^ V\a-\cn 
 
The Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad: 
 
 ITS ADVANTACES AS A 
 
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THROUdrrr 
 
 T JTCrV/ t_ T T T- 
 
 ..JUTE 
 
 BETWEEN THE 
 
 J^1<T1D TSIEI WEST, 
 
 TOGETHER WITH INFORMATION CONCERNING THE 
 
 AGRICULTURAL, MINERAL & MECHANICAL RESOURCES, 
 
 THE 
 
 COAL AND IRON-ORE DEPOSITS, 
 
 AND THE 
 
 Opportunities for Settlement, Investment, and the Active 
 Employment of Capital and Labor in Various 
 Industries along its Route. 
 
 MIjAY, 18T3. 
 
 F’ISK S' MATCMy Bankers, 
 
 6 Nassau Street, New York. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGB6. 
 
 Chesapeake and Ohio Eailroau and Connections - - - 1-7 
 
 Character of the Work , - - 7-8 
 
 Advantages as a Through Eoute 9_25 
 
 Need op Transportation Facilities Between East and West 12-17 
 Eesources and Attractions of the Country : 
 
 Agricultural and Timber 26-40 
 
 Iron Ores - -- -- -- -- - 40-47 
 
 Coal Deposits - 47-57 
 
 Salt, Clay, Cement, &c. ------ 58-60 
 
 Water Powers, Industrial Sites 61-62 
 
 Attractions for Pleasure Travel, Scenery, Medicinal Springs, 
 
 &c. , . 63-67 
 
 Distance and Time Tables 69-70 
 
DC! 
 
 r- ' A 
 
 ■ CA^A 
 
 THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO RAIEROAI). 
 
 ) Tlie Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad is now l)nilt 
 iind in operation from Riclimond, wliere it connects witli 
 ,ilie navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay, to Hnnting- 
 jton, at tlie head of reliable navigation on the Ohio River, a 
 (fi stance of 420 miles. 
 
 I The road possesses j^ecnliar facilities for the most ex- 
 pensive and economical transportation of Western field 
 produce destined for the seaboard States and for shipment 
 ^to Europe, and of imported and mannfactnred goods 
 for the great States occupying and adjacent to the Ohio and 
 • Mississippi valleys. 
 
 It has also special advantages as a very direct and 
 -attractive Passenger Line between the principal Western 
 Land Soiitli western Cities and railroad-centers, and Rich- 
 ^niond, Washington, Baltimore, Philadel])hia, New York, 
 Boston, and all important points in the Atlantic. States. . 
 
 It is also admirably sitnat(Hl to becoim^ a cheap ami 
 favorite route for European shipments and for immigrants 
 d( stilled for the West and Southwest, as, in addition to the 
 present Eastern terminus at Richmond, it will also have a 
 deep-water terminus directly upon the most central, com- 
 modious and unobstructed harbor on our (uitire North 
 Atlantic coast, where the transfer from vessels to cars can 
 be made at less expense, and with less interruption and 
 , delay, than at any other point at which Europiean cargoes 
 L and passengers can find direct and convenient access to the 
 - interior. 
 
 JcoxxECTixo Water & Railroad Lines — European, 
 Searoard and Inland. 
 
 At Richmond the Company have erected extensive 
 wharves for the transfer of general freight and mineral traffic., 
 
 
 ■bs oo 
 
2 
 
 ! 
 
 where cargoes can be ti*ansferrred from the cars to vesseh 
 with great rapidity and economy. Vessels drawing 13 feeb 
 of water can always reach this port, and at high watei 
 for the greater portion of tlie year it will admit vessels 
 drawing 16 feet. Tlie large Coal and Iron business of the 
 Road, the coastwise trade, and a considerable foreign busij 
 ness can be suitably accommodated at this point, as it i^ 
 accessible at all times to vessels of average capacity employed 
 in the coasting and foreign trade. !i 
 
 The Company have also in progress, for which all neces 
 sary authority and right of way, &c., have been secured, the 
 construction of an extension of their line from the present 
 terminus at Richmond, down the Peninsula between the 
 York and James Rivers, to a point on tlie deep waters of 
 the Chesapeake Bay, near the Capes at its entrance, where 
 safe anchorage and sufficient de]3th of water can always 
 be found to float the largest vessels in the world alongside 
 the cars, and to and from which vessels may come and go , 
 without a pilot. 
 
 An excellent line of European steamers, the “Allan,” 
 are already running to the Chesapeake Bay, their vessels 
 making semi-monthly trips between Norfolk and Liver- 
 pool. They will seek the wharves of the Chesapeake and 
 Ohio Railroad Company, at its deep-water terminus, to 
 discharge and receive cargoes and transfer passengers 
 directly to and from the Company’s cars, and by this 
 means establish a close and direct line of travel and 
 shipment between Europe and the Western States. Con- 
 nection between these steamers and the present terminus 
 of the Road at Richmond is now made by comfortable 
 and commodious passenger steamboats on the James River 
 and by rail ma the Norfolk^ Peter shurg and Soutliside 
 Railroad. 
 
 The managers of the Allan Line are prepared to increase 
 the number of their steamers running to the Chesapeake 
 Bay, when this deep-water extension is completed, and 
 other lines of European Steamers will, without doubt, also 
 
3 
 
 vessels are large and coinmodious, admirably fitted, well 
 k(‘i)t and commanded by able and experienced officers, 
 aijd the line is efficiently and tliorongldy managed in all 
 retepects. The trips are made in about 24 hours to Hampton 
 Roads, and abont 36 hours to Richmond, and affords a 
 pfeasant and increasingly j)0X3iilar route for travelers, espe- 
 cijilly in summer, and for tourists and health -seekers en 
 volute for Virginia and the West. It forms in connection 
 ^ith the Road, by far the cheapest and best route for 
 sl]|ipments of freight between New York and many points 
 at the W est and Southwest. * 
 
 At Richmond, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad has 
 rail connections mA the Richmond I) anmlle & Charlotte^ and 
 the Norfolk, Petersburg and Southside Railroads with all 
 points in the Southeastern States, including Wilmington, 
 Charleston, Augusta, Macon, Savannah, &c. ; also ria. 
 the Richmond and Pyederickshurg Railroad with Alex- 
 andria, Washington and the North. 
 
 ^ At Grordonsville, 76 miles west of Richmond, regular all- 
 lail connections, with through trains, are made, via the 
 Orange a7id Alexandria Railroad, for Washington, Balti- 
 more, Philadelphia, and New York, forming with the 
 steamers on the Ohio River between Iluntington and 
 Cincinnati, a very attractive Through Route for passengers 
 to and from the West and Southwest. Through tickets can 
 be obtained between New York and Richmond, Gordons- 
 ^ille, Charlottesville, Staunton, White Sulphur Springs, 
 Charleston, Huntington, and Cincinnati, via. the Chesa- 
 p<|3ake and Ohio Railroad. Passengers leaving New York 
 
 ^ For particulars in regard to through freight or passage applications can be made to H. W. Carr 
 ceijieral Freight Agent, at the Freight and Ticket Office of the Itailroad Company, 229 Oroauway’ 
 -rut the Office of the Old Dominion Steamship Company, corner of Dey and Greenwich streets. New 
 
can take sleeping cars at Wasliington 
 living at White Snlplinr the followij 
 morning ; or leaving 'New York by sleeping car in 
 
 in the morning 
 Gordonsville, 
 
 evening, can take- elegant day cars from Washington a 
 reach White Sulphur Springs, via Gordonsville, the folio, 
 ing evening, in 24 hours travel ; and Hnntington in 9 lion 
 additional. 
 
 At Hnntington, the Ohio River terminus, regnl 
 connection is made with first-class lines of Passen^j 
 Packets for fronton, Portsmouth, and Cincinnati; a 
 through these with railroad and river lines for all poi 
 West and South. Excellent fare and comfortable travel 
 found on these boats. Througli freight transportation 
 passage may also be had by steamboats and barges, betwej 
 
 Huntington, and Louisville, Saint Louis, Memphis, 
 
 li- 
 
 the 
 
 Orleans, and intermediate xmints. 
 
 Continuous railroad communication between the weste 
 terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, and Cine j hi 
 nati and Louisville will shortly be completed via the Lou 
 ville, Cincinnati, and Lexington Railroad, one of the oldLstj 
 railroads of the West, connecting the four chief cities of K( 
 tucky, and the chief city of Ohio, with each other, and t 
 ElizahetMoion, Lexington <& Big Bandy Railroad now being 
 constructed, of which 33 miles east from Lexington are^ in 
 operation under lease to the former Company. The remain- 
 ing distance between tlie Big Sandy River, where it connects 
 with the Chesapeake and Ohio R.R. 85 miles, it is expected 
 will be linished by the close of this year or in 1874 ; when 
 there will be a very direct all-rail line between Rich- 
 mond and Louisville, 040 miles, with a branch line to Cin- 
 cinnati, and extensions via Louisville to Saint Louis and 
 the Far W est. 
 
 Direct rail connection with Cincinnati will also be estabi 
 lished by oiie or more roads following the Ohio RiVei 
 Valley. The Cincinnati and Chesapeake Railroad Co:(n 
 pany, organized under the laws of the State of Ohio, foi 
 the pnri)ose of building a low-grade railroad from Cincin 
 
 i 
 
$1,250, 000, toward tlie construction of a road upon 
 -plijs ]*onte, and towiis and connti(‘s along’ the route, have 
 ^.1 jjpropi’iated additional sums, making’ an aggregate of 
 nehrly $2,000,000. • The line is about 150 miles in length 
 wijtli no grades exceeding 15 feet per mile, and the road 
 cajii be built at a very moderate cost. • 
 
 I The Southern Ohio Railroad Company have completed 
 thorougli surveys for a line ria. Hillsboro’ to Dayton, which 
 will form an important link in a through line between 
 Chicago and the western terminus of the Chesapeake and 
 I '.Ohio. From Huntington to Dayton, via. Portsmouth, this 
 jroad, as surveyed, is 155 miles, witli very light grades and 
 ‘easy of construction. The same company contemplate a 
 branch of their line from Hillsboro to Cincinnati, the dis- 
 tance from Huntington to Cincinnati, being by this route 
 about 157 miles. A large amount of individual Stock sub- 
 scription has been made; and as there are one or more 
 tributTiary lines building or projected to connect Columbus, 
 lUrbana and Toledo with this road, and through it with the 
 dow-grade Trunk Line to the seaboard, it will no doubt be 
 ppeedily built. 
 
 ^ The Chesapeake & Ohio Hailroad Company have a valu- 
 able and important franchise for bridging the Ohio River 
 jat Huntington, which gives them the ejitire conti'ol of the 
 grossing at this point. Tlie plans and estimates for tlie 
 bridge have already been made, and it will be built in time 
 to meet these connecting lines in Ohio. 
 
 Ihe Kentucky and Great Kastern Railroad Company, 
 prganized under tlie laws of Kcmtmdvy, are constructing a 
 ji road from Newport, opposite Cincinnati, along the south 
 Ohio River to the Big Sandy terminus of the 
 yhesapeake and Ohio. This line, as surveyed, is 146 
 
 t iles in length, and will lie a very valuable feeder of 
 e Chesapeake and Ohio, and also an alternative connect - 
 jng line to Louisville and Cincinnati. Considerable county 
 Jiid has already been voted for its construction. 
 
6 
 
 Past History ; and the Recent Extension and Co. 
 
 PLETION OF THE ClIESAPEaKE AND OlIIO RaILROAD. 
 
 The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad was formed 
 a consolidation of the roads, properties, and franchises 
 the Virginia Central Railroad Company^ and those 
 the Comuglon and Ohio Rrilroad Cornytany^ authoriz 
 in 1866. Its charter privileges cover ‘the line from ti 
 water on the J ames River to the Ohio River, at or near t 
 month of the Big Sandy River, where the borders of t 
 three States of West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio ton 
 each other, a distance of 427 miles, together with sevei 
 important branches and extensions. 
 
 The Virginia Central Railroad was originally charter 
 in 1836 — about the time when the great lines throiu 
 Maryland, Pennsylvania and Kew York were started 
 under the title of the Louisa Railroad. Its title was sub 
 quently changed, and its privileges enlarged, as above ; t 
 State becoming a subscriber to three-fifths of the capital 
 the Company. It was extended westward from time 
 time, the State having built independently the road ai 
 tunnel across the Blue Ridge, known as the Blue Rid 
 Division, which was for a series of years operated und 
 a lease, until 1870 when it was transferred by purchase 
 the present Company, and incorporated as part of its line 
 
 Prior to 1860 the State of Virginia had, in the general fn 
 therance of the plan of building a great highway between ti 
 Atlantic Ocean and the Ohio River within her oavii territor 
 constituted its Board of Public Works a cor]3oration und 
 the title of the Coevngton and. Ohio Railroad Company 
 for the ])urpose of constructing that part of the through lin 
 between Covington and the Ohio River. This portion en 
 braced the heavy work involved in crossing the All 
 ghenies. Work was begun and prosecuted at several poin 
 on the line, and several millions gold value, had bee 
 exj)ended thereon, chiefly in tunnelling, rock-excavatio 
 and permanent embankments, which could not suffer a] 
 preciably by the lapse of time, when the State approprii 
 tions ceased. 
 
7 
 
 ' ]\roainvln1o the Yirf/inhf Ceulral lind bo('ii oxtcaidod to 
 \)iu*ksoirs Kiv('r, 11)5 inilos \v('st oF Ili(‘lnTiond. Tn 1860 
 tl'u' two portions of tlu' tliroiigli I'outn worn consolidatod 
 as ono property, nndei' a single corporation — the Ciiesa- 
 TEAKE .AND Oiiio IvAiLiioAD Co.— the States of Virginia 
 and AVest A'^irginia snrrendei'ing the property and rights in 
 the Covington and Ohio line, within their resx)ective terri- 
 tories. In 1867 the line was completed to Covington, 205 
 miles from Richmond ; and in 1869 to the AA^hite Snl- 
 plinr Springs, a celebrated snmmer resort, situated in AA^est 
 A^irginia, 227 miles west of Richmond. 
 
 By the close of 1871 a section of about ninety miles had 
 been finished between the Ohio river terminus at Hunting- 
 ton, and Kanawha Falls, the centre of the great Kanawha 
 Coal Field. This link, though detached from the main line 
 during the period required for the completion of heavy 
 works at the eastward, became a valuable outlet for 
 travel and shipments between Charleston, the capital or 
 AVest Virginia, and the cities along the Oliio river, as well 
 as for the Salt works and Coal mines along the railroad. 
 
 By the close of January, 1873, the rails of the Eastern 
 and Western Divisions were united, and the wliole road 
 from Richmond to the Ohio River was opened for traffic 
 April 1st. 
 
 ClIARACTEli OF THE AA^OIIK. 
 
 The road is of the standard gnage, 56-J^ imdies, common to 
 the greater Y)art of the American railroad system. In its con- 
 struction the most modern and approved ])lans and materials 
 liave been adopted. Iron 1) ridges have been erected in the 
 portion recent!}^ built, with solid masonry abutments and 
 piers for double track injmportant case's. Steel rails have 
 been laid on a large j)art of the AVestern Division, over which 
 a heavy mineral traffic i)ass(‘s, and other portions of the 
 road are Ix'ing relaid with steel; culverts and waterways 
 have been made of more than ordinary massiveness and dura- 
 bility ; and solid embanknnmts have been built in place of 
 tem|)oraiy trestle-work. 
 
8 
 
 Originally designed and laid out on a hold am 
 tliorougli plan as a great central highway between the ex 
 tensive system of internal navigation on the Wester 
 Rivers, and the most central and commodious harbor o 
 the Atlantic coast line of the United States, it is a splendi^l 
 achievement of modern engineering skill ; and, in add 
 tion to its advantages in occupying the best natural pai^JiS 
 over the Alleghenies, which designated it at a very earl 
 day as the most desirable central route between the Ea^ 
 and West, it stood, at the date of its completion in a mnci -h 
 more perfect condition, in its alignment, grades, constrm ^ 
 tion, equipment, resources and connections, than any of th :] e 
 other great Trunk Lines at the same period of their liistor}^ ^ 
 
 In the passage from the sea- shore to the navigable water! s 
 of the west the road crosses the Bine Ridge and the Alleg;- 
 henies, by very easy grades, the highest elevation attaine i 
 being about 2,000 feet; and the descent on the Westergi 
 slojoe is made with remarkably light and uniform grades anti 
 without noticeable undulations. The several ridges are cu[tt 
 through by natural water gaps, or depressions, which have, 
 in places, also been tunnelled, far below the general level of 
 the range. 
 
 No care or expense has been spared in its construction, 
 which was necessary to render it a thoroughly first class 
 and substantial railroad, and the liberal outlay for first 
 construction in seeming a solid and enduring road-bed, 
 masonry, bridges and superstructure, which neitlier th 
 lapse of time nor the action of the elements can serioush 
 impair, will result in great saving in its maintenance anc 
 repair, and in the expense and regularity of its operation 
 The current exjDenses for renewals and repairs, both of tin 
 trad: and rolling-stock, wfill be much less than on more 
 hast! ^y and chea])ly- constructed roads. 
 
 ITS ADVANTAGES AS A TIIUOUGn ROUTE. 
 
 J 
 
 Tlie need of increased facilities for transportation be l^' 
 tween the great fertile valleys of the interior, and the'^' 
 populous and busy States bordering on the Atlantic Oceari 
 
 i 
 
9 
 
 ] 
 
 'lias Ix'oii rocognized Tor years, and of latii has attract'd 
 iiioiH' general and I'amest attcnition than almost any otlnn* 
 question of public interi'st. The President of the Unit(;d 
 State's in his pnblie' messages has recognized it as a cpiestion 
 of ]iational ini])ortance ; political and commercial conven- 
 tions have repeatedly brought it before the attention of Con- 
 gress and Legislatures ; and tlie National Congress, the Lc'gis- 
 latnre of the Dominion of Canada, and those of several of 
 onr States, are engaged in the (mnsideration of plans for the 
 larger and more economical transportation of the surplus 
 productions of our Western States, to the places where 
 they are needed for consumption at the East and for sliix)- 
 ment to Europe. 
 
 So great is the surplus at the West of the fruits of the 
 field and the pasture, that all the railroads have more freiglit 
 offered than they have cars to contain, engines to move, or 
 tracks and warehouses to accommodate. Vessels on the 
 Lakes and Divers are not produced fast enough to meet the 
 lemand for tonnage. 
 
 High rates of freight and the emxdoyment 
 
 of all tlie available means of trans^iortation, to their fullest 
 capacity, are the natural consequences. 
 
 For a large x)art of the year (160 days) the navigation 
 of the Lakes, the St. Lawrence, and the Erie Canal is vir- 
 tually closed, and even during the 200 days of their oi)era- 
 tion all the avenues of transxoort and transfer are frequently 
 largely overtasked. The pressure of local and higher-class, 
 or “ time freights ” on the Trunk lines is such, as to greatly 
 limit the competition for the carrying of the more bulky 
 articles of food and general utility. 
 
 Notwithstanding the natural obstacles of long routes, high 
 grades, dear fuel, and ex^iensive transfers at tide water, to- 
 gether with other exiienses of handling and administration, 
 with which some of the great East and West railroad lines 
 are burdened, their earnings (and in most cases their net 
 X)rofits), have been enormous and constantly increasing from 
 year to year. 
 
1 
 
 10 
 
 The following 
 
 tables 
 
 tonnage 
 
 lines. 
 
 and 
 
 earnings of 
 
 show the rapid growdh ot the! 
 the principal ‘East and West! 
 
 Table Showing the Tonnage Movement on Leading East and West 
 Freight Lings. — Tons Carried: 
 
 
 Erie Canal. 
 
 N. Y. C. & Hud. R. 
 
 Erie Railway. 
 
 Pennsylvania 
 
 Railroad. 
 
 1840 
 
 1,416,046 
 
 
 
 
 1845 
 
 1,985,011 
 
 
 
 
 1850 
 
 3,076,617 
 
 
 
 
 1852 
 
 3,813,441 
 
 
 456,460 
 
 
 1855 
 
 4,022,617 
 
 776,112 
 
 842,055 
 
 365,006 
 
 1862 
 
 5,598,785 
 
 1,905,173 
 
 1,632,955 
 
 2,223,051 
 
 1865 
 
 4,729,654 
 
 1,767,149 
 
 2,234,350 
 
 2,798,810 
 
 1870 
 
 6,173,769 
 
 4,122,000 
 
 4,852,505 
 
 5,427,401 
 
 1871 
 
 6,467.888 
 
 
 4,844,208 
 
 6,575,843 
 
 1872 
 
 6,673,370 
 
 
 5,564,274 
 
 8,459,535 
 
 - HL 
 
 Table showing the Gross Receipts on East and West Trunk Lines, for a 
 
 SERIES OF YEARS. 
 
