Note 22—page 268.

Summary Statements of the Public Works in the United States.

The six tables which follow present a recapitulation of the statements given in Letter XXI., with the cost per league in francs. [Many of the statements in the Letter are slightly varied from the original, in conformity with official reports, and the cost and distances have there been reduced to English measures and Federal money. In these tables the author's statements are given without change because sufficient materials for a total recasting of them are not accessible to the translator. In reducing federal money to francs, M. Chevalier assumes the dollar to be equal to 5.33 francs; the league is of 4,000 metres, and consequently equivalent to two and a half English statute miles.—Transl.]

I. Lines between the East and West.

Names.		Canals.	Railroads.	Canals.	Railroads.	Cost per League.
		Length. Leagues.		Total Cost. Francs.
1st Line, Erie Canal,		146½		65,000,000		262,600
	Branches,	101		65,000,000		262,600
Lateral Railroads,
	Albany and Schenectady,		6½		4,000,000	615,400
	Schenectady and Utica,		31½		8,000,000	254,000
	Rochester and Buffalo,		29		3,000,000	103,000
2d Line, Pennsylvania Canal,		111		95,000,000		392,300
	Branches,	131¼		95,000,000		392,300
	Columbia Railroad,		33		19,200,000	581,800
	Portage "		14¼		8,550,000	600,000
Bald Eagle Canal,		10		1,000,000		100,000
Union "		33		13,870,000		420,300
3d Line Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,			34		16,000,000	470,600
4th Line, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal,		74¾		33,000,000		442,800
	Georgetown and Alexandria Canal,	3		2,600,000		866,700
5th Line, Virginia Canal,		100		25,000,000		250,000
	Railroad section,		60		15,000,000	250,000
Old James River Canal,		12		5,300,000		441,600
6th Line, Richelieu Canal,		4¾		1,870,000		393,700
Laprairie Railroad.			6½		800,000	123,100
Totals		727¼	214¾	242,640,000	74,550,000

II. Lines connecting the Valleys of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence.

Names.	Canals.	Railroads.	Canals.	Railroads.	Cost per League.
	Length. Leagues.		Total Cost. Francs.
Ohio Canal,	122		22,720,000		186,200
Miami (1st section,)	26½		5,227,000		197,200
(2d section,)	50¼		11,000,000		219,000
Wabash and Erie Canal,	84		16,800,000		200,000
Michigan "	37½		37,500,000		1,000,000
Pittsburg and Erie "	41½		5,000,000		120,500
Beaver and Sandy "	36¼		7,250,000		200,000
Mahoning "	36		7,200,000		200,000
Mad River Railroad,		61½		10,500,000	170,700
Welland Canal.	11¼		11,040,000		982,300
Canals on the St. Lawrence,	13		20,000,000		1,538,000
Louisville and Portland Canal,	¾		4,053,000		5,400,000
Totals	459	61½	147,790,000	10,500,000

III. Lines along the Atlantic.

Names.		Canals.	Railroads.	Canals.	Railroads.	Cost per League.
		Length. Leagues.		Total Cost. Francs.
	Raritan and Delaware Canal,	17		12,000,000		705,900
	Delaware and Chesapeake Canal,	5½		14,000,000		2,545,500
	Dismal Swamp Canal,	9		3,733,000		324,600
	Branch,	2½		3,733,000		324,600
2d Line, By the Cities.
	Boston and Providence Railroad,		17		8,000,000	470,600
	Providence and Stonington Railroad,		21		8,000,000	381,000
	Amboy and Camden Railroad,		24¼		12,250,000	505,200
	Newcastle and Frenchtown Railroad,		6½		2,130,000	327,700
	Baltimore and Washington Railroad,		12		8,000,000	750,000
	Winchester Railroad,		13		2,600,000	200,000
	Fredericksburg and Richmond Railroad,		23¾		3,900,000	164,200
	Petersburg and Roanoke Railroad,		24		3,470,000	144,600
	Belfield Branch Railroad,		6		840,000	140,000
	Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad,		31		4,000,000	129,000
	Charleston and Hamburg Railroad,		54¾		6,400,000	116,900
	Georgia Railroad,		46		8,250,000	179,300
Totals		34	279¼	29,733,000	67,840,000

