favored country than the line via Gor¬ 
donsville, is six miles shorter. 
The entire line passes through a good and improving country—that portion west of 
Orange, known as the Piedmont District of the Shenandoah Valley', being very 
rich ; so much so, that it is estimated that the local traffic on the second division will pay 
tiie operating expenses of the whole Road. 
Tiie counties along tiie line, and on which it can depend for local trade, are Albermarle, 
Greene, Madison, Culpepper, Orange, Louisa, and Spottsylvania. Its position assures it 
an abundant share of through trade, both freight and passenger. 
Col. Taylor, Chief Engineer, has been over the line several times, and examined it thor¬ 
oughly; he reports it as most favorably located, and its early completion of tiie utmost 
importance to tiie rich section of country through which it passes. 
Its relative position as an outlet to tide-water from Charlottesville, shows it to he a 
necessity to the roads which connect with it at or near that point; in fact, it lias been 
called very justly tiie KEY TO THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO RAIL¬ 
ROAD, as it shortens the distance to tide-water not less than 05 miles over their present 
shortest outlet, by way of Richmond and Vest Point, on York River. 
The distance to tide-water over this road is— 
40 miles less than by the Orange and Alexandria R. R. 
05 miles, less than via Richmond and West Point. 
!)0 miles less than the route via Newport News. 
124 miles less than via Norfolk. 
In the event of a connection with tiie Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, at tiie Potomac 
River, nearly 23 miles of railroad transportation will be saved between Charlottesville and 
Baltimore and the entire North and East. 
From the North, the road will have, as feeders, the Alexandria and Fredericksburg 
Railroad, tiie Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (an extension of tiie Northern Central 
Railroad, owned and controlled by the Pennsylvania Central Railroad), and the extensions 
and connections of the Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad, now nearly completed 
through Delaware and Maryland, to the Potomac River; also, several lines of steamers 
now running from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, to Acquia Creek 
and Fredericksburg. 
The recent action of New York capitalists, among whom are Messrs. A. A. Low, W. H. 
Aspinwall, C. P. Huntingdon, Fisk & Hatch, and others of equal prominence and stand¬ 
ing, who have subscribed Twelve Millions ($12,000,000) dollars to the Chesapeake and 
Ohio Railroad, guarantees the early completion of this most important work to tiie 
Ohio River. 
By this action the FREDERICKSBURG AND GORDONSVILLE RAIL¬ 
ROAD is placed at once in the front rank of the Virginia roads, as far as earnings are 
concerned. Carefully prepared estimates of the prospective business of the Road show 
that these will amount to from $1,000 to $10,000 per mile, per annum, an amount sufficient, 
over and above tiie operating expenses, not only to pay the interest on the bonds and pro¬ 
vide for tiie requirements of the sinking fund, but to leave a large surplus ns dividends 
to tiie stockholders. 
Tiie principal items of revenue are lumber, lime, plaster, iron, and other ores ; cotton, 
tobacco, wood, cattle, and other live-stock; corn, wheat, flour, coal, and passengers; as 
well as general merchandise, fertilizers, agricultural implements, etc. 
The agricultural and mineral wealth of Western Virginia and East Tennessee is too well 
understood to need comment. Tiie richest deposits of coal, iron, copper. 1 . 1 , and salt, 
south of the Ohio and east of tiie Mississippi, are found in the above-named districts, and 
immediately oil the lines of tiie railway under construction. 
In referring to the FREDERICKSBURG AND GORDONSVILLE RAIL¬ 
ROAD as tiie key to the Chesapeake and Ohio road, it is well to examine into Hie merits 
t 
and advantages of the latter road, which is tiie outlet for the trade and vast mineral and 
agricultural productions of Central and West Virginia, and tiie connections of which ex¬ 
tend by tiie shortest and most direct routes through the entire West and North-west, and 
to tiie Pacific Ocean. It is one of the Grand Trunk lines running cast and west through 
tiie Alleghany Mountains, and possesses advantages over the New York and Eric, Hie 
Pennsylvania Central, and tiie Baltimore and Ohio Railroads, which will make it the most 
important connecting link in tiie Gkeat National Highway across tiie Continent lo the 
Atlantic seaboard, as tiie distance is much shorter and the grades less than those of any 
other of the roads named—the maximum grade of the Chesapeake and Ohio Road being 
only 29K feet to tiie mile. 
The distance from Cincinnati to West Point (tiie shipping poiut of the Chesapeake and 
Ohio Road) over this road is 5S5, and from Louisville to West Point is CGI miles. 