 
 Erie Railwa}'. 
 
 N. Y. Central 
 & H. R. 
 
 1 
 
 Pennsylvania 
 R. R. 
 
 Baltimore and 
 i Ohio R. R. 
 
 Erie Canal. 
 Tolls & Freight. 
 
 1840 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 $432,883 
 
 $4,195,549 
 
 1845 
 
 $126,020 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 738,603 
 
 4,431,461 
 
 1850 
 
 1,139,559 
 
 
 $339,452 
 
 1,341,805 
 
 .5,76.3,388 
 
 1855 
 
 5,488,993 
 
 $6,563,381 
 
 4,270,070 
 
 3,711,453 
 
 5,841,410 
 
 1862 
 
 7,863,972 
 
 11,994,356 
 
 10.304,290 
 
 4,481,859 
 
 10,780,432 
 
 1865 
 
 1.5.300,574 
 
 18,427,904 
 
 17,459,169 
 
 10,096,706 
 
 8,605,961 
 
 1870 
 
 16,179,461 
 
 22,36.3,319 
 
 17,531,707 
 
 8,427,718 
 
 7,552,988 
 
 1871 
 
 17,168,005 
 
 21,972,105 
 
 18,719,8.37 
 
 9,913,390 
 
 10,779,887 
 
 1872 
 
 18,371,885 
 
 25,580,676 
 
 22,012,525 
 
 10,654,472 
 
 
 The capa(*ity of the Western States for a still larger pro- 
 duction is i]icalcula])le, and the demand for their pro- i 
 ducts has no limit. The Mississippi Valley alone has the j 
 soil and climate, and will soon have po2)ulation and ) 
 machinery, that will enable it to feed the civilized world, j 
 The Commerce of the United States in Breadstiitfs and i 
 other tVjod supplies, is restricted only by the means of bring- 
 ing forw^ard its ])roducts within the reach of consiiimn's. 
 
 The utmost exertion on the part of the limited number of 
 
11 
 
 lines nvailabU' for this j)ur])()so, i]i building double and 
 (|uadrnpl(' tracks and increasing tlicir e(](ui|)in(nits cannot 
 overtaki^ the capacity of the Wesbnai Stakes, nor of their 
 supplies avaihible for shi])inent. 
 
 Tlu' netwoj'k of railroads in the Ohio and Mississippi 
 \billeys ('X(H>eds 8(),()(K) miles, and it is linked to the seaboard 
 system by only five principal Trunk lines, (including the 
 Chesapeake and Ohio,) aided for a part of the year by the 
 Lakes, and tlieii* artilicial outlets, the Erie Canal, and the 
 St. Lawrence river and canals. 
 
 The magnitude of the production, marketable surplus, 
 and shipment distribution, tonnage and travel may be 
 better understood by I'eference to publislied Tables, show- 
 ing the aggregate x^i'oduction of tlie Midwest States, the 
 amounts of the leading articles received at the xulncipal 
 distributing and shipping ports, the amounts exported, and 
 the gross and net receipts of tlie principal lines of trans- 
 port. 
 
 The following extract from a Report made in 1869 by a 
 Committee of the National Board of Trade, composed of 
 members from all tlie principal cities and shi])ping centres of 
 the country, on the subject of increased facilities for trans- 
 portation between the West and tlie Eastern markets, 
 conveys in forcible language some of the aspects of this 
 problem; and also illustrates the value of the addition 
 which the completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad 
 has made to the means of its solution : 
 
 Transportation to Market the Great Need oe the 
 
 West. 
 
 The problem now most seriously engrossing the atten- 
 tion of commercial num at tlu^ North, at the East, and 
 throughout the West, is that of cheapej' inter-communication 
 between the great interior region of our continent and the 
 seaboard. Tlie necessity for its solution is becoming more 
 and nioi'e urgent every day. The raili'oads are over- 
 burdened with freight, and are inadequate to its trans})or- 
 
tation, at rates wliicli draw it forth from remote parts of the 
 interior. 
 
 ‘^The qnestioii of cheaper transportation is only another 
 form of the question of adequate means of transportation — 
 for the moment that freight prices are so reduced as to 
 permit produce to go to market, from where it is grown in 
 the fertile West at a profit to the prodncei', immediately 
 such a volume of it is mobilized as to overtax the capacity 
 of the avenues of transportation. The problem of cheap 
 carriage is therefore no other than tliat of adequate means 
 of transportation. 
 
 ‘^The productions of the interior are magnifying every 
 year. They grow in aggregate more I'apidly than tlu' 
 means of transmitting them to market can be multiplied. 
 Western production is constantly pressing unduly upon 
 the means of transportation. The multiplication of rail- 
 roads in the interior is more rapid than that of railroads 
 connecting the interior with the seaboard. The effect of 
 the extended railroad and navigation systems of the West 
 is to stimulate })roduction more rapidly than existing lines 
 of transportation can be augmented in capacity. Insuffi- 
 ency in the means of outlet produces high freight cliarges, 
 and the remark of all eminent writers on political economy 
 is true, that impassable mountain chains interpose no 
 greater barriers to trade than high prices of freights. 
 
 ‘‘Extext of this Ixlaxi) Traxstoktatiox Sa^stem of 
 
 THE West. 
 
 “The stimulating causes nowin operation to augment 
 the production of the West are very powerful in tlieir in- 
 fluence : 
 
 “1. The natural increase of population, augmented by 
 tlie immense immigration from foreign countries and from 
 the Atlantic States, is iieopling the interior regions of tlie 
 continent with a rai)idity unexampled in the histoiy of the 
 human race ; and the production of the country is increas- 
 ing in the same un])recedented ratio. 
 
 “2. The luilroad system of tln^ Mississippi and Lake 
 Valleys lias grown loan aggregate of 17,022 miles in hmgth.""' 
 This system is acting as a powerful stimulant to thepi'oduc- 
 tion of that prolific region in every part of it. 
 
 “3. The inland navigation of the West is of immense 
 expansion. Ofiicial reports give the aggregate length of 
 
 * This was in 1869; at the close of 1872 there were 33,062 miles in 10 Western States . 
 
j^eninbont iKivipiliou on tlu' ^rississippi and its tributarii^s 
 at l(),()7‘l mill's. 'Plu' Hat boat and batb^aux navigation of 
 the Imaihvatm's and braniHies of tlicsij great stri'anis in- 
 creasi's tliis navigation by inoi'o than ten thousand mill's ; 
 and in the course of a sliort time slack water and iniual 
 improvements will swell the grand total of Western iidand 
 navigation to at least lifty tlionsand nulps. It will ulti- 
 mately be considerably more if the European principle 
 should obtain in this conntiy, that every stream 19 feet 
 wide and 18 indies deep may be rendered navigable. 
 
 “ River navigation has assumed new importance of late 
 by the inaiignration of a cheaper and more efficient system 
 of water transportation. On the Western rivers they have 
 instituted the system of steam tugs and barges on a large 
 scale. The effect is virtually to convert the river cliannels 
 into railroads, the steam tugs being locomotives, and the 
 barges being freight cars. Incorporated companies of large 
 capital own the tugs and barges, and run them upon time 
 schedules, just as railroad companies run their trains — the 
 trains picking up barges as they pass different wharves and 
 leaving others. The expense is but a fraction of railroad 
 transportation, and the river channels are prized as nature’s 
 substitute for long railroad tracks. As there are nearly 
 17,009 miles of steamboat navigation on the Western rivers, 
 the effect is virtually to add 17,000 miles of railroad track 
 to the transportation business of the West. Thus the total 
 leiigth of our main^lines of transportation in the West, on 
 wliich steam is the motor, has reached 34,000 miles. 
 
 ^‘ The area of country embracing this vast system of rail- 
 ways and of navigation is nearly two millions of scpiare 
 miles ; and when population reaches an average of fffty 
 persons to the square mile, will contain one hundred 
 millions of peo])le whose leading industiy will be agri- 
 culture. 
 
 “The stimulus imparted to production by the railway and 
 navigation systems which liave been mentioned, seconded 
 by the unexampled growth of population there going on, 
 is producing an immense develox)nient of export })roducts. 
 In 18G0 there were eighteen millions of tons of produce to 
 spare from the West, not one-half of Avhich went off ! It 
 failed to go off either from the non-existence of sufficnent 
 nutans of ti'ansportation, or by reason of the prohibitory cost 
 of freightage over great distances. Wliat the amount of 
 ])roduce now is which could be S])ared for outside markets 
 from the interior, cannot be stated witli authentic accuracy, 
 and the statistics of the forthcoming census must be 
 
awaited. But it would be an under- statement to say that 
 has reached twenty-live millions of tons. On the other 
 hand it would be an exaggeration to estimate that twelve 
 and a half millions of these tons now go out to market over 
 all the existing avenues of transit. 
 
 ‘‘The existing deliciency in the facilities of transportation 
 increases as the centre of production recedes westward. 
 A few years ago this centre was in Ohio. It has steadily 
 retrograded through the States of Indiana and Illinois. It 
 has now crossed tlie Mississippi, and is still moving west- 
 ward. The centre of demand at the West for the necessary 
 supplies from the East, including machinery, other manu- 
 factures and merchandise, salt, iron and coal, is receding 
 with equal step into the far interior, to a still greater dis- 
 tance from the source of suppl}^ ; so that, while the demand 
 for intercommunication is constantly increasing, the con- 
 tinually widening distance between the places of production 
 and of consumption is adding to the expense of communi- 
 cation. 
 
 “Already very many of the products of the AVest, wanted 
 at the East, will not bear transportation. Even in the 
 State of Illinois, corn, the stall* of life — needed at the East 
 to fill hungry mouths — has been burned for fuel, on the 
 score of economy, and in Dubuque, on the western bank of 
 the Mississippi, within the last five years, corn in the cob 
 has been burned for domestic purposes as cheaper than 
 other fuel; the ruling price of wood being $10 per cord, and 
 of anthracite coal $20 per ton. 
 
 “The area of country in the AA^est which can be served by 
 the Erie canal is continually decreasing ; for, as the country 
 bordering on the lakes becomes settled up, the breadth ol 
 land under cultivation increases, and the x3roduce from this 
 increased cultivation, feeing m^arer to the lakes, cuts off 
 that from the far West b}^ monopolizing the cunal. 
 
 “ To show the inadequacy of the present means of outlet 
 for transmitting such a volume of produce as would be 
 spared for market, we may estimate tlie maximum the- 
 oretic capacity of tlie Erie canal for through produce at 
 seven millions of tons ; we may estimate tlie utmost 
 capacity of all the railroads now leading across the Alleg- 
 hanies at eight millions of tons, for tltTourfli freights. It 
 would be safe, to estimate the amount of AVestern produce 
 which now goes out by th(‘ channels of the St. Lawrence 
 and the Lower Mississippi, at four millions of tons. (The 
 capacity of the lower outlets of the Mississippi and of the 
 
Liiwri'iico Tor (lis(*har;L»iiii>‘ prodiKU', is, of (bourse, not 
 • 111 c<siii‘(hI bvtlu' (|uaiitiiy actually g‘oini>’ out, but riitlua* l)y 
 the ca])a(Mt>- of (‘xistiui>- a])])liauc('s for its sliipmciit.) 
 Thus, the utmost theor(di(* ea])a(aty of these several avenues 
 of outh't (hn'S uot exceed Jh,()0(),()()() of tons. Tlie quantity 
 of \V('st('ru thi'ougii tonnage actually moving over them is 
 but little moix' than half this amount. Yettlie present ton- 
 nage which could be spared by the West and winch could 
 b(^ forwarded to market, if its products were mobilized by 
 cheap carriage, and by ample avenues of transportation, 
 would be twenty-live nnl lions of tons. (See article I, 
 Ifunfs Magazine for Angust, 1868.) It is not therefore 
 merely a question, whether we shall add new railroads to 
 those already engaged in the work, or whether we shall 
 merely open new canals, or whether we shall merely in- 
 crease the a])pliances necessary for transmitting pi'odnce 
 through the lower Mississippi and the Gnlf. Resort must 
 be had to all these expedients, and still there will be a 
 grievous dehciency in the means of conducting the vast 
 transportation. 
 
 u -X- -X- Western grain must find its consumers in 
 
 the populations near the Atlantic, and its markets almost 
 exclusively in Atlantic ports. (Great Britain alone imports 
 annually four millions of tons of grain. ) It must all seek 
 exit in the direction of the Atlantic ; its natural tendency 
 being to ])nrsne the short direct route due Eastward, from 
 the localities of i)i'oduction to the seaboard. There is no 
 reason for believing that this tendenc}^ will ever be reversed 
 or changed.” 
 
 These remarks are applicable to the whole West and 
 Northwest, and are especially true of that vast and fruit fid 
 territory included in the water-shed of the Oliio River below 
 the Kanawha, and the Mississippi below its union with tlie 
 Missouri. 
 
 The early comy^letion of the Erie Canal, and a 
 little later the completion of the railroad lines connecting 
 Lake Erie with tlie Hudson, gave to the navigation of tlie 
 chain of great lakes artificial outlets to the sea, superior on 
 tlie whole to the course of the St. Lawrence, (broken as it is 
 by rapids and canals), and drew the current of Western 
 freights to that route. In this way the great collecting cen- 
 tres, such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Toledo and Biif- 
 
falo were built u]) ; aTain for a time being drawn from B e 
 l)anks of tlie Mississippi and its navigable tributaries to tlTc- 
 lake ports for slii})ment. 
 
 Tlie maximum capacity of the Erie Canal and tlie other 
 outlets of lake freights to the seaboard has been reached,- 
 and this route no longer meets the wants of the merchants 
 and shippers along the Ohio and Missippi. 
 
 By means of the barge system” referred to in the Ke- 
 port quoted above, experience shows that it will be practica- 
 ble to make of the Upper Mississippi and Ohio rivers the 
 most continuous and effective inland watei* route of trans- 
 portation accessible to Western products; and it has only 
 awaited favorable and economical rail connection with the 
 seaboard, to make it the most available and desirable route 
 for a very large producing region. 
 
 Saint Paul, Dubuque, Burlington, Daveiiport, Quincy, 
 Saint Louis, and other i)oints, which formerly shipped 
 grain to the Lakes, are now erecting elevators and 
 constructing barges for, the conveyance of grain and 
 otlier food supplies, in bulk, to those railroad lines, 
 wliich, l)y their connection with these rivers at favor- 
 al)le points, afford the most convenient and economical 
 means of transportation to the seaboard. Steam tow-boats 
 of immense sLeiigth, carrying no freight, and with fuel 
 enough for the round trip, are employed. Tlie management 
 of barges like tliat of freight cars, is independent of the 
 motive power. The tug brings in a load of barges, and with- 
 out delay takes out another and proceeds. Those on the Min- 
 nesota river tow 30,000 bushels of wheat each, or sufficient 
 to till 85 railroad cars ; and on the Ohio river similar boats 
 tow (),500 tons of coal, or many times more than the longest 
 railroad trains. But few men are required, and the expense 
 of transportation for long distances, does not exceed that of 
 the Great Lakes. 
 
 Hitherto the full advantage of this “ barge transjiorta- 
 tion” could not be ’realized in consequence of some of 
 the rail connections meeting it too far West and thus involv- 
 ing a long and costly land carriage ; while the termini of 
 
17 
 
 L... 
 
 aiul obstruciioiis oH'ored serious liiiideraiices, tiiey were 
 eciiially unavailable. 
 
 The Clu'sapeake and Ohio Railroad, with its low grades 
 and its more favorable ])oint of connection with the Ohio 
 River, is, beyond all question, the most available rail auxil- 
 iary to the barge system, and the most convenient and 
 cheapest outlet to the seaboard for the immense tonnage 
 which the development of that system will concentrate on 
 the Ohio River. 
 
 Among the special advantages of the Chesapeake and 
 Ohio Railroad route for the transportation of the surplus 
 productions of the West, and a corresponding move- 
 ment of merchandise in the other direction which are 
 attracting the attention of producers and shippers, are the 
 following : 
 
 I. Short Portage between the OGea7i and Ohio and Mississippi 
 Piver Navigation. 
 
 II. Direct Railroad Connections^ in progress and projected.^ 
 to the chief Cities of the West. 
 
 III. Light Grades and Carves. 
 
 lY. Cheap Fuel. 
 
 Y. Genial Climate. 
 
 I. Short Portage connecting Important Water Lines. By 
 a glance at the map it will be seen that the Chesapeake and 
 Ohio Railroad has an Eastern terminus at the most westerly 
 tide-water port of the North Atlantic Coast (Richmond), or, 
 in other words, the port of shipment which is geographi - 
 cally nearest the centre of the Ohio and Mississippi Yalleys, 
 while at the same time it is nearer the open sea than Bal- 
 timore. 
 
 The deep-water or extreme eastern terminus of the Road 
 will open directly upon the Chesapeake Bay ; by far the 
 largest, deepest, most commodious and secure harbor of the 
 entire Eastern coast; the value of which as a sheltering 
 roadstead, and as a commercial rendezvous, is well estab- 
 
18 
 
 lislied. It is always free from ice, and vessels can e* [ 
 a]id leave it at all seasons of tlie year without obstructioJ. 
 The sailing time between Hampton Roads and European 
 ports is no greater than between New York and the same 
 ports ; while it is nearer the open sea than either Boston, 
 New York, Philadelphia, or Baltimore.^ 
 
 The western terminus of the Road is situated upon the 
 Oliio River at the point where that stream begins its general 
 westerly course ; or in other words the most easterly point 
 of its navigation in proportion to the total distance traversed ; 
 below the princiiDal obstructions to navigntion, and at the 
 head of that jjart of the river which is swollen by large 
 Southern affluents, and where longer seasons of navi- 
 gation and better stages of water are combined than at any 
 point higher up. 
 
 Connecting an inland river system of from 12, 000 to 20,000 
 miles of navigable streams with the ocean commerce of 
 the world by a low-grade route, the Chesapeake and Ohio 
 Railroad possesses a very marked advantage for the trans- 
 portation of freights between the East and West. Insuffi- 
 cient depth of water, shortness of navigable seasons, 
 sand-bars, and other obstructions have, as before stated. 
 
 * Commodore Maury, of Virginia, better known to science as Lieut. Maury, from bis researches 
 on the laws of currents and deep sea lore, speaking of the relative merits of Norfolk and New York as 
 commercial harbors, says of the roadstead in the vicinity of which the deep water terminus of the 
 Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad will be located, and which is common to vessels seeking the wharves 
 at Norfolk, Yorktown, or Newport News, thus describes it; “ Geographically cbnsidered, the har- 
 “bors of Norfolk or Hampton Roads and New York occupy the most important and commanding po- 
 “sitions on the Atlantic cost of the United States. They are more convenient to the ocean than Bal- 
 “timore, Philadelphia and Boston are, because they are not so far from the sea. 
 
 “ Depth of water that can be carried out, and distance of the sea from 
 
 Hampton Roads, distant 15 miles — depth 28 feet 
 
 New York, “ 30 “ 3^ fathoms, 23 ‘• 
 
 Boston, “ 100 “ 3K “ ^1 “ 
 
 Philadelphia, “ 100 “ 3^ “ 23 “ 
 
 Baltimore, “ 160 “ 2^ “ 16 “ 
 
 ‘ ‘ Between the three last and the sea there is a tedious bay navigation, but each of the first two 
 ‘is situated upon a well sheltered harbor, that opens right out upon the sea with beautiful offings, 
 “those of Hampton Roads surpa.s.sing the others in all the requirements of navigation, both as to 
 ‘‘facility of ingrees and egrecs, certainty of land fall, depth of water, and holding ground. ” 
 
 He also show.s, that to reach the Chesapeake, vessels cross the Gulf Stream at its narrower part, 
 and take advantage of the eddies on its south-eastern edge; going in the opposite direction to Europe 
 by following the Gulf Stream for a longer distance, will be helped along their course 50 to 100 miles 
 per day. 
 
19 
 
 roiidored tlio (du'iipcvi' transportation of the Western waters 
 almost nnavaihibU^ in connection with the other great East 
 and AYest lines of Railway and have driven tliein, each in 
 turn, to rely upon all-rail lines almost exclusively. 
 