IV. Lines radiating from the Large Towns.

Names.	Canals.	Railroads.	Canals.	Railroads.	Cost per League.
	Length. Leagues.		Total Cost. Francs.
Boston and Lowell Railroad,		10¼		8,000,000	780,000
Boston and Worcester Railroad,		17¾		6,670,000	375,800
Middlesex Canal	12		2,800,000		233,000
New York and Paterson Railroad,		6¼		1,100,000	176,000
Harlæm Railroad,		2		2,000,000	1,000,000
Jersey City and New Brunswick Railroad,		11¼		1,800,000	160,000
Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad,		5		1,600,000	320,000
Philadelphia and Norristown Railroad,		6¼		2,500,000	400,000
Westchester Railroad,		3½		540,000	154,300
Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad,		10½		2,133,000	203,100
Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad,		24		7,100,000	295,800
Santee Canal,	9		3,470,000		385,600
New Orleans Canals,	4		12,000,000		3,000,000
New Orleans and Carrolton Railroad,		3½		2,000,000	571,400
New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain Railroad,		2		2,300,000	1,150,000
Schenectady and Saratoga Railroad,		8½		1,600,000	188,200
Troy and Saratoga Railroad,		9¾		1,800,000	184,600
Totals	25	120½	18,270,000	41,143,000

V. Lines connected with the Coal Mines.

Names.	Canals.	Railroads.	Canals.	Railroads.	Cost per League.
	Length. Leagues.		Total Cost. Francs.
Chesterfield Railroad,		5¼		1,050,000	200,000
Schuylkill Canal,	43		16,000,000		372,100
Lehigh "	17½		8,300,000		474,300
Delaware " (see Letters)
Morris "	48½		11,000,000		226,800
Carbondale and Honesdale Railroad,		6½		1,600,000	246,200
Hudson and Delaware Canal,	43		12,600,000		293,300
Pottsville and Sunbury Railroad,		17¾		6,000,000	338,000
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad,		22¾		8,000,000	351,600
Various works,		66		6,000,000	90,900
Totals	152	118¼	47,900,000	22,650,000

VI. Different Lines.

Names.	Canals.	Railroads.	Canals.	Railroads.	Cost per League.
	Length. Leagues.		Total Cost. Francs.
Cumberland Canal (Me.)
Farmington and Blackstone Canals, Mass. &c.	67		10,400,000		155,000
Conestoga Navigation,	7¼		1,000,000		95,700
Codorus	4¼		1,000,000		95,700
Muscle-Shoals Canal,	14		7,000,000		500,000
Savannah and Ogeechee Canal,	6½		850,000		130,800
Improvement of the Hudson,	11¾		5,000,000		425,500
Quincy Railroad,		1¼		180,000	144,000
Ithaca and Owego Railroad,		11¾		2,700,000	230,800
Lexington and Louisville Railroad,		36		6,000,000	166,700
Tuscumbia and Decatur Railroad,		18		3,000,000	200,000
Rochester Canal,		1¼		160,000	128,000
Buffalo and Blackrock Canal,		1¼		50,000	40,000
Totals	110¾	69½	24,250,000	12,690,000

VII. Summary of the above Tables.

Names.	Canals.	Railroads.	Canals.	Railroads.
	Length. Leagues.		Total Cost. Francs.
I.	727¼	214¾	242,640,000	74,550,000
II.	459	61½	147,790,000	10,500,000
III.	34	279¼	29,733,000	67,840,000
IV.	25	120½	18,270,000	41,143,000
V.	152	118¼	47,900,000	22,650,000
Total	1,397¼	794¼	486,333,000	216,683,000
Deduct	144	105	72,500,000	21,750,000
	1,253¼	689¼	413,833,000	194,933,000
VI.	110¾	69½	24,250,000	12,690,000
Totals	1364	758¾	438,083,000	207,623,000
	2,122¾		645,706,000.

If to these are added some unimportant works, about which I have not been able to obtain exact statements, the total length of the railroads and canals may be estimated at about 2,150 leagues, and the cost at 660 million francs. If we take into account a number of important works, which have been undertaken in the last part of 1835 and the beginning of 1836, it will be necessary to add 900 leagues and 300 million francs to the above totals, making an aggregate of 3,050 leagues (7,625 miles) and 960 million francs (180 million dollars). I do not include the Nashville and New Orleans and the Charleston and Cincinnati railroads, which, however, will probably be executed before long, and with their branches will make an addition of more than 500 leagues. The Americans have already surpassed in the extent of their works, and the rapidity of execution, the most active and wealthy European nations. Almost all the works above enumerated have been executed in fifteen years.

The following table gives a summary view of similar works in Europe:

Countries.		Canals.		Railroads.
England		1,100	leagues.	313	leagues.
France		998		50
Belgium		115		74
Other States		400		50
Totals		2,613		487
General Total of	Europe	3,100
"	United States	3,050