From Cincinnati to New York, via Pennsylvania Central. 7 r,fi miles 
From Cincinnati to Philadelphia, via Pennsylvania Central. UH9 “ 
From Cincinnati to Baltimore, via Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. 58S “ 
From Louisville to New York, by the shortest lines. S02 “ 
From Louisville to Philadelphia, hv the shortest route. 775 
From Louisville to Baltimore, by the shortest route. 594 “ 
The Fredericksburg anil Gordonsville road, connecting at Charlottesville with 
tiie Chesapeake and Ohio road, readies deep water on Hie Potomac by a route 63 miles 
shorter than the route via West Point. Its line is nearly straight, and its grades, which 
are light and short, arc in favor of heavy traffic. 
Virginia and West Virginia contain about one-tenth in area of tiie entire coal-fields of 
the world, and three times as much as is contained in^he whole of Great Britain. 
The Cannel coal of tiie Kanawha Valley is equal to the best English Cannel, and the de¬ 
mand for it is almost unlimited, while the supply of this and other line coals along the line 
of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad is Inexhaustible. 
One Cannel coal-mine will be reached by this road in 1S70, upon which a large sum lias 
been expended, and which has a capacity to furnish 2,000 tons per day for transportation. 
This coal, tiie price of which in New York is from $17 to $20 per ton, can be laid down in 
New York at a cost of $10 per ton. 
The saving of sixty-five miles of railroad transportation, which will he effected upon 
tiie completion of the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville road, is equivalent to a reduction 
in the above cost of not less than one dollar and thirty cents per ton, and enables the lat¬ 
ter to command a transfer to it at its western terminus of all heavy freight seeking deep 
water for a shipping point. 
The financial condition of the Company is good. The work done to date lias been paid 
for by stock subscriptions, of which a sufficient amount lias been obtained to prepare tiie 
road-bed its entire length for the superstructure. 
The surveying and engineering have been completed, and Hie route located for the entire 
distance. Rights of way have been secured and deeded to Hie Company, and it also owns 
tiie necessary land for depots, water stations, etc. 
Thirty miles of the road are now graded, bridges built, culvertlng and masonry in good 
order, and now ready for the superstructure, which is being laid. The balance of Hie 
grading is under contract, and will be rapidly pushed forward. 
Tiie iron for the entire road lias been purchased, and is now being delivered at Fredericks¬ 
burg. 
Tiie rolling-stock lias been ordered, and tiie entire line will be completed and in running 
order by the 1st of July, 1870. 
Tiie work on tiie road is being well and substantially done, and will compare favorably 
with any heretofore done in the State. The equipment of the road will also he of a su¬ 
perior class, and fully ample for Hie large trade which it is believed the road will command 
immediately on completion. 
The mortgage is of such a nature that the bondholders have Hie most extensive protec¬ 
tion. It covers tiie rolling-stock as well as all tiie other property of the Company, includ¬ 
ing tiie depots, bridges, sidings, water stations, rights of way, franchises, etc.; and 
while tiie mortgage debt is limited lo $15,000 pci-mile, the estimated cost of the road to the 
the Company, finished and equipped, will exceed $30,000 per mile, thus giving tiie bond¬ 
holders an unusual margin—tiie bonded debt of tiie other Virginia roads being from 
$20,000 to $30,000 per mile. 
A synopsis of the foregoing statement shows that tiie Fredericksburg and Gordonsville 
Railroad possesses Hie following important advantages: 
X. It passes through and opens up a rich and rapidly improving country. 
H. There is no parallel competing line running either to or from its points of junction 
with other main lines. 
3. From its western terminus at Charlottcsville.it is tiie most direct outlet, and tiie 
shortest by many miles, for all tiie freight and travel which come from the entire west, 
north-west, and south-west portions of tiie United States, whether seeking deep water for 
shipping points, or going to tiie North and East by rail. 
4. It is one of the most important connecting links in the system of lines now being or¬ 
ganized as through lines from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other 
points to the Pacific coast by way of Hie Central and Southern Pacific lines of railroad. 
A limited number of the Bonds (issued in denominations of $500 and $1,000) are offered 
at 92)< and interest from Nov. 1, in currency, and at this price are the 
CHEAPEST GOLD INTEREST-BEARING SECURITIES IN THE 
MARKET. 
Maps and pamphlets, which explain satisfactorily every question that can possibly be 
raised by a party seeking a safe and profitable investment, will be furnished on application. 
We have investigated the advantages of this railroad, and the merits of the enterprise, 
and confidently recommend these Bonds to our customers and to the public. 
DRAKE BROTHERS, 
BANKERS AND BROKERS, 
No. 16 Broad Street, New Yorki 