 For a good portion of the year, Steamers and barges can 
 leave the Hunting bon wharves and proceed continuously to 
 New Orleans and Shreveport in Louisiana, Natchez, Vicks- 
 burg and Yazoo,iii Mississippi ; Little Rock and Jackson- 
 port, in Arkansas ; Memphis, Nashville and Johnsville, in 
 Tennessee ; Cairo, Peoria, Alton and Quincy in Illinois ; 
 Saint Louis, and Saint Joseph in Missouri ; Leavenworth in 
 Kansas; Omaha and Sioux City, in Nebraska; Saint Paul and 
 Lacrosse, in Minnesota; Davenport, Dubuque and Burlington 
 in Iowa ; Evansville and New Albany, in Indiana ; Paducah 
 Louisville and Covington, in Kentucky ; Cincinnati, Ports- 
 mouth and Ironton, in Ohio. The tonnage of steamers and 
 barges plying on those streams and other tributaries by 
 the latest return, was 448,000 tons, of which 287,360 tons 
 was propelled by steam. 
 
 Among the leading products of the Western States which 
 can be cheaply brought to the seaboard by the water line to 
 Huntington, and thence by the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail- 
 road to the coasting or foreign vessels, to great advantage, 
 are wheat, Indian corn, flour, pork, live stock, tobacco and 
 cotton. The available suiqjlus of grain from the territory 
 naturally tributary to the Ohio and Mississix)pi Rivers, 
 amounts to millions of tons. Tlie figures showing receipts 
 of flour, wheat and corn, at lake x)orts, and at the river 
 cities, will give some idea of the actual movement of 
 breadstuff s. But this falls far short of the capacity of 
 the same region to furnish breadstuft’s when the cost of 
 transx)ortation will justify their x>i'oduction and shipment. 
 The number of cattle, slieej) and hogs which find their way 
 to the Eastern cities is not readily obtainable, but the re- 
 cei])ts and shi^jments of cut-meats and salted jjrovisions, and 
 the number of hogs slaughtered at the x)rincix3al x)acking 
 
 * Should it be found desirable, the Railroad can take the traffic from river barges and boats at 
 the head of navigation on the Kanawha, at a point 87 miles east of Huntington. This would 
 lengthen somewhat the proportion of the cheaper water transport but would reduce the land carnage 
 to Richmond to 336 miles. 
 
20 
 
 centres will give an idea of the immense tonnage from pro- 
 visions alone. 
 
 The total production of Tobacco in nine Western States is 
 stated at 171 millions of pounds, the greater part of which 
 finds market and manufactive at the Eastern cities, and a 
 large portion to Europe. The tobacco receipts at Louisville 
 for a single year (1870) were 23,000 hhds, valued at 
 $4,823,000. The receipts of Cincinnati, Evansville, and St. 
 Louis are j^robably as much more ; the inspections at Cin- 
 cinnati alone in .872, being 25,035 liiids. 
 
 In 1870, it was ascertained that no less than 350,000 bales 
 of cotton were sent overland by rail from the river cities to 
 the seaports of the IS’orth. 
 
 For the transportation of corn bacon, bulk meat, &c., 
 from Cincinnati and other Western markets to the South 
 Atlantic States, where very large quantities of these pro- 
 ducts are consumed, it affords a far quicker and more 
 economical route than has heretofore been open to that 
 extensive trade. 
 
 The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, with its connecting 
 water lines, at either terminus, offers special inducements to 
 shippers, all the above products destined to either home or 
 foreign markets. 
 
 (2.) Short All-Rail routes to the Western Cities. The 
 advantages of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad for 
 through business are not confined to its favorable connec- 
 tion with water lines merely, nor to the carriage of freights 
 alone. With the various rail connections, now in progress 
 and projected, previously referred to, it will afford the bes:^ 
 eastward exit and entrance of the Ohio Valley, whether 
 considered in relation to available water transport or to 
 continous railroad routes. Both in distance and other 
 working elements, it is a short, economical line between the 
 seaboard and the principal cities and railroad centres of the 
 Western States, and forms the most advantageous outlet to 
 the Ocean for an immense system of Railroads extending 
 soutiiward to the Gulf of Mexico, northward to the chain 
 of great Lakes, and westward to the Pacific ocean. 
 
21 
 
 For passoiigei’P, or ex])r(\ss fn^igliis destiiied ])eyond 
 seas, and ('S})eciaJly for such as are broiight ov^eiland Ironi 
 tin' Pacilic, it airords a direct route to the open sea 
 without loss of distance. 
 
 The following table will illustrate tlie general directness 
 of this route, and show the comparative distances between 
 the several tide-water ports, and the chief cities of the West 
 and Southwest. It will be seen that the advantage ranges 
 from 30 to 300 miles in distance, and covers the principal 
 cities, with the exceptions of Chicago and Columbus, 
 where there is a trilling excess over two other lines, if linear 
 measurement only is reckoned. With a due equation of 
 grades it wiil be found to afford the shortest and best route 
 ‘to the seaboard even from those points. 
 
 Table smowixg Comparative Distances between^ Atlantic Ports^and Princi- 
 pal Western Railroad Centres by All-Rail Travel^ by CHESAPEAKE 
 AND OHIO RAILROAD and its Projected Connections and by more 
 Northerly Routes. 
 
 MILES FROM PORT OF 
 
 To Cincinnati. 
 
 To Louisville. 1 
 
 1 
 
 To St. Louis. 
 
 To Memphis. 
 
 To Nashville, [ 
 
 To Columbus, 0. 
 
 To Indianapolis. 
 
 To Chicago. | 
 
 Richmond, via dies, and Ohio. . 
 
 573 
 
 *640 
 
 *890 
 
 1017 
 
 825 
 
 564 
 
 688 
 
 832 
 
 Baltimore, via Balt, and Ohio, ... 
 
 591 
 
 699 
 
 931 
 
 1076 
 
 884 
 
 517 
 
 1 
 
 1 705 
 
 828 
 
 Philadelphia, via Penn. R. R 
 
 068 
 
 775 
 
 992 
 
 1152 
 
 960 
 
 548 1 
 
 736 
 
 823 
 
 New York, via Erie Railway. 
 
 861 
 
 997 
 
 1201 
 
 1354 
 
 1182 
 
 755 
 
 935 
 
 983 
 
 New York, via N. Y. Central 
 
 883 
 
 940 
 
 1144 
 
 1354 
 
 1176 
 
 761 
 
 830 
 
 980 
 
 Boston, via N. Y. Central 
 
 941 
 
 998 
 
 1202 
 
 1426 
 
 1234 
 
 829 
 
 888 
 
 1038 
 
 * Will be shortened 13 miles by improvements now in progress. 
 
 Between all yioints of the West or Southwest and Wash- 
 ington City — to which place as the National Capital there 
 must always be a large passenger travel — the Chesapeake 
 and Ohio, with its projected rail connections completed, will 
 
92 
 
 afford the shortest and best communication ; and Chicago, 
 Omaha, and points in the Northwest may adopt it with 
 advantage. Comparing the distances between Washington 
 and the large cities of the West, over the several routes, we 
 find a saving of from 20 to 90 miles, in favor of the Chesa- 
 peake and Ohio Route. 
 
 TABLE showing the distances between Washington and Western cities via the 
 Chesapeake and Oliio and other routes. 
 
 Distance 
 
 From Washington, via 
 
 TO 
 
 CINCINNATI. 
 
 TO 
 
 LOUISVILLE. 
 
 TO 
 
 MEMPHIS. 
 
 TO 
 
 NASHVILLE. 
 
 TO 
 
 ST. LOUIS. 
 
 TO 
 
 CHICAGO. 
 
 Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad 
 
 593 
 
 j 
 
 660 
 
 1,037 
 
 845 
 
 910 
 
 852 
 
 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad 
 
 613 1 
 
 720 
 
 1,097 
 
 905 
 
 953 
 
 852 
 
 Pennsylvania Central Railroad 
 
 646 1 
 
 753 
 
 1,130 
 
 938 
 
 989 
 
 842 
 
 Between New York and Southwestern cities, the advan- 
 tages of the Chesapeake and Ohio Route are as decided for 
 passenger travel as for the transportation of freights. 
 From Saint Louis, Cincinnati and points further South, 
 it will be nearer to New York than the Erie or Lake Shore 
 routes. Estimating the infinence of difference in grades, it 
 will also be shorter, in time, between the same points than 
 either the Pennsylvania or Maryland lines. 
 
 From New Orleans, Memphis, and the lower Mississippi, 
 the Chesapeake & Ohio is the most direct and , quickest 
 route to all points along the seaboard. 
 
 Distance from New York, 
 
 VIA 
 
 TO 
 
 LOUISVILLE. 
 
 MILES. 
 
 TO 
 
 MEMPHIS. 
 
 M-LES. 
 
 TO 
 
 ST. LOUIS. 
 
 i 
 
 M ES. 
 
 TO 
 
 |nEW ORLEANS. 
 
 Chesapeake and Ohio R.R. via Wash’n.. 
 
 888 
 
 1,265 
 
 1,138 
 
 1,394 
 
 Erie Railway, via A & G. W .... 
 
 997 
 
 1.354 
 
 1,201 ' 
 
 1,751 
 
 N. Y. Central, via Lake Shore and M.S. 
 
 940 
 
 1,354 
 
 1,260 1 
 
 1 ! 
 
 1,694 
 
 III. Licflit Grades. The line of the Chesapeake & Ohio 
 Railroad is remarkable for the uniformity and lightness of 
 its grades. From the W estern terminus of the Road at the 
 
23 
 
 [ 
 
 Oliio TJiver, to tlio suiviinil of ilio AlIc’^lKniioE^, 20S miles, 
 the grade's ai‘c Avillioid jiotieeable (nuliilatioii, and with a 
 nearly iinildnn ascc'iit, avei aging K) h^et ])er mile, and 
 in no ease exee'eding 30 feet pen' mile, oi* 1 iji ITb. From the 
 summit eastward to (Mifton I^'oi'ge, wdiercthe line crosses the 
 waters of the James Elver, a further distance of 23 miles, 
 tlu' grades are descending, iiowliere exceeding GO feet per 
 mile. On tlie remainder of the line to Eiclimond the 
 average grades are light, there being less than ten miles, in 
 all, exceeding 60 feet ; and at these points a reduction to 
 the maximum of 60 feet is practicable. 
 
 The full force of this advantage and of long stretches of 
 level, or nearly level, track may be better understood by 
 the statement that the same freight engine will be able to 
 leave Huntington on the Ohio Elver with its maximnm 
 load (of say 50'’cars), and proceedwithout interruption east- 
 wardly for 231 miles, across the summit of the Alleghanies, 
 at a nearly uniform speed, without encountering any op- 
 posing grade of over 30 feet per mile, and without requir- 
 ing any auxiliary power. 
 
 Other east and west Trunk lines are now resorting to 
 every practicable expedient, and preparing to expend large 
 sums, to reduce tlieir grades, which in some cases are as 
 liigli as 120 feet per- mile. 
 
 In the carriage of heavy freights, siicli as produce, coal, 
 iron, and other minerals, as well as of ]nissengers and the 
 “quick-despatch” frchghts, low grades are of the utmost im- 
 portance both to th(' rapidity and the economy of transporta- 
 tion. The following table, compiled from the published 
 data of a large locomotive manufacturing establishment, in 
 Philadelphia, gives the i*el alive liauling ])ower of freight 
 engines over different grades, showing a very rapid loss of 
 power as the grades increase^ : 
 
 “]\rOGUL” FllEIGITT LOCOMOTIVE. 
 
 Maximum load on level ,i>:rade 1,400 tons. 
 
 “ “ 20 leet 655 “ 
 
 “ “ 40 “ : 415 “ 
 
 “ ‘ 00 “ 300 “ 
 
 “ “ 80 “ 230 “ 
 
 “ 100 “ 180 “ 
 
24: 
 
 lY. Cheap Fuel^ &c. In the supplies of equipment 
 machinery, rolling stock, castings and wronght-irons, tim- 
 ber, fire- wood, lubricating oils, and other items, involving 
 large expenditure for the operation and maintenance of 
 railroads, the Chesapeake and Ohio Kailroad has very 
 decided advantages. The “Tredegar” engine and car 
 works, one of the largest establishments of the kind in the 
 country, is situated at one end of the line ; and the Com- 
 pany’s principal locomotive and machine shops, and the 
 “Ensign” car- wheel works are established at the other 
 end ; the iron and coal being drawn to each of them from 
 the furnaces and mines along the line of the road. Timber, 
 of all desired sorts, borders the line; the oils of West 
 Virginia are the best known for railroad uses ; labor is 
 cheaper than the average cost elsewhere. 
 
 In fuel for locomotives, which is one of the largest items 
 of expense in railroad operation, it has unrivalled advan- 
 tages. The best steam coals abound in thick seams 
 in close proximity to and above the level of its track ; and 
 can be supplied to its locomotives at the bare cost of hand- 
 ling. It is believed that the Company’ s entire supply can be 
 furnished for an indefinite period at from one dollar to 
 one dollar and a half per ton, or from one -half to one-fourth 
 the average cost of fuel to other lines. 
 
 V. Genial Climate. Lying along and near the 38th par- 
 allel of latitude, the Chesapeake and Ohio Road enjoys a 
 mild and equable climate, exempt from extremes of heat or 
 cold. The winters are much shorter and more temperate 
 than in Pennsylvania or New York. There is never any 
 obstruction from deep snows, nor liability to interruption 
 from extreme frosts. Tlie losses to which more north- 
 erly lines are subjected, and the delays and disadvantages 
 to shij)pers resulting from these causes in winter, will be 
 unknown upon this route ; and its general and uninter- 
 rupted freedom from obstruction and delays during the 
 seasons when the efficiency of some of the most important 
 routes is more or less impaired, will render it the most de- 
 sirable winter route for both freights and travel. 
 
55 
 
 Statisticis sliow that tiu' navigiitioii of t]i(3 Viigiiiia Canal 
 during tlu' 50 yc'ars, 1851-1871, was sus])(‘n(lod by ice and 
 other cliinatic causes, for an a,v('rag(^ jxu’iod of only 15 
 days ; and for sev(‘ral years in suc(;ession it was not inter- 
 rupted at nil. Th(' average period of suspension on the Erie 
 Canal was from 00 to 150 days, and has reached 150 days. 
 
26 
 
 Resources a^d Attractioxs of the Country along the 
 Route of the Chesapeake anh Ohio Railroad. 
 
 The region traversed by the Cliesapeake and Ohio Rail- 
 road is by reason of its natural advantages of soil, climate 
 and agricultural and mineral wealth, one of the most attrac- 
 tive and inviting in the United States, and offers at the pre- 
 sent time probably greater opportunities for the active and 
 profitable employment of capital and labor than almost any 
 other section of our country. 
 
 It abounds in almost every element of material pros- 
 perity, health and enjoyment, and opens to tourists, capital- 
 ists, coal operators, iron workers, manufacturers, mechanics 
 and farmers a field unequalled in the great variety and rare 
 combination of its advantages. 
 
 Many of the remarkable resources peculiar to the region 
 traversed by the more recently opened portion of the road, 
 though long known to scientitic men and explorers, have, 
 in the absence of available communication, been heretofore 
 secluded to a great extent from practical utility and devel- 
 opment, and from popular knowledge. 
 
 Tlie completion of the railroad gives to them at once a 
 new interest and importance, renders them accessible to 
 capital and industry, and brings them into quick and econo- 
 mical communication with the great centres of consumption 
 and commerce. 
 
 So great is the inhu'est whicli tlie opening of the Rail- 
 road has awakened throughout this country and in Europe, 
 and (‘Specially m England, res])ecting tlie advantages for 
 settlement ; the op])Oi'tuiiities for the investment of capital 
 in the juirchase and ch'velopment of agricultural, iron, coal 
 and timber lands, and the facilities foi* business enterprise, 
 along file roide ; and so numerous are th(H‘n(piiries addressed 
 to us for more spe(*itic and (hdailed infoiination than has 
 heretofore ])e(‘n giv(‘n in condensed and collecb'd form, that 
 w(‘ present in the following pages a liriid and comprehen- 
 siv{‘ sk(dch of* some of tluMuost important of these resources 
 and advantages, and their ])i*ominent localities, with some 
 
27 
 
 (liroctioiis nnd ror(M*(MiC('s rnlriilntod to be of interest and 
 service' to ]H'rsons de'siring to visit or investipi:ate tliem. 
 
 A mon o- tbe most conspicuous and a vailatde are : 
 
 (1) Soils of great variety and fertility^ adapted to every 
 hrancJi of luishandry^ field ^ fruit and. vine culture^ a.nd the rais- 
 ing of live stoeli ’ forests of the best Oah\ Yellow Pine^ Walnut^ 
 Poplar and other valuable Timber^ vntli an admirable climate^ 
 and choice farm and timher lands at moderate prices. 
 
 (2) Extensive deposits of Iron Ores of great variety and 
 richness^ with abundance of limestone. Timber, cheap fuel, and 
 other conditions for the jrrofitable mamfaciure of Iron. 
 
 (3) The great Kanaveha Coal fields, containing the best Can- 
 nel. Splint and Bit/uminoiis Coals in veins of remarkable thick- 
 ness and purity, situated above the level of the Railroad, and 
 accessible at a very low cost for mining. 
 
 (4) Salt Wells, Roofing Slates, Cement, Gyps^im., Clays and 
 other miscellaneo'us minerals of commerce, and superior materials 
 and advantages for the production of Soda-ash, Bromine, (&o., 
 
 (5) Favor aPe locations, and the material accessible at a. low 
 cost, for almost every variety of manufacture and mechanical 
 industry, Water Power, dw. 
 
 (1) Soils and Agkicttltitral Lands. 
 
 In its course from the ocean to tlu' Oliio River, the 
 Chesapeake and Oliio Railroad yiasses (‘enti'ally ’ through 
 the two great States of Virginia and West Virginia, 
 touching some of the oldest and largest towns and 
 cities, and passing through some of the richest and 
 most productive lands, embracing neai'ly all varieties 
 of soil, herbage, and climate to be found within the 
 tern pera te latitudes. 
 
 The g(‘ological formation, the topogi-aphical features, the 
 water- shed and tlu' (devation above sea-level give to the 
 several yiortions of the tei'ritory distinctive (*hai‘acteristics 
 which have caused them to be designated separately as the 
 
28 
 
 ‘‘Tide- water,” the ‘‘Middle,” “ the Piedmont,” the “Blue 
 Kidge,” the “Valley,” the “Mountain” or “Appalachian,” 
 and the “ Trans- Appalachian or “Ohio Valley” regions; 
 each and all of which have unusual agricultural attractions, 
 and are suited to the widest I’ange of agricultural pursuits. 
 
 T}>e Tide-vmter Region^ consists of a series of extended 
 peninsulas, whose sides are washed by the Chesapeake Bay, 
 and tidal rivers (most of them navigable), affording a long 
 and irregular coast line, with easy access ro the markets of 
 the seaboard, and to the interior towns and cities. The 
 land is well drained ; generally free from marsh, with a 
 soil of clay, marl, and sand, and an overgrowth of pine 
 and oak. 
 
 The principal item of land culture in this region is 
 market gardening, for which it is well adapted ; the 
 spring season in the warm lands in the vicinity of ISTorfolk, 
 Newport News and Yorktown opening by the first of 
 February. The annual shipment of early vegetables to New 
 York by sea is estimated at $20,000,000, exclusive of the 
 amount sent inland, and the. trade is steadily increasing. 
 
 A large amount of farming land is under cultivation, 
 the staple crops being Indian corn, wheat, potatoes, 
 sweet potatoes, and peanuts. In one of the counties, 
 bordering on the James Biver, the average yield of wheat, 
 for the plantation, was 35 bushels per acre. Orchard 
 fruits are also grown and shipped, to a large extent. 
 
 Good farming lands are to be had at points along the 
 peninsula bounded by the York and James Bivers, at prices 
 varying from $10 to $50 per acre, according to their prox- 
 imity to the navigable channels, or to the railroad line. 
 Labor is a])undant, and the cost of living low. The “ marl” 
 found but a short distance inland, and the limestone crossed 
 by the railroad can be cheaply and abundantly supplied 
 as fei tilizers, and an unlimited market invites to the rapid 
 expansion of the industries of this and the adjacent 
 n'gion. 
 
r 
 
 20 
 
 wiitors oC this Bay, a-rul its iiinrKa’ous indcaitatioiis 
 are almost as valiiabh' to (‘.onimeiHu^ as the lands ; th(i (exten- 
 sive oyster l)eds and iish(‘ri(‘s being- among th(‘ best in 
 America. Oysb'rs are slup})ed from Norfolk and vicinity 
 to eastern seaboard cities in ini inense quantities. The total 
 amount draAvn from tlu^se wabu'S annually is estimab'd at 
 80, 000, 000 bushels ; the state tax being collected on 20,000,- 
 000 bushels. Large quantities of oysters, as well as of shad, 
 herring, and other tish, are now sent to the cities of the Ohio 
 and Mississippi A Alleys, by the Railroad. 
 
 The location of the deep water terminus of the Chesa- 
 peake and Ohio Railroad, near the extremity of the chief 
 peninsula of this tide- water region between the York and 
 James Rivers, and the growth of an important seaport at 
 that point, will impart a new activity to all that region, and 
 greatly increase the value of its productive resources. 
 
 The jSIiddle Country has a width of about sixty miles, 
 and an area, of 12,000 square miles. The rivers of 
 the interior and the tidal waters of the ocean meet at its 
 eastern edge, as the former fall over the uplifted granite 
 rim, bringing together navigable water courses to the sea 
 and numerous and etfective water- powers, and making of 
 inland seaports, advantageous sites for manufacturing, mill- 
 ling, and other industries. The James River falls about 70 feet 
 near Richmond, yi(3lding a power for milling purposes ex- 
 ceeding that of Lowell. 
 
 The surface of the country consists of slight undula- 
 tions, with a gradual ascent to 500 feet above sea level 
 at its western border at the South West Mountain, as it is 
 locally called, a low, outlying ridge, having a general eleva- 
 tion about 500 feet above the plain at its base, whose sides 
 and summits are, for the most part, arable land. The 
 soils formed from a variety of rocks, are various, ranging 
 from the light brown of the ridges, to the rich, dark brown of 
 the bottom lands. 
 
 The principal farm products are wheat, corn, flax, 
 grass seeds, sweet potatoes, oats and tobacco, with a 
 
80 
 
 large representation of cattle sheep, etc. The three 
 counties of Henrico, Hanover, and Louisa, of this belt, 
 wliich are traversed by the railroad, may be taken as speci- 
 mens of the average. Their productions were, according to 
 the census of 1870 : 
 
 Acres improved, ......... 315,196 
 
 Acres unimproved, ......... 302,564 
 
 Cash value of farms, .... ... $11,055,990 
 
 Value of all live stock, . 818,209 
 
 Wheat crop (bushels), 329,859 
 
 Com crop (bushels), ........ 504,625 
 
 Tobacco (pounds), 1,380,835 
 
 In 1860 the average production of tobacco, was 246 pounds 
 to each inhabitant. The average value of farms in 21 counties, 
 was, in 1860, $12.50 per acre. Lands in these counties are 
 held at low prices, improved lands being obtainable at from 
 15 to 20 dollars per acre. 'No part of the belt is distant 
 more than 10 or 12 hours from the tidewater ports by rail- 
 road, and it is thus within easy reacli of good markets. 
 
 The poorest of the soils may be enriched by the abundance 
 of the marl or “ green sand,’’ a fossil manure of great value, 
 which is found and worked along the course of this railroad, 
 the beds having in places a depth of 15 feet. More than a 
 million tons per annum of the same description of marl 
 have been dug and distributed in the State of Now Jer- 
 sey, (Monmouth county alone furnishing 600, (JOO tons), where 
 its value as a fertilizer is well understood, and creates a 
 large demand for it at high rates. 
 
 The gathering and grinding of sumac leaves, found in 
 abundance in this and other sections of Virginia, along the 
 route of the railroad, is another important source of profit 
 to farmers. Tlie value of tlie extracted dye-stuff is 
 superior to tliat of Si(fily, and it commands a higli price in 
 English markets. The demand for it is almost unlimited, 
 the importations into the United States being 2,000,000 
 pounds annually. 
 
;^i 
 
 Tiiquiric'S coiicvruino* hinds Indd Ioj* sal(‘ in Eastxu'n Vir- 
 ginia, a(ljac('nt to iln^ liiu^ of railroad, may Ixi address(3d to 
 (lon. Wins. C. Wicdvluun, tlio Vico Pi'osidimtof the Company, 
 at Riclimoiid. 
 
 The PiedmoQtt Region^ as its name indicates, consists of 
 tlie foot slope of the Blue liidge, and is divided into a tier 
 of counties covering an area of 6,000 square miles. There 
 were in 1860 some 2,000,000 acres in cultivation. About the 
 same quantity unimproved was inclosed in farms, leaving 
 over half a million acres as wild land. These proportions had 
 not greatly changed up to 1870 ; but of late there has been a 
 considerable influx of immigrants from the northern States 
 and Europe, who have been enabled to purchase improved 
 estates, with fences and good buildings on them at from 
 $15 to $50 per acre, including improvements. 
 
 It is crossed by the Railroad in Albemarle County in a 
 distance of twenty-flve miles. It includes several spurs or 
 ridges lying within the enclosing hills, all of them arable to 
 their summits. By soil, climate, scenery, chemical con- 
 stituents, and distribution of water, these lands are enti- 
 tled to rank among the finest in America. The variety and 
 exuberance of the productions attest their capacity for agri- 
 culture. The soil is for the most part a friable, red crumbling 
 loam, very easily worked. 
 
 To a population of 202,282 in thirteen counties, according 
 to the census of 1860, there were over $7,500,000 worth 
 of live stock ; eight millions of bushels of cereals, or 
 forty bushels per capita, were raised, and of tobacco 
 24,000,000 pounds, or 120 pounds per individual. The 
 grasses, grains and orchard fruits of this part of Virginia 
 are celebrated. Prof. Ridgway, in a Gleological Report of 
 this region, says : 
 
 “The Piedmont District, in AlbemarD und Nelson Counties, has a 
 “mixed subsoil, rich in fertilizing ingredients, such as lime, magnesia, 
 “potash, oxide of iron, &c., derived from the rocks beneath. Hence 
 “wheat, corn, oats, tobacco, the natural Virginia blue grass, English 
 “sward, clover, timothy, orchard and herd’s grasses flourish luxuriantly ; 
 
82 
 
 “also fruits of various kinds, the pippin apple, pear, and grape attaining 
 “unusual dimensions, flavor and perfection.” 
 
 By the census of 1860, Albemarle County showed a 
 population of 26,000; with 700 square miles of territory, 
 half of which was enclosed in 900 farms, 500 of which 
 contained over 500 acres each. Its annual products were : 
 
 Wheat, Corn and Oats — (bushels) .... 1,250,000 
 
 Tobacco — (pounds) 5,500,000 
 
 Potatoes — (bushels) 40,000 
 
 Wool — (pounds) 40,000 
 
 Butter — (pounds) ....... 200,000 
 
 Live Stock— (head) 60,000 
 
 Value of products of farms, ^2,000,000 
 
 The Blue Ridge Country has the same general charac- 
 teristics, of the Piedmont and Valley districts, and these to- 
 gether form pre-eminently the Fruit and Grain region of 
 Virginia. 
 
 Major Hotchkiss, of the University of Washington and 
 Lee, in a paper on “The Eesources of Virginia,” read before 
 the Society of Arts in London, and reported in the Journal 
 of the Society in February, 1873, in referring to this section, 
 says : 
 
 “ Some 3,000 square miles, or two million acres, of Virginian territory 
 “pertain to the Blue Ridge — a region twice the size of your Sussex — most 
 “ of it covered with a fine growth of original oak, hickory, chestnut, and 
 “ tulip-poplar forest, with here and there a valuable grazing or fruit farm, 
 “ a patch of lighter green on the sides or summits. These greenstone 
 “rocks, as is well known, crumble into soils rich in color and in the ele- 
 “ments of fertility — soils especially adapted to the wants of the vine, such 
 “ as most of the world’s great vineyards are situated upon. The forests of 
 “the Blue Ridge abound in grape vines of a large size and very produc- 
 “tive — the originals of the Catawba, Norton’s Virginia, and other well- 
 “ known American grapes ; and thousands of gallons of brandy are annu- 
 “ally distilled from these by dwellers along the mountain — one man 
 “ having made 11,000 gallons in a season. Recalling what was 
 “ said of the topography of this range, it will be seen that almost 
 ‘ ‘ any aspect can be chosen for a vineyard ; the soil has a special adapta- 
 ‘ ‘ tion to the vine, the latitude —that of France — gives length of season, 
 “while the elevation, above the “frost line” of the valleys, secures the 
 
“ niaturity of tho griipo— nil iiidiapciiHiiblo rocpiisitc for the production of 
 “ good wine. Numerous vineyards arc now in successful oiieration ; at 
 “ Indiuoiit, near Front Ivoyal, is one, covering some seventy-five acres, 
 
 “ tliat has now an annual yield of 20,000 gallons of wine, the ijure juice of 
 “ the grape, and 10,000 gallons of brandy, the vines that are in fullbearing 
 “ yielding from 300 to 500 gallons of wine io the acre. The grapes are 
 “ notablj^ rich in saccharine matter, and diseases of the vine are unknown. 
 “Nearly a million acres here are adapted to this culture, and offer a 
 “ pleasant and profitable field, and a virgin soil in a most genial climate 
 ‘ ‘ for this leading industry. 
 
 “ This section has also an established reputation as a fruit-producing 
 “ one, — its apples, pears, peaches, and other temperate climate fruits 
 ‘ ‘ attain a flavor and perfection rarely equalled elsewhere ; its Albemarle 
 ‘ ‘ pippins command prices that have induced the planting of large orchards 
 ‘ ‘ of that single variety. It is no uncommon thing for 500 bushels to be 
 “ gathered from an acre, and an English eighteen pence per bushel would 
 “ yield a large profit to the orchardist. The day is not distant when Blue 
 “ Ridge apples will form a stai^le article of exj)ort to Europe, and one of 
 “the greatest blessings that can be conferred upon any people is an abun- 
 “ dance of cheap fruits to take the place of stimulating drinks.” 
 
 As lias been stated, there is still abundance of unimproved 
 land for sale in this section, and here and there are im- 
 proved farms which may be had at prices which, thongh 
 higher than those further east and further west on the lin(‘ 
 of the road, are nevertheless comparatively cheap in view 
 of their natural advantages and nearness to market. 
 
 11 te y alley Beg ion. Between tlie Bine Ridge and the 
 next range of hills to the west lies the Shenandoah Valley^ 
 or, as it is sometimes called, "‘The Great Valley” or the 
 “Limestone Valley of Virginia.” It is a continuation of the 
 famous Goshen Valley of New York State, and the Lebanon 
 and Cumberland Valleys of Pennsylvania, though having- 
 far greater dimensions. It is crossed by the Chesapeake 
 and Ohio Railroad in a distance of 35 miles. At Staunton 
 the Valley has an elevation above sea-level of 1,100 feet, 
 and is shut in and sheltered by enclosing ridges 3,000 
 feet on the eastern or Blue Ridge side, and 1,000 feet higher 
 on North Mountain side. 
 
 Pile Valley is notable for its grain and grass-growing 
 
34 
 
 capacity. It includes about 5,000,000 acres of land, 
 of wliicli 1,700,000 are under some form of cultivation; 
 
 1.800.000 additional being enclosed in farms ; and the 
 remainder, or a third of the whole, available for fresh 
 settlements. 
 
 Some idea of the productiveness of its soil may 
 be gathered from the census figures of 1860, which gave 
 as the total value of farming implements, $7,000,000 ; 
 with 58,000 horses, 2,000 mules, 49,000 milch cows 
 3,500 working oxen, 101,000 other cattle, 139,000 sheep, 
 
 254.000 swine; 606,500 head in all, valued at $8,000,000. 
 The annual value of animals slaughtered was $1,850,000 ; 
 the wool clip was 500,000 pounds, the flax yield 66,000 
 pounds, and from these a domestic manufacture of $250,000 
 was reported. The wheat product was 3,250,000 bushels, 
 corn, 5,500,000 bushels, besides large crops of rye, barley, 
 oats, buckwheat, &c. ; 370,000 bushels of potatoes, 120,000 
 tons of hay, 27,000 bushels of clover seed, 25,000 bushels of 
 grass seed, 2,750,000 pounds of butter, 55,000 pounds of 
 maple sugar, 171,000 pounds of honey, and 3,000,000 pounds 
 of tobacco. 
 
 There are also raised large quantities of sorghum, 
 syrup, wax, hemp, hops, silk, wine, cider, peas, beans, cot- 
 ton, orchard products, and other items, showing great variety 
 in the resources and industry of this part of the State. Its 
 comparative productiveness at that date is shown in the 
 facts that, while it had but 1-142 part of the whole popula- 
 tion of the United States, it had 1-107 of the horses, 1-174 of 
 the cows, 1-146 of the other cattle, 1-156 of the sheep, 1-132 
 of the swine, 1-135 of the value of the stock raised, and 1-57 
 (or nearly three times the average production) of the wheat, 
 1-120 of the wool, 1-115 of the oats, 1-35 of the clover seed, 
 and 1-95 of the value of land under cultivation. 
 
 Augusta County, through which the railroad crosses the 
 head of the Valley, is one of the richest in the State, in agri- 
 cultural values, and is underlaid with mineral treasures of 
 vastly greater value, more particular reference to which is 
 
iruido in tlio pagn^s rollowing, iindcn' tln^ lu'ad of Iron 
 Its [)opnUition and })roducts, and the valine of its agricnl- 
 tural lands, will bo greatly increased with the gri'at impulse 
 which will be given to iron ore mining and iron manufacture, 
 by the recent opening of the Railroad, through to the abun- 
 dant and (‘.heap fuels of the Kanawha Valley, and to the iron 
 furnaces of Ohio and the West, for which the Virginia ores 
 are likely to be in great demand. 
 
 The rapid multiplication of iron ore mines and blast fur- 
 naces will afford a large home market for the surplus and in- 
 creased production, which will still further add to the gen- 
 eral prosperity which distinguishes this Valley. Limestone 
 of the purest kind being the bed rock of this region, it is 
 cheaply dug, and by means of cheap coal- screenings drawn 
 from the Kanawha, can be cheaply burned into lime for fer- 
 tilizing purposes, and must be in large demand for flux in 
 iron smelting. 
 
 The leading items showing the present condition for agri- 
 culture of this county, as shown by the census of 1870, are 
 as follows, viz. : 
 
 Acres improved, 222,843 
 
 Acres unimproved, ........ 178,028 
 
 Cash values of farms, $10,232,552 
 
 Annual value of farm products, ..... $2,130,430 
 
 Value of animals slaughtered, ...... $346,890 
 
 Value of all live stock, ....... $1,086,917 
 
 Crop of wheat, (bushels,) ...... 463,276 
 
 Butter, (pounds,) . 353,335 
 
 Wool, (pounds,) 23,291 
 
 Numerous English settlers have recently purchased farms 
 and estates in this vicinity. 
 
 Agricultural and wood-lands in this and adjoining coun- 
 ties are still to be had at moderate prices, $25 to $50 per acre ; 
 those containing the mammoth veins of hematite ores, or 
 timber lands adjacent thereto, being held at somewhat higher 
 prices. 
 
36 
 
 The Mountain or Appalachian Belt of country has a 
 width varying from 20 to 50 miles, and is about equally 
 divided between the two States — Virginia and West Vir- 
 ginia — and consists of a great number of comparatively long 
 and narrow valleys, formed by the head-waters of the Po- 
 tomac and James River draining the eastern slope, and by 
 the Monongahela and New Rivers flowing toward the Ohio. 
 The population of the 20 Counties (ten on each side of the 
 boundary) was 142,336 in 1860, and 148,509 in 1870, a gain 
 of near 4J per cent, or an average of twenty persons to the 
 square mile. 
 
 As may be imagined from the rugged aspect of the 
 country, there are on the mountain slopes hundreds of 
 thousands of acres of dense, unbroken forests. The pre- 
 yailing timber consists of oak, hickory, pine, spruce, cherry, 
 inaple, walnut, beech, and poplar. It is not uncommon to 
 And a hundred trees upon an acre, of hickory, white oak, 
 tulip-poplar, or wiki cherry, from each of which a stick of 
 two feet in diameter and forty to fifty feet long may be 
 hewn ; besides pines and spruces of still larger dimen- 
 sions. The consumption of timber from the moun- 
 tain districts of this same range in Pennsylvania and New 
 York has been very large ; a single County in the former 
 State having sent to market 500 millions of feet in a single 
 year, at an average rate of 17 cents per cubic foot. 
 
 The want of railroad facilities has heretofore kept the 
 Virginia forests out of market, while the price of timber 
 lands in the two States above mentioned have greatly ad- 
 vanced in value as the railroads penetrated them. 
 
 The opportunity is now afforded by the Chesapeake and 
 Oliio Railroad to ship large quantities of hewn and sawed tim- 
 ber to both eastern and western markets from the cheaper Vir- 
 ginia forests. Lands can now be had in fee simple for from 
 $10 to $25 per acre, from which timber to ten times the value 
 could be cut from nearly every acre, and leave a large profit 
 to the slii})pers, after payment of all expense of cutting and 
 liauling to the railroad. 
 
37 
 
 ITowi^ll FisluM*, ;i prac.tical P(amsylvania; c.oal opcira^tor 
 and iron nniskn*, who has inado this rc^g-ioii asp(3cial study, 
 visiting it many times, says in regard to tJie agricultural 
 capacities : 
 
 “On climbing up these mountains it is found that all the slopes and 
 “hilhsides made by the numerous streams, and the table-lands on top, are 
 “ covered with a rich mellow soil that raises with ease, and yields finely, 
 “ wheat and corn, and iDarticularly oats, potatoes, and all root crops in 
 “ great abundance. This is the unanimous testimony of all persons ac- 
 “ quainted with the country. On the south of New River, tobacco, said 
 “to be the finest sent to the Cincinnati market, is raised as easily and 
 “abundantly as in any part of old Virginia, 
 
 “ Cattle and sheep fatten and flourish on the herbage and undergrowth 
 “ without other food, and with literally no care. The size of the sheep 
 “thus raised is stated by an intelligent gentleman, who has frequently 
 “passed through this country, and had his attention called to it, to be 
 ‘ ‘ much greater than common, and their hardihood unusual. 
 
 ‘ ‘ With this fertile soil, with a good climate, with the excellent water 
 “ that always belongs to coal strata, and with unsurpassed healthfulness, 
 
 ‘ ‘ this country, mountainous and hilly as it is, would have been filled with 
 “a hardy, industrious, and thrifty population, instead of the few settle- 
 “ ments that are now met with, were it not for two causes, the principal 
 “ one of which has been want of communication and market, and the other 
 “the magnificent growth of timber with which the land is covered. 
 
 ‘ ‘ This consists of large white, black, red, and chestnut oaks ; black 
 “and white hickory, black walnut, ash, poplar, wild cherry, and chestnut, 
 
 ‘ ‘ with occasional groves of the maple, and valleys of some size of the white 
 “ pine and hemlock. There are other varieties, such as the dogwood, 
 “ gum, etc., etc., which are not so numerous. When for some time among 
 “these forests, one does not so feel their size, but upon leaving the coal 
 ‘ ‘ strata and coming to the Alleghanies, the trees there look dwarfish and 
 “the woods like a collection of brush. 
 
 “ To the European immigrant, unaccustomed to the use of the axe, 
 “this fine growth of timber has been deemed an objection, and he has wen- 
 “ ded his way to the prairies of the West — with their chills and fevers, which 
 ‘ ‘ most surely destroy the general health of his family — rather than undergo 
 “ the unaccustomed task of clearing, in the mountain forests, the. acres h e 
 ,, needs. Even to our American woodsman this has been a serious task, 
 “arising from tlie necessity that heretofore existed of destroying the tim- 
 “ber to get rid of it, in addition to the ordinary labor of clearing. Land, 
 
 ‘ ‘ when rid of this valuable timber has hitherto been worth five times as 
 “ much as when covered with its natural growth. 
 
 ‘ ‘ But, with the railroad opened, giving easy,-! access to Eastern and 
 
38 
 
 Western markets, all this is changed. There is a demand for the forest 
 ‘ ‘ products and a road to market. The car builders, the cabinet-makers, 
 “ and the nnmerous industries, dependent upon cheap lumber, will neces- 
 ‘ ‘ sarily come along the line of road. The unlimited supply of good bark 
 ‘ ‘ will bring tanneries and their associate industries ; and when to these 
 “demands is added the timber that will be marketed in bulk, and the 
 ‘ ‘ large consumption for mining purposes, it will be seen how acre after 
 “acre will soon be opened to the husbandman, not only without cost, but 
 “with a large profit for the labor of clearing.” 
 
 Althougli notably a timber growing country, the moun- 
 tain portion of Virginia and West Virginia is by no means 
 destitute of general agricultural attractions. The extensive 
 table-lands and numberless valleys are suited for corn and 
 grass culture, the soil being exceedingly rich and deep. 
 There are also extensive plateaus, or table-lands, between the 
 depressions caused by the washing of the streams, upon 
 which are fine grazing and orchard lands. 
 
 It has been estimated by the Department of Agriculture 
 that a steer can be fattened from the nutritious blue grass 
 and corn of this section cheaper than in any other part 
 of the country east of the Mississippi, and it is much 
 nearer the great cattle markets than the Western grazing 
 States. 
 
 There are still millions of acres available for field cul- 
 ture, orchards, vineyards, sheep pasture, etc., which are 
 held as wild lands, and which may be had at from,$l to 
 $10 per acre, according to their surface peculiarities and 
 proximity to the railroad. 
 
 The Greenbrier Valley, one of the largest and oldest set- 
 tled of these depressions, is famed for its salubrity, beauti- 
 ful scenery, and general adaptability to farming pursuits. 
 In appearance it resembles the renowned Wyoming Valley 
 of Pennsylvania, having, however, a more luxuriant vege- 
 tation and finer views. The Pailroad enters this valley 
 near the White Sulphur Springs, and follows its course to 
 its confluence with the New Piver Valley, a distance of 35 
 miles. The substratum of nearly pure limestone which un- 
 derlies this valley furnishes a rich soil. The limestone will 
 
r 
 
 39 
 
 bo largoly in demand for (5omni(^i*cial, agricultural and 
 mechanical purposes. 
 
 Tlie climate of this belt of country is exceedingly favor- 
 able for man and beast. The isothermal line of 55 degrees 
 passes diagonally across it. At Lewisburg, elevated 1,800 
 feet above the sea, overlooking the Greenbrier, the average 
 temperature in the Spring months is 54 degrees, of the Sum- 
 mer 73 degrees, the Autumn 56 degrees, and the Winter 35 
 degrees, giving an annual mean of 55 degrees, or about the 
 same as Baltimore and St. Louis, and higher than that of 
 Philadelphia and Cincinnati. 
 
 The Trans -Appalachian or Kanawha and Ohio Valley 
 Region^ or as it may be called, the western foot slopes of 
 the Allegheny range, is at present principally known for 
 its wonderful strata of bituminous, splint and cannel Coal. 
 
 The area in West Virginia is about 17,500 square miles. 
 Its agricultural advantages are of great importance and 
 value, though hitherto deemed subordinate to its great 
 mineral wealth. The improved lands in 1860 were one and 
 a half million acres, the lands in farms, six million acres. 
 There were over three million acres not held in farms, wild 
 lands, generally owned in large tracts for their timber, and 
 undeveloped minerals. Timber lands can still be had in 
 quantities at from $1 to $10 per acre, according to their sur- 
 face, peculiarities and proximity to the road. The average 
 production of cereals was 33 bushels to the inhabitant, and 
 2 4-5 animals to the person. 
 
 The capacity of the bottom lands for corn raising is 
 equal to that of the best bottom lands in Oliio and Indiana, 
 to which they are analogous. Tobacco and root crops can 
 also be raised advantageously ; the tobacco being so supe- 
 rior, that it has taken premiums at several of the exhibi- 
 tions of this crop. As a live stock country, it resembles the 
 famous pastures of the uplands which border it on the east, 
 and the notable ‘ ‘ blue-grass ’ ’ lands of Kentucky, which 
 join it on the west. 
 
 Its location between the great markets of the east 
 
40 
 
 and west, and witliin 20 liours’ travel of tlie seaboard, 
 and witliin 48 hours of New York, will enable cattle- 
 growers to reap all the benefits of cheap feeding and 
 economical transportation to market. 
 
 Active manufacturing and mining industries will be rap- 
 idly developed along the central portion of this belt, espe- 
 cially in the New River and Kanawha Yalleys, on the line 
 of the railroad, which will furnish a home market for 
 local produce, and render this portion of the country addi- 
 tionall}^ attractive to settlers and farmei s. 
 
 Sumac and oak bark, largely in demand for tanning and 
 dyeing purposes, are found here in abundance, and tanner- 
 ies here would have hides and ingredinets accessible at a 
 • minimum cost. 
 
 (2.) Iron Ores. 
 
 Facilities for the Manufacture of Iron. The deposits 
 of iron ores and the advantages foi: the manufacture 
 of iron and steel upon the line of the Chesapeake and 
 Ohio Railroad, probably, largely exceed those of any 
 other part of the United States. 
 
 The rapid increase in the demand for iron, the develop * 
 ment of iron manufacture in this country, and the large 
 profits to be derived from its ^^roduction at the iiigli prices 
 now prevailing, are imparting a great interest to those points 
 which offer the most favorable opportunities and the 
 greatest advantages for this important and extensive branch 
 of industry. 
 
 There can be no doubt that the iron manufacture of the 
 United States is destined to experience a very great and 
 rapid development from tins time forward, and that it 
 will concentrate to a large extent in the vicinity of the 
 superior ores, fuels, fiuxes, etc., of the Allegheny region 
 of Virginia and the Kanawha Ualley, along the line of 
 the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. 
 
 It is not only among the iron workers of this country 
 that this extraordinary and attractive field, now ren- 
 
41 
 
 (ItMH'd ac(*('ssiblo ;iiid a.v;iihibl(‘ bytlu'. ()])(aiin^ of tliij rail- 
 road, is attracting attcnitioii, l)nt the capital a,nd (aibir- 
 prise of Great Britain are also turning toward it. Its advan- 
 tages are being explored in the interests of English capital- 
 ists, who are astonished at tlie wealth which their examina- 
 tions are revealing, and already arrangements are in 
 progress for the investment of large amounts of English 
 capital in coal and iron lands, and in the manufacture of 
 pig-iron, rails and Bessemer steel. ^ 
 
 * The following figures will show the Production of the several classes of Iron 
 in the United States for a series of years : 
 
 YEAR. 
 
 ANTHRACITE. 
 
 BITUM. AND COKE. 
 
 CHARCOAL. 
 
 TOTAL. 
 
 1862 
 
 470,315 
 
 
 186,660 
 
 787,662 
 
 1863 
 
 577,638 
 
 
 212,005 
 
 947,600 
 
 1864 
 
 684,018 
 
 
 241,853 
 
 1,135,497 
 
 1865 
 
 479,538 
 
 
 262,342 
 
 931,582 
 
 1866 
 
 740,267 
 
 268,996 
 
 332,580 
 
 1,350,943 
 
 1867 
 
 798,638 
 
 218,647 
 
 344,341 
 
 379,000 
 
 1,461,626 
 
 1868 
 
 893,000 
 
 340,000 
 
 1,603,000 
 
 1869 
 
 971,150 
 
 553,341 
 
 392,150 
 
 1,916,641 
 
 1870 
 
 1871 
 
 863,000 
 
 600,000 
 
 600,000 
 
 712,500 
 
 1.900.000 
 
 1.850.000 
 
 1872 
 
 1,197,010 
 
 712,500 
 
 2,358,250 
 
 No less than 109 new Blast Furnaces were in course of erection during the 
 year, which would give an increased capacity of 327,000 tons of Pig Iron. 
 
 The total yield of iron ore in the United States for the year 1872 is stated at 
 6.421.836 tons. 
 
 The production of Iron in Great Britain in 1845 was 1,250,000 tons ; in 1850, 
 2,250,000 tons; in 1864, 5,000,000 tons; and in 1866, 4,530,051 tons; in 1869, 
 5,527,443 tons. 
 
 It will be seen that the production of Pig Iron in the United States is rapidly 
 gaining on that of Great Britain, and already exceeds that of any other country. 
 
 Of the product of 1872, according to the FhiladeliFua Ledger^ a careful au- 
 thority, considerably more tlian half, 2,678,500 tons was required for Railroad Iron ; 
 miscellaneous castings, 600,000 tons; stores, 250,000 tons; nails, &c., 250,000 
 nuts and bolts, 250,000 tons; the remainder being allotted to architectnral, agri- 
 cultural, gas and water pipes, ship-building, machines, &c. Of Bessemer Steel 
 there were 125,361 tons manufactured. 
 
 The total requirement for railroads per annum is now 2,478,500 tons, or more 
 than the total production in the U. S. The railway consumption is distributed per 
 mile as follows : For Rails and Track, per mile, 100 tons; for Locomotives, 
 25 tons ; forCars,20 tons ; for Sundries, 5 tons; total, 150 tons, per mile. 
 
42 
 
 Iron ores of several of the most valuable varieties are 
 found in great abundance in seams of nnnsual thickness, 
 and of very rich qualities, along the line of the road. From 
 a point on the road, 56 miles west of Richmond, to the 
 ‘ western terminus on the Ohio river, a distance of 370 miles, 
 iron ores, in workable seams, are found at frequent inter- 
 vals, many of which have been long worked on a moderate 
 scale, with charcoal for fuel, and the great richness of which 
 has long been known. 
 
 The means of transportation, and the communication 
 with the cheap and abundant coals of the Kanawha, which 
 are peculiarly adapted for use in the manufacture of iron, 
 now afforded by the opening of the railroad, make these 
 ores available for a vast production on the spot, as well as 
 for use in the furnaces of southern Ohio and at other points, 
 where they will be wanted in large quantities, to take 
 the place of ores hitherto obtained at large expense from 
 Lake Superior and Missouri. 
 
 The ores consist of magnetic, argillaceous, brown hema- 
 tite, fossiliferous, specular and other varieties, and are 
 disposed in immense masses, much more accessible and 
 of greater dimensions, than tlie same seams found in 
 the corresponding stratification in Pennsylvania and New 
 Jersey. 
 
 First in the order of workable seams in proceeding west- 
 wardly, is a rich hematite ore, yielding about 40 per cent, 
 of metallic iron, found not far from Tolersville Station. 
 It is now mined and smelted at the Victoria Furnace, 
 near the railroad. Further West in the same Piedmont 
 region tliere are evidences of a magnetic ore of the best 
 quality, identical in position with the magnetic iron ore- 
 belt in New Jersey, from which in 1867, 115 mines furnished 
 1,300,000 tons of iron ore. The introduction of cheap coal 
 to this lugion will (piickly develop the mining of this 
 
 t 
 
43 
 
 (l(‘])()sit'. Tt is of rocognizod va.liK^ for iriixing with other 
 ores 1*01111(1 oil eitlua* si(i(‘ oi* it. Lirni'stoiK^ is foinul (^ast of 
 it ill Louisa County, and west of it in the Shenandoali 
 Yalh^y. 
 
 A third seam of hematite ores is found in Silurian 
 form, in the spurs of the Blue Ridge, near Fisherville, 
 in tlie same geological position as the ores so extensively 
 worked in the Cumberland, Reading, and Lehigh Valleys 
 of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Rich lodes of hematite and specular ores are found run- 
 ning along the foot of the Blue Ridge, and at intervals, in 
 the whole breadth of the Shenandoah Valley, and in con- 
 tinuous seams of great thickness along the north and par- 
 allel mountains beyond. In the south-western part of the 
 Valley, where the Radford Iron Company of Philadelphia 
 have erected a furnace, these lodes measure 35 to 40 feet in 
 thickness. This ore is of great purity and value, as is 
 shown by the results of actual working ; one of the furnaces 
 in the vicinity having turned out from the run of a season 
 56 per cent, of the metal. 
 
 In the foot slopes of the North Mountain, also, are num- 
 erous lodes or pockets of ore inter- stratified with tlie lime- 
 stones, some of them quite extensive, and from many of 
 them ores will be in demand for mixing Avitli the harder 
 ores from the adjacent mountains. 
 
 The astonishing magnitude of the ore beds in the West- 
 ern portion of Augusta County and adjoining Counties is 
 such as to give them the designation of ‘‘ Cliff ” or ‘‘ Bluff ” 
 ores. Trustwortliy experts and mining engineers of great 
 experience unite in saying that their mass, and position near 
 the surface, are sucli, as have not been found in any otlier 
 portion of the globe, so far as is known to commerce. 
 
 Prof. Ridgway, who devoted some time to a careful ex- 
 amination of these ores, says in his report : 
 
 ‘ ‘ This Bluff iron ore, of the Oriskany sandstones, 
 
44 
 
 shows itself near to the Buffalo Gap Furnace [see Map 
 ^‘No. Y] also along the same line of outcroppings, at a 
 “point one mile from the Elizabeth Furnace Station [see 
 “No. YI.], where immense cliff's of this ore may be seen ; 
 “ also near Pond Gap Station [see No. YIIJ. Again, in 
 “like manner, in the parallel hills, at the Esteline Furnace 
 “ see No. YIII] ; and again, at the California Furnace [see 
 “No. IX], where there is an immense amount of iron ore 
 “reposing, at a low angle from the horizon, in a stratilied 
 “ form, and in good mining condition. Again, at the Ans- 
 “tralia [see No. X] and at the Lucy Selina [see No. XI.], 
 “the beds of ore are of remarkable extent and in vast 
 “masses. The immensity of the aggregate mass of hema- 
 “ tite iron ore at these points surpasses anything which I 
 ‘ ‘ have ever seen elsewhere. The ore rises np into huge 
 “ cliffs from 50 to 75 feet high, and the cliffs maybe broken 
 “down and put into the cars at $1.40 per ton, including 
 “ royalty.”"^ 
 
 It is asserted that the stratum extends for over 300 
 miles in Yirginia, and in the opinion of iron masters it 
 is destined to become the seat of the most extensive iron 
 manufacture, the cost of mining the ores, of bringing 
 together fuel and flux being less than in Pennsylvania or 
 elsewhere on this Continent. Large shipments of ores can 
 also be advantageously made to furnaces located near the 
 seaboard in the Northern States, and in Southern Ohio.f 
 
 Limestone is found of great ]mrity, and in great abund- 
 ance in the valleys separating tliese successive ore-bearing 
 hills. In the Yalley of Yirginia it is in close proximity to 
 the ore beds ; again in the Greenbrier Yalley it is bordered 
 by deposits of ore on the one side, and by the coal measures 
 on the other side, so that there is scarcely an interval 
 of a hundred miles on the entire road which has not both 
 iron ore and limestone ; while the ore is also found on 
 both hanks of the coal. 
 
 ♦Analyses of the Bluff ores of Augusta County, by T. Heinrich show 51.33 and 58.32 per cent 
 of metallic iron respectively. 
 
 t Parties seeking information in regard to tracts of coal and iron lands held for sale, or con 
 corning the facilities for mining and iron manufacture, can consult Mr. Pliny Fi.sk, a Director of the 
 Che.sapeake k Ohio Kailroad Company, who lias devoted considerable attention to these subjects 
 the Company’s behalf, whose address is— Trenton, NJ. 
 
45 
 
 
 Tlu' MKiiii ridge of tlu^ All(‘gha.iii(^s, and tin' s|)urs and 
 paralh'l ranges on the water slu'd of the Ohio, all oi' neai'ly 
 all, Inive st'ains of iron and other ores. These Inid been 
 ('xploiH'd to a liinibul (extent only, prior to the opening of the 
 railroad, as thei*(' Avas tlu'ii no outlet to market. Quitch 
 ix'cently, hoAvtwer, more (extended examinations liave been 
 mad(', rt'snlting in the location of valuable iron ore beds 
 Avhich will probably soon be put to use. Between White 
 Snlphnr Springs and Huntington are numerous sites for the 
 economical manufacture of iron, from either the native ores, 
 or in combination with the ores from the Eastern slo])e of 
 the mountains. 
 
 The controlling elements in the successful production of 
 iron, are the cost of the several ingredients, and the cost of 
 sending the manufactured product to the principal distrib- 
 uting centres. Labor, interest, Avear-and -tear, contingent 
 expenses, and the like, are about the same in different 
 localities. The accessibility, adaptability, and abundance 
 of coals, ores and limestone along the line of this road 
 ensures cheap pig-iron ; and cheap pig and clieap fuel, en- 
 sure cheap Avrought iron and steel. The railroad furnishes a 
 cheap outlet to the markets of the Atlantic'., and also to the 
 west which must ahvays consume immense quantities of all 
 descriptions of iron. The furnaces situated along the eastern 
 ])ortion of the line are all in prosperous operation, most of 
 them enlarging their capacity. They have long produced 
 charcoal pig so cheaply as to com})ete with the Avorld, even 
 though using high pricc'd fuel. Now that clieaper fuel and 
 fluxing material can be liad by the railroad, they Avill be 
 able to furnish the ordinary pig metal at the seaboard, on 
 terms which will compete Avith European or other domestic 
 furnaces at a larg('. profit to the manufacturers. 
 
 For furnaces located on the Avestern ])ortion of the line, 
 the Western States will afford an excellent market. Tlu' 
 same vessels bearing eastward the products of tlie far Avest, 
 can be freighted back on their return trips with the coal 
 and iron of the Kanawha. 
 
46 
 
 Mr. Howell Fi slier shows, hy calculations of tin* 
 cost of the several items at the furnace, how the Kana- 
 wha region may reap a decided advantage in the manufac- 
 ture of either the crude metal or its more finished products, 
 and adds : 
 
 “ Pittsburg was formerly the cheapest point in the West for the manufacture of 
 finished iron, and while Cincinnati will be a somewhat cheaper point of delivery 
 from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad than from Pittsburg, it will be fair to treat 
 delivery from these points to the general Western market as equal. 
 
 “It will not be necessary, in making the comparisons, to go into the minutiae of 
 manufacture, as labor, contingent expenses, interest, &c., vary but little at all 
 points, final results as to cost being a question of the cost of ore and coal. 
 
 “The point on the line of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad assumed will be 
 that where the first available coal is found. 
 
 “At Pittsburg the question of ores enters more materially into the difference of 
 cost. The cost now at Pittsburg for ore necessary to make one ton of pig-iron is 
 not less than $15, and at the estimate before assumed of 1.43 tons of pig-iron to 
 one ton of rail, this would give $21.45 as the cost of ore per ton of finished rail. 
 On the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad $12 per ton of pig-iron for the ore will be 
 admitted to be a high figure. This would give $17.16 per ton of rail — over $4 per 
 ton advantage. The Pittsburg coal has, however, to be coked, and to this item is, 
 therefore, to be added one and a half tons of coal and the cost of coking, so that 
 there is, under the most favorable statement, to Pittsbug a difference of $6 per ton. 
 in favor of the Virgina location. 
 
 “As articles of iron require more work, such as locomotives, steammills, finished 
 iron work of all descriptions, the manufacture of steel, etc., so do they represent 
 more coal per ton of finished work, and can be manufactured proportionably 
 cheaper, as fuel is cheaper. 
 
 “In Pennsylvania the manufacture of charcoal iron is gradually dying out, 
 owing to the want of proximity of the wood and ore. This proximity still exists 
 over a large field of country in Virginia, and is transferring the manufacture of 
 charcoal iron to that State. This article is essential to the production of good car 
 wheels and the manufacture of Bessemer steel, and is now transported to Pennsyl- 
 vania, to be there used for these purposes, and worked up by a dear fuel. The 
 laws of trade will only permit this so long as this iron cannot meet its natural ally, 
 the coal of Virginia. When this occurs, and rolling mills have been erected to 
 make the necessary axles and bar iron, and all brought into connection with the 
 cheap and superior lumber of the coal region, the industry of freighta nd heavy car 
 construction will be driven to seek the line of this road, and it will not be five years 
 from its completion before four-fifths of this class of cars in the United States can 
 be here manufactured.” 
 
 Professor Jed Hotchkiss, who is familiar, from the ex- 
 plorations of many years with this ])art of the country, 
 also speaks in his ‘‘Resources of Virginia,’^ more particu- 
 larly of its advantages for iron making : 
 
47 
 
 “ The iniiioml woiiltli of the Blue Bidge is great, and destined to be 
 “ (Hiite iin})ortaint, from its nearness to tlie sea-board. In the rangcis of 
 “ foot hills, lying along the western base of these monntains, the whole 
 “ dOO or more miles of their length, are found very extensive deposits of 
 “ brown hematite iron ores of the best eharacter, giving from sixty to 
 ‘ ‘ seventy-live per cent, of metallic iron in the yield of the furnace. It is 
 “not correct to saj" that these deposits are continuous, and yet they have 
 “ been so regularly found, when sought after, as almost to justify the use 
 “of that term. In some places they are deeply buried in the debris oi 
 “ the mountain; at others they show themselves as interstratilied masses, 
 “ conforming for long distances to the formations of the district, as near 
 ‘ ‘ where New River leaves the Ridge, at Radford Furnace, where the 
 “ stratum is over thirty feet in thickness, while at other places the ore, in 
 ‘ ‘ a soft state, forms hill-like masses, as at the Shenandoah Ironworks, in 
 “Rockingham. At one place in Rockbridge, where the stratification is 
 “nearly vertical, striking with the mountain, this one appears as a hard 
 ‘ ‘ central stratum ; forming the crest of a spur more than 600 feet above its 
 “ base. The western fiank of the table-land in the south-west is known 
 “ as the Iron Mountain' from the quantity of this ore there exposed. 
 “ There are numerous furnaces now in blast' and others are being built* 
 “ along the line of these deposits • making charcoal iron of a high character* 
 “ such as now readily commands sixty dollars a ton in the United States* 
 “ using the timber of the Blue Ridge for fuel. One of these had a yield 
 ‘ ‘ of sixty-five per cent, of iron from the ore put into the furnace in the 
 “ run of a season. 
 
 .. Between these hematite ores and the main ridge is found a massive 
 “ and somewhat persistent deposit of specular ironstone* yielding from 
 ‘ ‘ twenty to thirty per cent, of metallic iron. This had not attracted any 
 “ attention until lately* when it has been advantageously used* mixed with 
 “ the richer hematites* as at Mount Torrey furnace* in Augusta.” 
 
 (3.) Coal Deposits. 
 
 Bihtminous^ Splint^ and Cannel. For a hundred 
 miles of its course the Chesapeake and Oliio Railroad 
 passes through and over the great Alleglieiiy (‘oal-iield, 
 at the point of its greatest width, where the workable strata 
 are most numerous, where the seams are of the greatest 
 thickness, the varieties of the coal the most important and 
 valuable, and the quality of the coal the })urest. 
 
 The coal measures of West Virginia cover Tiearly 10,000 
 square miles. In the New River and Kanawha Valleys the 
 coal beds make their apj)earance at the surface, to the number 
 of 14 distinct strata, with an aggregate thickness, at places, 
 
48 
 
 of 100 feet, of wliicli more tliaii half is in workable seams of 
 from 3 to 8 feet in thickness. By tlie erosion of the streams 
 the coal seams crop ont on the hill sides high above the 
 water and railroad levels, in the most favorable position for 
 easy, cheap, and safe excavation. The cost of opening 
 mines is small, and as the ventilation and drainage are 
 natural, the cost of bringing coal to the surface must always 
 be cheaper than in any other coal-fields in the world. 
 
 Mr. Howell Fisher furnishes more specific information 
 on this point. He says : 
 
 ‘Hn respect to conditions most essential to cheap and 
 profitable working, this region stands unrivalled. It has 
 been stated before that the chasm of the river renders it 
 most pecnliar service in its relation to the coal. Cntting all 
 the coal strata for nearly its whole length entirely throngh, 
 and getting down among the shales under the coal, the river 
 has caused the numerous streams which pierce tins whole 
 coal region to cut down through most of the coal-bearing 
 strata on their courses, leaving the coal entirely above water 
 level, accessible at hundreds of points by simply scraping off 
 the surface soil ; so that so far as the mere getting of coal 
 is concerned, two thousand dollars will open a mine ready 
 to ship one tliousand tons per week. There is no region in 
 the world where less physical labor will prepare a mine for 
 the delivery of coal at the drift’ s mouth. 
 
 ‘ ‘ This will be made clearer by a comparison of the posi- 
 tion of coal here and in Grreat Britain in this respect. In 
 Great Britain, and in fact in most all of the European coal- 
 fields, the coal is deep below the water-level. To reach the 
 seams requires the expenditure of years of labor and vast 
 sums of money in sinking vshafts or pits, and in erecting 
 pumping and hoisting machinery, to be maintained and 
 renewed at heavy annual expense. It is authoritatively 
 stated, that the cost of sinking shafts in the Newcastle 
 region of England to the depth of one thousand feet, has 
 been, in many instances, one thousand dollars per yard. In 
 the great Northern coal-field of Great Britain, producing 
 twenty million tons per annum, there are two hundred pits 
 or shafts, costing, in first outlay, for sinking and machinery, 
 fifty millions of dollars, to which must be added the neces- 
 sary expense of constructing and maintaining })roper air- 
 courses, and their accessories requisite to the safety of the 
 employes. 
 
40 
 
 ‘‘ Tliero is now iiivost(‘(l siiu])ly iii])its, jukI machiiKijy for 
 j)uiupiiig iiiui hoisting the one hniidriHl million tons jn'odue- 
 cd in (ii*ent Britain, two hundred million dollars ; and this 
 vast Slim is destined to iittm* destruction in serving tlie pnr 
 poses for which it was used. 
 
 These pits and macliinery being constructed, they in- 
 volve a certain amount of labor for every ton ot coal got, 
 in addition to their cost and renewal. 
 
 ‘‘ Now, in this great coal-field crossed by the Chesapeake 
 and Ohio Railroad^ Nature has already sunk all the neces- 
 sary pits and shafts, which need neither repair, renewal, or 
 labor to work them. The laws of gravity have provided the 
 most perfect, permanent, and costless pumping machinery ; 
 and the most perfect ventilation of the mine and safety of 
 the employes, instead of requiring scientific knowledge and 
 anxious thought, is simply a matter of the most ordinary 
 care, the almost perfect freedom from noxious gases being 
 the natural result of the position of the coal strata.” 
 
 The principal varieties are the Bituminous^ the Splint^ 
 and the Cannel. Of the bituminous, there are seams of dif- 
 ferent degrees of hardness and texture, from the friable or 
 “fatty” coking coal, similar to the best of the Newcastle 
 (England) coals, to the harder “block” coals with regular 
 cleavage, similar to the Youghiogheny coals so largely in 
 demand in the western and southern cities. For household 
 purposes, for fuel and for the manufacture of* gas, the Ka- 
 nawha bituminous coals, are equal to the best Pittsburg, or 
 Cumberland coals. 
 
 The Splint Coal of the Kanawha is a hard close-grained 
 dry burning variety, peculiar to this region, and is usually 
 found here in conjunction with the seams of bituminous or 
 cannel. 
 
 Its distinctive features are a square, regular cleavage, 
 and great purity, being nearly free from sulphur and 
 earthy matter. It is also found to have great sustaining 
 strength in the furnace- stack, which, together with its great 
 purity, make it more valuable for the manufacture of iron, 
 than any other mineral fuel discovered, as it can be used in 
 its raw state, without coking. 
 
 It makes a black, soft, malleable iron, which ranks in 
 
f 
 
 50 
 
 quality and price with “No. 1 Foundry,” or the best 
 quality of Cliarcoal iron. 
 
 Tlie presence of this valuable coal in such quantities, and 
 in such position that it can be mined very cheaply, is of 
 incalculable importance in connection with the iron ores of 
 Virginia, and to the furnaces in Southern Ohio and 
 Kentucky. 
 
 Several tracts of coal lands have recently been pur- 
 chased by Pennsylvania and New York capitalists and 
 iron masters, with a view to the erection of furnaces near 
 the coal mines to be supplied with ores from the rich 
 deposits of the Alleghany region already described. 
 
 Splint Coal of a very fine quality is now being mined 
 and shipped over the Kailroad to the East and West, by the 
 Kmuxwha and Ohio Coal Co.^ whose mines are located at 
 Coalburg, 16 miles above Charleston, directly upon the 
 line of the Railroad, their incline for the delivery of the 
 coal from the mouth of the opening, coming down the hill 
 side to the track. The officers of the Com23any are Wm. H. 
 Edwards, President, and Jno. H. Platt, Secretary. They 
 may be addressed for fuller particulars at Coalburg, West 
 Virginia, or No. 40 Wall street. New York City. Their 
 Splint Coal is used in the manufacture of iron, which sells 
 at Cincinnati at the full price of the best Charcoal iron. 
 
 The Gannel Coal is found in great abnndance, directly 
 upon and within easy reach of the line of the Railroad, at 
 different points throughout the Kanawha Valley, in seams 
 of from 2^ to 8 feet in thickness, and of great purity. 
 
 It is equal to the best imported cannel for family use in 
 grates, and is found by actual test to possess very great value 
 for use in the manufacture of illuminating gas. The Man- 
 hattan and the Metropolitan Gas-Light Companies of this 
 City, and others, have made satisfactory tests of its qualities 
 for this purpose, and found it superior to most other coals 
 in use, both in the quantity as well as in the purity and 
 illuminating power of the gas which it yields. 
 
51 
 
 It will be wanted in larg(^ (|iiaiitities by ilie (las Cotii- 
 panies throughout the Eastern and Western States, 
 wherever it becomes known, and tln‘ demand for it 
 for this purpose, and for fuel, will call for a very large 
 product, and render the mining of it one of tlie most 
 important and profitable industries on tlie line of the 
 Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, to which it will yield a very 
 large tonnage, and a remunerative price for transportation. 
 
 The Peytona Coal Coinjjany^ whose mines are located on 
 the Coal River, and whose principal office is at No. 58 
 Broadway, in this city, and the Cannelton Coal Company^ 
 whose mines are at Cannelton, 26 miles above Charleston, 
 and in sight of the Railroad, and whose principal office is 
 in Philadelphia, are now mining, and shipping over the 
 Railroad in both directions, very line qualities of Cannel 
 Coal, further particulars of which may be obtained by 
 addressing them as above. 
 
 Other parties are preparing for the mining and stripping 
 of Cannel Coal in large quantities. 
 
 The price of imported Cannel Coal in this market for 
 some years past has ranged from $18 to $22. 
 
 The Cannel Coal of the Kanawha region, which has 
 hitherto been unavailable for want of the means of transpor- 
 tation to market, can now by means of the Chesapeake 
 and Ohio Railroad, be delivered here at from $10 to $12 
 per ton, and pay a good profit to the miner, and can be 
 supplied to the cities and towns along the Ohio and Missis- 
 sippi Rivers, and vicinity, at still lower rates. 
 
 Coal Lands containing valuable seams of Cannel may 
 still be had by purchase or lease on favorable terms, and 
 mines may be opened and prepared for the delivery of coal, 
 in a short time, and at very moderate expense. 
 
 The following citations from the most reliable authorities 
 and experts, on the Kanawha coal field, furnish facts of 
 great interest : 
 
 The work “Coal, Iron, and Oil,” by Daddow & Bannan, Edition of 
 1866, page 340, speaking of this location and its coal, says : “Coal river, 
 
52 
 
 ‘ ‘ Elk river, and Gauley diverge from the Great Kanawha and spread their 
 ‘ ‘ branches over one of the richest and most magniiiceni coal regions in the 
 ‘ ‘ world, and bring down their wealth to one common centre on the Great 
 ‘ ‘ Kanawha. The coals of this region generally are better, purer, and more 
 ‘ ‘ available for all the requirements of trade and manufacture than the coal 
 ‘ ‘ from any other portion of the Alleghany coal-field. The seams of coal 
 ‘ ‘ are more numerous and their thickness greater than in any other portion 
 ‘ ‘ of this coal-field ; it can be mined cheaper and with more economy gen- 
 ‘ ‘ erally, under the same rates of labor, than in any other region in this 
 ^'‘country without exception.’’^ 
 
 Prof. Hotchkiss, in liis Paper read before the Society of 
 Arts, on the Hesonrces of Yirginia, says : 
 
 “ The mineral resources of the Trans- Appalachian region are very great. 
 “Especially is it rich in the abundance of cannel, splint and bituminous 
 “coals, one of more of these varieties being found under 16,000 square 
 ‘ ‘ miles of its territory. The great Appalachian coal-fields extend from 
 “northern Pennsylvania to northern Alabama, an irregular oval area, 
 “ widest on the line of the Kanawha river, which crosses it at right angles. 
 
 ‘ ‘ This part of the coal field is one-quarter larger than the great coal fields 
 ‘ ‘ of the British Isles. 
 
 “On the eastern border the seams of the lower coal measures are found, 
 
 ‘ ‘ having an exposed aggregate thickness of some 50 feet in the gorge of 
 “ New Eiver — the line of the Chesapeake and Ohio Kailway — a cailon bom 
 “1,200 to 1,500 feet below the general level of the country. One of these 
 “seams is over six feet thick, furnishing a good coking coal ; another 
 ‘ ‘ seam of block coal is four and a-half feet thick. There are several other 
 ‘ ‘ seams three and four feet in thickness, furnishing bituminous coals of 
 “ good quality. These seams have only a moderate inclination to the 
 “north-west, and are all above the river and railroad level. These lower 
 ‘ ‘ measures descend more rapidly than the rivers, and so pass beneath the 
 ‘ ‘ water level some 50 miles from their eastern outcrop . The strata of the 
 “upper coals come to the horizon as the mouth of New River is approach- 
 “ ed, and not far below the junction of that river with the Gauley to form 
 “the Great Kanawha. At Armstrong’s Creek, a section in the 600 feet of 
 “ blufi* above the level of the Kanawha, shows 13 seams of coal varying in 
 ‘ ‘ thickness from two and a-half to nine feet, with an aggregate of 61 feet, 
 
 ‘ ‘ Below this place, at Cannelton, on the other side of the Kanawha, there 
 ‘ ‘ are five seams of coal open, in the 1,300 feet of the face of the bluff, ag- 
 “ gregating 29 feet. More than 100 feet of stratified coal has been proved 
 
 *For further particular?? of the Btratification, dimensions and value of the seams, see the work 
 “Coal, Iron, Oil,” Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott & Co. 
 
53 
 
 “hero. Tlio soiiius vary from S t,o 14 foot in tliickiioss, and ombrace gas, 
 “ shop, splint, and cannol variotics. Tho seam producing the cannel is 
 “ double, giving 4 foot of oaniiol and 2^ of splint coal. This cannel will 
 “yield (U) gallons of oil to tho ton of 2,000 lbs. A section on Cabin Creek 
 “ and vicinity, ton miles below Cannelton, by Prof. Anstod, gives 68 feet 
 “ of coal, in some 13 seams, varying from 2^ to 11 feet ; 22 feet of these 
 “ seams are cannel and from 7 to 11 sf)lint coal. At Campbell’s Creek, 
 “ still lower down the river, in the 400 feet of bluff, are 6 seams, from 4^ 
 “ to 6 feet thick, that furnish 29 feet of coal. This coal is peculiar in its 
 “formation. Near Clay Court-house, on Elk river, the coal strata are 
 “from 4^ to 11 fe3t thick, making 41 feet of coal in the 500 feet of bluff ; 
 “ 19 feet of the coal being si^lint and 6 cannel. At the mouth of Coal- 
 “ river a stratum of coal, from 4 to 8 feet thick, is found at a depth of 300 
 “feet; of course the other seams are found there also, but at greater 
 ‘ ‘ depths. These may be considered fair samples of tlie sections through- 
 “out this great coal-field, ample enough to satisfy the wants of untold 
 “ generations, and so accessible as to require no special skill in mining; 
 “nor expenditure for drainage and ventilation. The Baltimore and Ohio 
 “Eailway, with its Parkersburg and Wheeling arms and numerous 
 “ branches, now crosses the northern part of this field and opens it to 
 “markets. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway has just crossed it in the 
 “south, where the Great Miner has “torn asunder the mountains,” and 
 “ well and wisely cut an open gangway, more than a thousand feet deep, 
 “across the rich strata, exposed them to daylight, and at the same time 
 “ made way for the railroad, at very low grades, to carry this “ bottled 
 “ sunshine” to the great markets. The coals found here are used inmak- 
 “ ing iron without coking, and the choice for any special puiqjose is very 
 “ great, the quality being unexceptionally good.” 
 
 Prof. T. S. Pidgway, lias made a full and careful 
 examination of tlie minerals of commerce along tlie line of 
 the road. Tlie concluding summary of his Report,'^ in 
 relation to coal and iron ores, is as follows : 
 
 Magnitude of the Deposits. 
 
 “The lower coal measures, which I have just described in detail, are 
 “ comprised in twenty-four seems, eleven of which — containing an agcjre- 
 ‘ ‘ gate thickness of fifty-one feet — are workable. The pick and shovel may 
 ‘ ‘ disclose new beds in addition. 
 
 * Copies of this Report, with Geological Map, may be had on application at the office of the 
 CUE3APEAKE & OHIO R, R. Co., 54 Wiiliam street, or ^at the Banking House of Fisk & Hatch, 6 
 Nassau Street, N. V. 
 
54 
 
 “Any attempt to estimate, by calculation, the amount of coal con- 
 “ tain ed within a given number of miles of your road would be futile. 
 “ Without deeming it necessary to resort to a trigonometrical survey of 
 “ even a small portion of the field, it is quite obvious, even to the prac- 
 “tised miner, that there are above the water-level, between Big Sewell 
 “ Mountain and Charleston, within five miles on either side of the line on 
 “your road, thousands of millions of tons. The same seams could, of 
 “course, be reached by pits of moderate depth, between Charleston and 
 “ Huntington ; and the amount of coal available from West Virginia is in- 
 “ calc ulably large — sufficient, allowing for a normal ratio of increase in 
 “ consumption, to supply the Western markets for a thousand years to 
 “ come. 
 
 Advantages eoe Iron and Steel Manufacture. 
 
 “Beviewing the ground between a point in the Piedmont District of 
 “ Virginia, say Gordonsville, and the point where your line debouches on 
 “ the Ohio, Huntington, a distance of 325 miles, as traversed by your road, 
 “I find an almost constant succession of the minerals prominently used in 
 “the mechanic arts and commerce ; and lam convinced, from the way 
 “ in which they are presented at the surface, from their abundance and 
 “variety, and from their proximity to, and elevation above, the road, that 
 “ all the elements of successful, continuous, and profitable coal mining 
 “and manufacture are here found closely associated, and under the most 
 “favorable conditions for use. The iron ores arc especially rich, of great 
 “variety; the carboniferous limestone is especially superior for fluxing 
 “ purposes ; the several kinds of coal are, in their several ways, specially 
 “ adapted for the manufacture, refining and working in iron and steel; 
 “and I am decidedly of the opinion that both the crude metal, and its 
 “more finished products, maybe produced along this portion of your 
 “ road at less cost, or, in other words, so as to yield a larger profit, than 
 “in even the most favored localities in (filler States. Having heretofore 
 “ investigated and reported upon various furnaces, and having in view the 
 “ cheajniess of coal and charcoal, fuel, labor in Virginia (colored), and the 
 ‘ ‘ resources of water pow'er, I am satisfied that pig iron can be made at 
 “ numerous points along the road at from $18 to $20 per ton. 
 
 “The fact that good serviceable coal can he placed in your cars at $1 
 “ per ton, exclusive of royalty, is one of the first importance, both to the 
 “ workers in iron, and to the immense distribution of coal for various uses 
 “throughout the Mississippi Valley. It will be observed also that, unlike 
 “most railroads, by the establishment of iron-ivorks between these ex- 
 “ treme points, a reciprocity of freights would follow, the cars passing one 
 ‘ ‘ way loaded with coal, and the other with ores. The light grades of 
 “ your line will not only admit of this interchange, but also enable you to 
 “distribute the minerals to the works along the line at less cost, and also 
 “add to the net revenues of the Company. Finally, there is no better 
 
55 
 
 “outlet for coal an cl manufactured iron and otlior products to the Missis- 
 “ sippi Valley on tlio one liand, by means of the 12,000 miles of internal 
 “ navigation, added to the vast network of railroads with whicdi the Chesa- 
 “ peake and Ohio Stem Line is destined to be connected; or, on the 
 “other hand, to the Seaboard Cities by way of tlie cheap coast navigation 
 “ which your line reaches at its cMistern terminus on the Chesapeake Bay.” 
 
 The following remarks by Professor An steel, F.P.S., and 
 others, made during a session of the Society of Arts in 
 London, gives concurrent testimony to the very great value 
 and importance of the Virginia coal and iron deposits : 
 
 “Professor Ansted, F.R.S., said it was nearly twenty years since he 
 “first visited Virginia, and examined some of its mineral riches. 
 “ * * He could speak personally and positively as to the nature of 
 “ the coal fields alluded to, which provided one of the greatest 
 “ resources of mineral wealth of Virginia, and one which would no doubt 
 “ prove in the long run the most important of all. They might form a 
 “ good n<:>tion of the real value of this coal field by drawing a comparison 
 “ between Virginia and England, two countries of nearly the same size. 
 “ In Virginia the coal fields extended across the country from north-east 
 “ to south-west — as if two-thirds of England were one coal field — the coal 
 “ not being difficult to work, involving very few mechanical difficulties 
 “ with water, and scarcely any danger from explosions. The communica- 
 “ tions by railway were quite equal to those of England. It was true the 
 “ coal fields did not come actually to the coast, but they reached almost to 
 “ the Ohio and the Mississippi, and he felt sure that the Mississii^pi itself 
 “ would ultimately be as great a highway for America as the Atlantic was 
 “ for England. There being easy communication with the Atlantic coast, 
 “ he did not think it was too much to expect that in course of time Vir- 
 “ ginia would send over coals to England if the labor question remained 
 “ as it then existed. At the present time they exported coal largely from 
 “ Newcastle, from the neighborhood of England and South Wales, and he 
 “ saw no reason why some of the great Appalachian coal fields should not 
 “export coal with equal convenience to England as we did to New York. 
 
 “ For a very long time past the whole of the gas burnt in New York had 
 “been made of English coal, notwithstanding the facility they had for 
 “ getting it from their own country ; but if the price increased much more 
 “ they v ould have to use their own. As to the existence of coal in Virginia 
 “ there could be no question , but it had never been properly worked ; in- 
 “ deed, there was no coal field which was more important, and, although 
 “ there were places where the seams were thicker, there were none where 
 “ they were more accessible or of a better quality ; and he did not think 
 “ it was always the case that the tliickest seams were the most valuable. 
 
 “ The coal fields in the AppaLacliian range were nearly all horizontal, in- 
 
56 
 
 “tersected by convenient valleys, and could be worked from numerous 
 “ points at the same time with ease, and might be looked upon as inex- 
 “ haustible. ***** Virginia was also rich in iron fields of every variety 
 “ and quality, and he saw no reason whatever why, if the same amount of 
 “ energy and intelligence were applied to the manufacture of iron as in 
 “England, Virginia should not take precedence, in the present state of 
 ‘ ‘ the labor market, in that important manufacture. Something of this 
 ‘ ‘ kind must inevitably take place , unless things were altered , of which he 
 “ saw no chance ; and in this respect Virginia had the chance of being one 
 “of the most important States of America, and one of the wealthiest 
 “ countries in the world : for, although up to a comparatively recent time 
 “ it had been neglected, there was no reason for it so far as the physical 
 ‘ ‘ condition of the country was concerned. No country had greater re- 
 “ sources of wealth ; for besides coal and iron there were other minerals, 
 
 ‘ ‘ gold having been obtained in many districts with advantage, and it was 
 “ certainly not yet exhausted. There were also copper, limestone, marble, 
 “ salt and other earthy minerals, which he would not allude to. With all 
 “ these advantages, he looked forward to Virginia being one of the coun- 
 “ tries of the future, and he was happy in being able to lend what assist- 
 “ ance he could in pointing out these matters, because he had visited it at 
 “ a time when it was much less populous than it was now, and had fore- 
 “ seen that when the coal was worked it must rise in importance.” 
 
 “ Mr. J. Bowron (Newcastle) said that two years ago he spent some 
 “ months in Virginia, more particularly for the purpose of investigating 
 “ its mineral resources, and he could concur in all the remarks of Profes- 
 “ sor Ansted. There was no doubt of the regularity of the coal fields 
 “ throughout the whole of Western Virginia, while the country was so in- 
 “tersected with valleys that it was very easy indeed to open up at any 
 ‘ ‘ point coal seams which could be readily identified with the same seams 
 “ occurring twenty or thirty miles off. He himself followed one seam a 
 “ long distance, and its regularity he could hardly have believed if he had 
 “ not traced it. On approaching the AjDpalachian region he found such 
 “ immense deposits of hydrated hematite ore as he had never seen else- 
 “ where, though he was familiar with deposits of a similar kind in Cum- 
 “ beiiand and also in Spain. Besides these resources the capability of 
 “Virginia as a paper producing country were greater than he believed 
 “ existed anywhere else. It had the materials at hand for producing those 
 “ chemicals for which, at present, America depended mainly on England, 
 “being well supplied with metallic sulphurets, salt, limestone possessing 
 “ ninety-eight per cent, of carbonate of lime, manganese, pure water and 
 ‘ ‘ coal, and having these, it could not lack anything for chemical manufac- 
 “ tures ; and it possessed besides such a growth of non-resinous trees and 
 “ plants, suitable for the manufacture of paper, that he had no hesitation 
 ‘ ‘ in saying that the one State alone could easily supply paper for the 
 “ whole of the civ'ilized world.” 
 
57 
 
 “Mr. Nowton said lio had twice recently visihal Virginia and Western 
 “Virginia, for the ])nrp()S(> of ascertaining its snitahility as a colony for 
 ‘ ‘ English agricMiltnrists, He fonnd that the land was richer than in Eng- 
 “ land, and the climate better ; land could be l)ouglit for little more than 
 ‘ ‘ one year’s rent in this country ; every crop that would grow here might 
 “ be cultivated there, and some especial ones besides ; there were as good 
 “ markets, and every necessary could be obtained at a lower price. In 
 ‘ ‘ fact, all that an English farmer wanted was a little capital to start with, 
 “ and ho could not fail of doing well there.” 
 
 ‘‘Mr. Etheridge, E.E.S., referring to the recent statement of Sir 
 “ William Armstrong, that under the present prices of coal England was 
 “paying what was equivalent to an annual tax of £45,000^ 000 on that 
 “ article, drew special attention to the rich mineral resources of Virginia, 
 “ and expressed his opinion that unless some solution of the difficulty 
 ‘ ‘ could be found at home — and there was no absolute necessity for such 
 “ famine prices, seeing that at the present rate of consumption our own 
 “ coal fields would not be exhausted in less than 500 years — Virginia 
 “ would, at no distant date, be found supplying the whole world with coal 
 “ and iron.” 
 
 There have been shipped to the cities along the Ohio and 
 Lower Mississippi Valleys, upwards of 3,220,000 tons of coal 
 per annum from the streams above Pittsburg, distances of 
 500 to 1,500 miles ; of which the 315 miles between Pittsburg 
 and Huntington comprise by far the most hazardous, 
 tedious and costly portion. It is reasonable to expect that 
 hereafter a large part of this supply will be be drawn from 
 the Kanawha, as this region is, without doubt, by far the 
 most favorable and prolitable locality for the mining of coal 
 for the western mai'kets.'^ 
 
 * Movement. The total production of Coal in the United States for 1870, is esti- 
 mated at 34,600,461 tons; of which 19,211,313 tons were Anthracite, and 15,589,148 
 were Bituminous. Of the Anthracite, 15,368,437 tons were sent by railroad or canal 
 to market, and 3,842,876 tons consumed near the mines. The amount of Bitumin- 
 ous sent eastward to market was 4,589,148 tons; the balance, 10,800,000 tons, 
 being mined and consumed In the United States, principally at the West. 
 
58 
 
 (4.) Salt, Eoofing-slates, Kaolin, Fike-clay, 
 Cement, Etc. 
 
 The Salt Wells of tlie Kanawha Valley are noted throngli- 
 out the west for the excellence and pnrity of their salt. 
 
 It has been used for many years in some of the largest 
 meat packing establishments, where it is preferred to any 
 other domestic or imported salt, for preserving purj)oses. 
 The salt is produced in both coarse and line grained varie- 
 ties, suitable for the table or for pickling. For the curing 
 of bacon, the manufacture of butter, and other preserva- 
 tive uses, it is unequalled ; being free from the deleterious 
 
 TONNAGE OF AMERICAN BITUMINOUS COAL USED IN THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD STATES 
 
 YEAR. 
 
 1 W. Virginia 
 
 1 Bituminous 
 Coal shipped 
 'East via B. & 
 
 ! 0. R. R. 
 
 Cumberland, Md. 
 
 i Broad Top, 
 Pa. 
 
 Other Bitum- 
 inous Coal 
 
 j 
 
 t 
 
 Via Balt, anc 
 
 1 0. R. R. 
 
 ! Via Chesap. 
 and 0. Canal- 
 
 Via Penn. 
 Cen. and P. 
 and R. R. R. 
 
 shipped East 
 via Penn. C. 
 P. & Erie RR 
 
 Total Tons. 
 
 1842 
 
 
 i 1,708 
 
 
 
 
 1,708, 
 
 1843 
 
 
 10,082 
 
 
 
 
 10,082 
 
 1844 
 
 
 ' 14,890 
 
 
 
 
 14'89o! 
 
 1845 
 
 
 24,653 
 
 
 
 
 24, 653 
 
 1846 
 
 
 29,795 
 
 
 
 
 29,795 
 
 1847 
 
 
 52,940 
 
 
 
 
 52,940 
 
 1848 
 
 
 79,571 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 79,571 
 
 1849 
 
 
 142,449 
 
 
 
 
 142,449 
 
 1850 
 
 
 192,806 
 
 4 042 
 
 
 
 196,848 
 
 1851 
 
 
 174,701 
 
 82,978 
 
 
 
 257,679 
 
 1852 
 
 
 268,459 
 
 65,719 
 
 
 
 334,178 
 
 1853 
 
 
 376,219 
 
 157,760 
 
 
 
 53.3,979 
 
 1854 
 
 
 503,836 
 
 155,845 
 
 
 
 659,681 
 
 1855 
 
 
 478,486 ■ 
 
 183 786 
 
 
 
 662,262 
 
 1856 
 
 
 502,330 
 
 204,120 
 
 42,000 
 
 
 748,4.50 
 
 1857 
 
 
 465,912 
 
 116,574 
 
 78,813 
 
 247,491 
 
 908,790 
 
 1858 
 
 
 395,405 
 
 254,251 
 
 105,478 
 
 201,795 
 
 956,929 
 
 1859 
 
 
 426,512 
 
 297,842 
 
 1.30,595 
 
 209,007 
 
 1,063.956 
 
 1860 
 
 
 493,031 
 
 295,878 
 
 186,903 
 
 1 497,549 
 
 1,473,316 
 
 1861* 
 
 
 172,075 
 
 97,599 
 
 i 272,625 
 
 346,289 
 
 890,588 
 
 1862* 
 
 
 218,950 
 
 98,684 
 
 : 333,606 
 
 640,684 
 
 1,291,924 
 
 1863 
 
 
 531,553 
 
 216,792 
 
 30.5,678 
 
 602,829 
 
 1,656,852 
 
 1864 
 
 
 399,354 
 
 258,642 
 
 1 .386,645 
 
 667,157 
 
 1,711,798 
 
 1865 
 
 
 560,203 
 
 343,202 
 
 315,996 
 
 769,75 i 
 
 1,989,247 
 
 1866 
 
 
 736,153 
 
 343,178 
 
 ' 265,720 
 
 1,137,881 
 
 2,482,932 
 
 1867 
 
 
 735,669 
 
 458,1.53 
 
 i 244,412 
 
 1,349.869 
 
 2,788,103 
 
 1868 
 
 J 65, 972 
 
 848,118 
 
 482,325 
 
 I 280,936 
 
 1,531,304 
 
 3,308,655 
 
 1869 
 
 269,158 
 
 1,230,518 
 
 652,151 
 
 .360,778 
 
 1,721,375 
 
 4,23.3.980 
 
 1870 
 
 248,879 
 
 1,112,938 
 
 604,137 
 
 313,425 , 
 
 1,889,097 
 
 4,168,476 
 
 1871 
 
 
 1,494,814 
 
 850,339 
 
 
 
 
 1872 
 
 
 1,517,747 
 
 816.103 
 
 j 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
50 
 
 siilplinto of oonimon to niu(‘h of tlio salt sold in oiir 
 mark(ds. Its taste is })iir(', ])leasant and y)nngent. 
 
 The brine of tlu' Kanawha, saliiK^s contains a bushel of 
 salt to 45 g-allonsof bi*ine, nearly double the strength of the 
 Onondaga salt springs, from winch a large part of tlie do- 
 mestic salt is manufactured, the coal for fuel being drawn 
 from Pennsyl va nia. 
 
 The evaporating pans in the Kanawha salt works are 
 heated by coal dug from the hills on the same estate, 
 and the salt is produced at a cost which leaves a 
 good profit to the manufacturer. The cheapest and best 
 packages for salt are barrels, whether for handling or for 
 shelter, the wood for which may also be found on the same 
 lands with the salt and coal. Transportation to either 
 eastern or western markets is now regular and cheap, and 
 the demand for Kanawha salt must increase largely. 
 
 The opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Kailroad, brings 
 this salt within reach of the eastern markets, where it has 
 been but little known, heretofore, owing to the absence of 
 available means of transportation, and it is now being 
 shipped to Richmond for distribution to South Atlantic 
 and Eastern points, where it must supercede, to a large 
 extent, the imported article. 
 
 Bromine, which is largely in use in the arts, for bleach- 
 ing, is made from tlie waste of the salt manufacture. This, 
 as well as soda-ash, and other chemicals of which salt 
 is the base,"' uoav imported, can be produced in immense 
 quantities in the valley. 
 
 The present product of the Kanawha salt wells is in the 
 vicinity of 2,000,000 bushels j)eY annum, of which the 
 ‘‘Snow Hill Salt Eurnace Co.,” produce upward of 500,000 
 bushels. 
 
 Further up the Kew River, and not far from its conflu- 
 ence with the Greenbrier, are saltworks which were kept in 
 o])eration some years ago, notwithstanclirig the cost and dif- 
 ficulty of getting the salt to market. The advent of the 
 
 =*= The importations of soda-ash and kindred salts of soda, exceed 200,000,000 pounds annually. 
 
6C 
 
 railroad should bring these Salines within the limits of pro- 
 fitable working and good markets. On tlie banks of the 
 New River above the Greenbrier, are also Salt Springs from 
 whicli a limited quantity is sent to market, whose product 
 can now be largely increased. 
 
 Roofing -slates . — Near Keswick Station is a slate quarry, 
 from which large quantities have been taken for roofing 
 purposes. It is of a soft nature, and some bands of it 
 would be well adapted to working up into ornamental 
 works of art. The consumption of roofing slate at the 
 West is increasing, and most of it is hauled from the East- 
 ern States. 
 
 Kaolin . — In Augusta County, on the waters of South 
 River, about seven miles from Staunton, is a large bed of 
 Kaolin, which was formerly manufactured into earthen- 
 ware. 
 
 llydranlic Cement . — Not far from Swoop’s Station is a 
 band of hydraulic cement limestone, of good quality, as 
 demonstrated by actual test. It is already shipped and 
 used for cementing purposes. 
 
 Again, on Dunlop’s Creek, west of Covington, bands of 
 the encrinal limestone are prepared and sent to market in 
 large quantities. It is an excellent cement. Immense 
 quantities of this material are now used in internal im- 
 provements. 
 
 R ire- day . — Along with coal seams in the NeAv River 
 Valleys, are found valuable beds of Fire Clay, and Pipe Clay. 
 Bricks made from the clay of the coal region, in combina- 
 tion with sand, prove to be a better fire-brick than those 
 made from Kaolin. The introduction of new iron fur- 
 naces will call for a largely increased supply of fire bricks, 
 the manufacture of which affords a profitable and reliable 
 business. 
 
 
01 
 
 (5.) AVa'pku Powers, Industrial Sites, P/r(L 
 
 A liiu' like tluit of th(' (Jliesa])eake and Ohio, asciaidiiif^ 
 2,OOD feet ill the iii‘st20() miles of its course, and descending 
 nearly 1,000 feid iii the next 150 miles, crossing and border- 
 ing on numerous streams by tlie way, must, of course, 
 abound in advantageous sites for tlie use of water as a 
 motive power. 
 
 At Kicliniond there is abundance of water-power for three 
 or four times the present manufactures ; in fact the avail- 
 able water power of Richmond is said to exceed the entire 
 mill privileges of Lowell and Lawrence combined. 
 
 The hour ground at the Richmond Flouring Mills, 
 owing to the inhuence of climate, is greatly preferred over 
 other brands for export to South America and other warm lat- 
 itudes, and commands a correspondingly high price. The 
 capacity of the 68 “run” of stones of three mills is 4,080 
 barrels per day, sufficient to freight a large ship ; or 1,224,000 
 barrels per annum, requiring over 6,000,000 bushels of 
 wheat. The hour business of Richmond may be largely and 
 advantageously increased, now that the railroad makes 
 western wheat available in that market at a low cost for 
 transportation. 
 
 At the head- waters of the James River, also, nearly every 
 mountain stream can be turned to account for milling or 
 machinery purposes. The timber from the woods can be 
 hoated to tlie mill by water, and by water-power sawed into 
 merchantable lumber. 
 
 Along the New River, are numerous and ehective water- 
 powers, and advantageous mill sites, many of which can be 
 had with the adjacent land at the bare value of the land. So 
 of its tributaries and affluents, the CTauley, Elk, Coal and 
 Pocatalico rivers. 
 
 No part of the country, probably, affords so hue a held 
 for the mechanical industries in which iron, wood, coal, 
 bleaching materials, hides, wool, or cotton are employed, 
 as may be found along the line of the Chesapeake and Ohio 
 railroad. The materials, the jiower and the markets are all 
 accessible under very favorable conditions. 
 
62 
 
 Mr. Howell Fisher, in speaking of the water-powers, 
 says : 
 
 “Allusion should also be made to one peculiar facility incident to this river, re- 
 sulting from the deep chasm cut by the waters, and which certaii /y can be found 
 at but few other points. It is the use that can be so easily uacle of hydraulic 
 means for the lifting and handling of heavy weights. 
 
 “To illustrate: At almost any point along the river the mountain streams can be 
 turned into pipes with heads of (say) 300 feet, giving a pressure at the railroad 
 level of (say) 125 pounds to the square inch. If you wish at any point to lift and 
 handle weights of ten tons, you simply turn this water into a cylinder with a piston 
 of eighteen inches, which will allow over thirty per cent, for friction, and it will 
 lift the ten tons, and can be operated by any one who can turn a hydrant cock. 
 
 “At several points on New River there are natural falls, where water-power to 
 the extent of from 5,000 to 10,000 horse-power can be had, and this power can be 
 secured by artificial dams at almost any desired point. 
 
 “The great value of these powers can only be fairly understood when the fact is 
 known that water-power is rated and paid for in the Middle and Eastern States at 
 a rent of from twenty to fifty dollars per horse-power per annum, according to 
 location. 
 
 “Even in works where not ordinarily considered desirable, water-power has 
 been found profitable. In the manufacture of pig-iron the waste gasses have 
 been thought to be all that could be wished as a means of power ; button the 
 Lehigh, above Easton, there are five furnaces, standing almost side by side, 
 working precisely the same kind of stock ; four worked by steam, raised by the 
 waste gasses, and one worked by water taken from the Lehigh canal, for which 
 the owners pay a water-rent to the Canal Company, for the mere use of Ihe water 
 as a power, of $3,000 per annum, rather than use the waste gasses for the pur- 
 pose, nad an experience of many years has shown that it is more profitable so 
 to do. 
 
 “With this fine water power, with the great breadth of excellent wool-growing 
 country all along it, and with a short outlet East and West, so soon as population 
 grows to give the necessary hands, the woolen industly will spring up and thrive; 
 and while this location is some hunpreds of miles nearer to the cotton-fields 
 of Gleorgia and Alabama than the seat of many present manufactories of this 
 article, it is to be expected that in couose of time a fair proportion of this indus- 
 try will also be established; and it will not be many years before trains will be 
 seen on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad wending their ways to the East and 
 West, all of which— the loromotive, the cars, the freight, and the rails on which 
 they run — have been constructed, manufactured and made on the line of road. ” 
 
03 
 
 TiIK OllKSAPEAKE AND OhIO RaIIJIOAD AS A RoUTE FOE 
 
 Pleasure Pravel: Its oiueuts of PIistoric Inter- 
 est AND Curiosity, M aonificent Scenery, Mineral 
 Springs and places of Summer Resort. 
 
 The coiupletion of tlu‘ Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad 
 from Riclimoiid to tlie Oldo River ojieiis to tourists, in- 
 valids and persons seeking rest, change and enjoyment, one 
 of the most charming and attractive Pontes for pleasure 
 travel in the Pnited States, and affords to business men and 
 others, having occasion to travel between the East and the 
 West, a new and delightful route, opening to them, while 
 pursuing their journey with speed and comfort, scenes and 
 objects of interest not hitherto accessible, except at consid- 
 erable expense of time and money devoted expressly to the 
 purpose of visiting them. 
 
 The eastern portion of the route is thronged with historic 
 associations and objects of national interest, and takes the 
 traveler throngh and in sight of localities which have had a 
 conspicuous place in our National History from the settle- 
 ment of Jamestown and the days of Pocahontas, through 
 the Revolutionary period, and the historic events of more 
 recent years. 
 
 The scenery of the Blue Ridge, of the Valley of Vir- 
 ginia, and of the Alleghenies, is unsurpassed for beauty, 
 grandeur and extent by anything which greets the traveler 
 anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains. In approaching 
 the summit of the Blue Ridge from the East in a clear day, 
 there is afforded an unbroken view of hill, valley, table- 
 land and cultivated fields, extending as far as the eye can 
 reach, and of rare beauty. Tlie passage through the great 
 valley and the ascent of the Alleghenies afford a constant 
 succession of objects of interest and attraction. 
 
 From Staunton to the celebrated White Sulphur Springs, 
 the road winds among a remarkable succession of hills and 
 valleys, the interest of which, in addition to their scenic 
 effects, is heightened by the immense wealth of iron ores 
 with which they are known to be filled. 
 
64 
 
 West of tile Wliite Siilpliiir Springs tlie route enters a 
 region of wonder and beauty, rendered accessible to tlie 
 ordinary traveler for tlie first time, by tlie recent o})ening 
 of tills portion of tlie road; and liitlierto unknown to tour- • 
 ists, except to a few venturesome enougli to shoot the 
 rapids of the rivers in batteaux, or ride their narrow banks 
 on mules. 
 
 For nearly forty miles the road follows the Greenbrier 
 River, here shut in by mountains and cliffs, and there com- 
 ing suddenly upon beautiful openings and fertile bottoms, 
 to its junction, with the more turbulent and wild New 
 River, whose banks it then follows closely for 60 miles, to 
 where, in its junction with the Gauley, near Hawks Nest, 
 it becomes the Great Kanawha. 
 
 The gorge or canon of the New River affords one of the 
 most remarkable and fascinating experiences in railroad 
 travel, which can be found on the continent, and one which 
 no traveler, having once enjoyed, would feel that he could 
 afford to have missed. 
 
 It is no ordinary valley, but a literal cut, down into the 
 bowels of the earth, whose natural surface of table land and 
 rolling country is far above the river and tlie railroad from 
 500 to 1,000 feet ; and whose geological strata of Coal, 
 Iron and Limestone crop out on the sloping or perpendi- 
 cular sides of the cut from 100 to 300 feet above the level 
 of the track. 
 
 The road follows the natural curves of the river, which 
 are broad, graceful and easy, down upon its banks, never 
 losing sight of it, except when dashing for a moment 
 through a tunnel or cut where some projecting spur of the 
 enclosing mountains has left no bank for the road bed, or 
 rendered tin? curve too sharp. 
 
 The mountains rise on either side in steep slopes or per- 
 })endicular bluffs, divided by frequent valleys and ravines 
 coming down to the rivei* level, and sparkling with moun- 
 tain streams and waterfalls. The windings of the road, 
 through this wonderf ul gorge, with the flashing river always 
 b(‘fore, behind and beside you, and the forms of the enclos- 
 
iiig* hills mid dilTs cliaiigiiig with eax^h new curves and 
 altered point oi‘ observation, ])resents a panorama which is 
 very wonderful and thrilling — a sort of giant kaleidoscope 
 in Avliich vast objects are whirled about and combined in 
 gorgeous transformations like tlie bits of colored glass in 
 the child’s toy. 
 
 Just below Miller’s Ferry the road crosses the New 
 River — whose right bank it has hitherto followed — in sight 
 of the famous Hawk’s Nest.” A little further down the 
 New River and the Gauley join their waters and become the 
 Great Kanawha, whose left bank the road now follows for 
 42 miles further, through the great Kanawha coal fields, 
 past Kanawha Falls to Charleston, the capital of West 
 Virginia, a thriving and growing city of about 6,000 in- 
 habitants. Sixteen miles below Charleston the road leaves 
 the river, and strikes across a rolling country to Hunting- 
 ton, its terminus on the Ohio. 
 
 Here, where three years' ago there were only a few 
 scattered farm-houses, is now a busy and growing city of 
 3,000 inhabitants, which from its favorable location on the 
 river, its healthfulness and its unsurpassed facilities for the 
 various industries requiring cheap iron, fuel, lumber and 
 transportation to market, is destined to become one of the 
 most important centers of manufacture and trade in the 
 Ohio Valley. 
 
 Minekal Springs. 
 
 Between Staunton, in the Valley of Virginia, and the 
 junction of the Greenbrier and New Rivers, in West 
 Virginia, on the line of the road, and at a distance from it 
 varying from 2 to 37 miles, is probably the most remark- 
 able collection of Mineral and Medicinal Springs in the 
 world. Many of them have been long known and frequented 
 by invalids and seekers after health and pleasure, and are 
 celebrated for their medicinal properties, and their wonder- 
 ful curative effects. 
 
 The summer climate of this region of the Springs is 
 delightful, being cool, dry and invigorating, and remark- 
 
66 
 
 ably healthy. Its elevation, of about 2,000 feet above the 
 level of the sea, exempts it from the extreme heat of 
 Summer, and gives a purity and bracing character to the 
 atmosphere, which is felt at once, and long remembered 
 afterwards by those who visit it in Summer. 
 
 The most important and most widely known as a Summer 
 resort is the celebrated Greenbrier White Sulphur, situated 
 directly on the line of the road, six miles West of where it 
 crosses the summit of the Alleghenies, 227 miles west from, 
 K-ichmond, and 193 miles east from, Huntington. The 
 hotel and cottages connected therewith have accommoda- 
 tions for about 2,000 guests, to which large additions will 
 doubtless be made to accommodate the increased number 
 of visitors which the opening of the road through to the 
 west will bring to it. 
 
 There are numerous other resorts of established reputa- 
 tion for the medicinal properties of their waters, and for 
 good accommodations, pleasant surroundings, and agree- 
 able society. 
 
 Below will be found a list of the various Springs and 
 points of interest, stage connections, distances from the rail- 
 road accommodations for guests, and names of hotel pro- 
 prietors, which may be of assistance to persons proposing 
 to visit them during the coming season. 
 
 The Mineral Springs of Virginia, though chiefly known 
 in years past as the favorite watering place of the people of 
 the South, have within a few years been growing in popu- 
 larity with those of the North and East, especially since 
 the opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Bailroad, from 
 Richmond to White Sulphur, in 1869. 
 
 Until this season these Springs and places of resort, so 
 peculiary adapted to the wants and tastes of the people 
 of the west and south-west, have been accessible from 
 that direction only by long stage coach journeys. The 
 opening of the road through to the Ohio River brings them 
 within less than 24 hours from Cincinnati, and will make 
 them the great watering places of the west. 
 
67 
 
 Now, that tlu'y lie midway upon a through routes 
 
 ot* travel, between th(‘ East and W(‘st, and ca-ii l)(‘ visibui for 
 a day or two at a time by thousands of* ])eople passing to 
 and fro, and taken en route between the great c(3nters of 
 business and ]) 0 ])nlation on tlie Atlantic Coast and in the 
 Mississippi Yalh\y, their c(debrity will be widely extended, 
 and they will form a meeting point and social centre for 
 people from all sections of the country, unequalled, in their 
 natural attractions, their facilities for health, rest and plea- 
 sure, and the society winch they will bring together, by 
 any of the famous watering places of America. 
 
 Distance Table to the Various Springs and Points of Interest. 
 
 Name of Springs, <5cc. 
 
 County 
 
 Distance 
 from R.R. 
 Station. 
 
 Nearest 
 
 1 Railroad Station. 
 
 Capacity i 
 
 of 
 
 Accom- 
 
 modatioh. 
 
 Convey- 
 ance from 
 Station. 
 
 Hotel Proprietors. 
 
 Augusta or Stribling Sp. 
 
 Augusta . . . 
 
 1 
 
 12 j 
 
 Staunton 
 
 500 
 
 Stage. 
 
 Chesley Kinney. 
 
 Bath Alum Springs 
 
 Bath 
 
 10 ’ 
 
 Millboro 
 
 200 
 
 Joseph Baxter. 
 
 Cold Sulphur Springs . . . 
 
 Rockbridge 
 
 
 Goshen 
 
 125 
 
 “ 
 
 J. B. Goodloe. 
 
 Hot Springs 
 
 Bath 
 
 18 ! 
 
 Covington 
 
 400 
 
 “ 
 
 J. A. August. 
 
 Healing Springs 
 
 
 
 15 1 
 
 300 
 
 “ 
 
 B. M. Quarles. 
 
 Jordan’s Alum Springs. . 
 
 Rockbridge 
 
 8 
 
 Goshen 
 
 400 
 
 “ 
 
 C. B. Luck. 
 
 Natural Bridge 
 
 35 
 
 “ . 
 
 
 U 
 
 J. W. Bruce. 
 
 Rockbridge Alum Spr’gs 
 
 “ 
 
 8 
 
 “ 
 
 800 
 
 
 J. A. Frazier. 
 
 Rockbridge Baths 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 200 
 
 u 
 
 P. F. Brown. 
 
 Red Sulpher Springs 
 
 Monroe 
 
 14 
 
 Talcott 
 
 150 
 
 u 
 
 C. S. Peyton & Co. 
 
 Rawley Springs 
 
 Rockingha’ 
 
 37 
 
 Staunton.. 
 Alleghany Stat’n 
 
 400 
 
 t 4 
 
 Jos. N. Woodward. 
 
 Sweet Chalybeate Spr’gs 
 
 Alleghany.. 
 
 9 1 
 
 400 
 
 
 G. 1.. Peyton & Co. 
 
 Sweet Springs 
 
 Monroe. . . 
 
 10 
 
 800 
 
 
 0. Beirne. 
 
 Salt Sulphur Springs 
 
 
 14 
 
 Fort Spring 
 
 200 
 
 
 C. S. Peyton & Co. 
 
 White Sulphur Springs. . 
 
 Greenbrier. 
 
 0 
 
 Wh. Sul. Spr. Sta 
 
 2,000 
 
 
 G. L. Peyton & Co. 
 
 Warm Springs 
 
 Bath 
 
 15 
 
 Millboro 
 
 300 
 
 Stage. 
 
 J. L. Eubank. 
 
 Weyer’s Cave 
 
 Augusta . . . 
 
 17 
 
 Staunton 
 
 
 ST^G-E OOItTIsrEOTZOlSrS 
 
 At Staunton, foe Weyee’s Cave, Augusta oe Steibling Speings, and 
 Rawley Speings. 
 
 At Goshen foe Lexington, Rockbeidge Baths, Natueal Bridge, Cold 
 Sulphur Springs, Rockbridge Alum Springs, and Jordan's Alum 
 Springs. 
 
 At Milboeo’ foe Bath Alum Springs and Warm Springs. 
 
 At Milboeo or Covington for Healing Springs and Hot Springs. 
 
 At Alleghany for Sweet Springs and Sweet Chalybeate Springs, 
 
 At Fort Spring for Salt Sulphur Springs. 
 
 At Talcott foe Red Sulphur Springs. 
 
68 
 
 The foregoing statements are designed more especially to 
 point ont to parties seeking such information, the advanta- 
 ges of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad for the regular I 
 
 and economical transportation of through freights ; the | 
 
 / 
 
 varied and wonderful resources with which its route is / 
 enriched, and its unequalled attractions for travel, settle- 
 ment, business enterprise and the investment of capital, and 
 to direct them to reliable sources of more particular and 
 detailed information. 
 
 They exhibit also the great value and importance of the 
 railroad itself, and present the most satisfactory evidence j 
 as to the very large and profitable traffic which it must 1 
 command, the ample security of its Mortgage Bonds, and j 
 the prospective value of its Capital Stock. * 
 
 We take great pleasure in repeating to those who as 
 holders of its securities are interested in its financial success 
 and prosperity, the expression of our continued belief, 
 strengthened and confirmed by the more recent develop- 
 ments, that the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company, 
 with its completed Railroad of 420 miles — unsurpassed in j 
 thoroughness of construction by any line of railroad 
 in the United States, linking the waters of the Chesapeake 
 Bay to the Rivers and Railroads of the Grreat West and run- j 
 ning through one of the richest mineral regions in the world ; ! 
 with its valuable franchises for extension and branches, and | 
 for bridging the Ohio River ; with its abundant resources j 
 for remunerative traffic ; with its capable and honorable 
 management, and unexceptionable standing and credit, is 
 entering upon a career of usefulness to the commerce and 
 industry of the country, and of legitimate enrichment to 
 itself, which will give it a leading rank among the great and 
 successful enterprises of our times. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 FISK & HATCH. 
 
Persons desiring to reach the Chesapeake and Ohio 
 Railroad, from New York, can take the steamers of the Old 
 Dominion Line, from pier 37, North River, at 4 P. M., and 
 connect with cars at Norfolk the following afternoon, or at 
 Richmond on the second morning ; or, they can leave New 
 York by the Pennsylvania Railroad from the Cortlandt st. or 
 Desbrosses Street Ferries for Washington, D. C., and thence 
 ma the Fredricksbnrg Railroad to Richmond, or ma the 
 Orange and Alexandria Railroad, to Gordonsville, thence 
 via the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad to Richmond, or 
 the West, as may be desired. 
 
 Passenger trains leave Richmond for the West : Mail 
 train at 8.30, A. M., arriving at White Sulphur Springs at 
 8.05, P. M., Express train, at 10.00 P. M., arriving at White 
 Sulphur Springs at 8.03, A. M 
 
 Passengers leave Cincinnati by steamers Fleetwood and 
 Bostoiia^ at 3 P. M., arriving at Huntington at 9 A. M. 
 Trains leave Huntington for the East : Express train at 10 
 A. M., Accommodation, at 3.20 P. M. 
 
List of Stations and Table of Distances on the 
 Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. 
 
 From RICHMOND To 
 
 Miles. 
 
 James River, wharves 
 
 Richmond 
 
 Atlee’s 9 
 
 From RICHMOND To 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Craigsville 
 
 Bells Valley 
 
 Goshen [Stages to Springs] 
 
 1591^ 
 
 1681^ 
 
 Ashcake 
 Peake’s. . 
 Hanover. 
 
 121^ 
 
 14K 
 
 Mill boro’. 
 Griffiths. . 
 Longdale 
 
 1751^ 
 
 186 
 
 1881^ 
 
 Wickham’s 
 
 South Anna 
 
 Junction [Fredericksburg R. R.]. 
 
 21 
 
 22K 
 
 271^ 
 
 Clifton Forge . . . 
 Jackson’s River 
 Covington 
 
 191^ 
 
 195 
 
 20534 
 
 Anderson’s. 
 
 Noel’s 
 
 Hewlett’s . . 
 
 30^ 
 
 35K 
 
 Callaghan’s 
 
 Alleghany 
 
 White Sulphur 
 
 211 
 
 221K 
 
 227M 
 
 Beaver Dam. 
 Green Bay . 
 Bumpass . . . 
 
 40 
 
 43 
 
 45 
 
 Ronceverte . 
 Fort Spring 
 Alderson . . . 
 
 238 
 
 2441^ 
 
 251K 
 
 Buckner’s 
 
 Frederick’s Hall 
 Tolersville 
 
 47 
 
 5034 
 
 561^ 
 
 Talcott 
 
 Hinton 
 
 Meadow Creek 
 
 2621^ 
 
 27234 
 
 285 
 
 Louisa . . . . 
 Trevillian’s. 
 Melton 
 
 62 
 
 66K 
 
 72>^ 
 
 McKendree 
 Dimmock . 
 Sewell .... 
 
 29534 
 
 307 
 
 314 
 
 Gordonsville [Orange & Alex. R.] 
 
 Lindsay 
 
 Cobham 
 
 76 
 
 80M 
 
 83 
 
 Hawk’s Nest, . . 
 
 Laurel 
 
 Kanawha Falls 
 
 325)^ 
 
 327)^ 
 
 334>^ 
 
 Keswick 
 
 Shadwell 
 
 Charlottsville, [Lynchburg] 
 
 89X 
 
 93 
 
 97 
 
 Lou]) Creek. 
 Cannelton . . 
 Paint Creek 
 
 338)^ 
 
 344 
 
 349)^ 
 
 Ivy 
 
 Mechum’s River 
 Greenwood .... 
 
 104K 
 
 107K 
 
 115 
 
 Brownstown 
 Alden 
 
 354 
 
 361^ 
 
 365 
 
 Afton 
 
 Waynesboro’ 
 Fisherville . . , 
 
 119^ 
 
 124 
 
 129 
 
 Charleston 
 Spring Hill 
 St. Albans 
 
 370;^ 
 
 376 
 
 382)4 
 
 Staunton [Valley R. R.]. 
 
 Swoopes 
 
 Siberton 
 
 13634 
 
 144>4 
 
 147M 
 
 Scary 
 
 Scott 
 
 Hurricane 
 
 386 
 
 390 
 
 396 
 
 North Mountain 
 
 Variety 
 
 Elizabeth 
 
 Pond Gap 
 
 149)4 
 
 152 
 
 153)4 
 
 155 
 
 Milton 
 
 Barboursville 
 Guyandotte . . 
 Huntington . 
 
 402)4 
 
 411)4 
 
 418 
 
 422)4 
 
ClIESArUAKE AND OlIlO RaILROAD Co 
 
 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS. 
 
 PRESIDENT, 
 
 C. P. HUNTINGTON, 
 
 New York. 
 
 VICE-PRESIDENT, 
 
 WILLIAMS C. WICKHAM, 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 SECRETARY AND TREASURER. 
 JAMES J. TRACY, 
 
 New York. 
 
 JAMES H. 
 
 COUNSELORS, 
 
 STORKS, JOHN B. 
 
 New York. 
 
 BALDWIN, 
 
 Virgin-ia. 
 
 CHIEF ENGINEER, 
 H. D. WHITCOMB. 
 
 DIRECTORS. 
 
 C. P. HUNTINGTON, 
 
 New York, 
 
 WM. H. ASPINWALL, 
 
 New York. 
 
 DAVID STEWART, 
 
 New York. 
 
 WM. B. HATCH, 
 
 New York 
 
 JOHN ECHOLS, 
 
 A. A. LOW, 
 
 New York. 
 
 WM. WHITE WRIGHT, 
 
 New York. 
 
 JONAS G. CLARK, 
 
 New York. 
 
 PLINY FISK, 
 
 Trenton, N. J. 
 
 WMS. C. WICKHAM, 
 
 Staunton, Va. 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 H. CHESTER PARSONS, 
 
 Huntington, W. Va. 
 
 Jr., 
 
Banking House of FISKl & HATCH, 
 
 No. S NASSAU STREET, 
 
 New York, May 1, 1873. 
 
 We recommend as safe and desirable Securities for the exchange of Gov- 
 ernment Bonds, or for new investments, 
 
 The Chesapeake & Ohio Seven Per Cent. Bonds, interest payable Janu- 
 ary 1 and July 1. Principal and interest payable in gold in New York 
 City. Bonds of $1,000 each, either coupon or registered ; secured by a 
 First Mortgage upon the eastern extension of the road from the present depot 
 at Richmond, through Church Hill Tunnel, to the docks on the James River, 
 and down the Peninsula to the proposed point of terminus at deep-water 
 on the Chesapeake Bay, together with the Docks, Warehouses, and all other 
 property connected with this portion of the Road; upon the ]jroposed Kanawha 
 River Branch; and upon the great bridge to be built across the Ohio River at 
 Huntington, to connect the present Western terminus of the Road, with pro- 
 jected lines in Ohio to Cincinnati, Portsmouth, Dayton, Chicago, Saint Louis, 
 and the Northwest; and, in addition, by a second mortgage upon the main line 
 of the road between Richmond and the Ohio River, and all the present and 
 future equipment required for its extensive business. 
 
 This mortgage thus commands the two ends of this great East and West 
 Trunk Line of road, and its outlets to deep water on the East, and across the 
 Ohio River on the West, (which must ultimately be among the most valuable 
 and important portions of the Company’s property) besides being a lieu upon 
 the entire road and equipment. 
 
 Tlie Chesapeake <fe Ohio Six Per Cent. Bonds, interest payable May l, 
 and November 1. Principal and interest paj^able in gold in New York City. 
 Issued in denominations of $100, $500, and $1,000; either coupon or registered. 
 
 The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad is completed and in operation from 
 Richmond to Pluntington on the Ohio River, a distance of 420 miles, and has 
 entered upon a large and rapidly increasing business. This portion of the Road 
 and the present equipment, to which large additions are being constantly made, 
 is worth not less than 35 to 40 millions, and at a moderate estimate of its pros- 
 pective traffic in the transportation of products and merchandise between the 
 East and West, and in bringing to market the immense resources in Iron, Coal, 
 Salt, Timber, etc., which line its route will, it is believed, within a few years, 
 earn interest on at least 50 millions. 
 
 The eastern extension, by means of which the cars loaded with Western 
 products and the mineral wealth of the vast Iron and Coal fields of Virginia 
 and West Virginia, can be laid directly alongside the largest ships in the 
 world at the best and most accessible harbor on the entire Atlantic Coast line 
 of the United States, and receive in return their cargoes of manufactured and 
 imported goods for the West, is now in progress, and when completed will add 
 immensely to the value of the entire Road, and to its facilities for a large and 
 profitable business. 
 
 We continue to deal in Government Bonds, receive deposits on which we 
 allow interest, make collections, execute orders at the Stock Exchange for 
 cash, and do a general Banking business. 
 
 FISK Sl hatch.