Virginia, Railroads and the Telegraph in 1847

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In case there is anyone else out there who thinks about conditions in the earliest days of railroading, I offer the following.

-- abram burnett
Now Selling: Entropy and Turnips
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VIRGINIA, RAILROADS AND THE MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH, from RICHMOND ENQUIRER, March 23 1847, page 2

Among the important measures adopted by the present General Assembly, is "An Act Concerning Telegraphs," which, we understand, will produce the immediate construction of a line of Morse's Electro Magnetic Telegraph from Washington as far South at least as Petersburg, with stations at Alexandria, Fredericksburg, Richmond and Petersburg. = =

The first section empowers the railroad companies to establish a line of Morse's or any other Telegraph, having first acquired the right to use the same. The second section authorizes Professor Morse and his associates to put up a line of his Telegraph from Washington to the limits of North Carolina, and confers upon them corporate powers. The third section authorizes the inventors of any system of Telegraphs, or those who may have acquired a legal conveyance thereof, to construct lines over all tie common roads, streets, public works and waters of the State, provided they do not obstruct the ordinary uses thereof. The fourth section provides for the punishment of abuses committed by the managers of the Telegraph, and all injuries done to its posts or wires. The fifth section reserves to the General Assembly power to alter or repeal the act. The sixth section requires the proprietors of Morse's Telegraph, to give a preference, in obtaining funds to build a line along or parallel to t
 he railroads, first, to the railroad companies SI secondly to citizens of Virginia and thirdly to the Board of Public Works. We are informed that a line of posts is now up from Washington to Fredericksburg; that wire is on them as far as Alexandria, and will be to Fredericksburg as soon as it can be put up; and that wire has been provided for the line as lar as Petersburg. Nothing prevents the immediate commencement of the work this side of Fredericksburg, but the necessity imposed by the act of waiting for the decision of the railroad companies upon the option secured to them of furnishingthe funds. It is not doubted that their decision will be promptly given. No delay, we are assured, will be incurred in waiting for subscriptions from citizens, it the privilege should be devolved upon them. We perceive no sound objections to this act. It leaves to all inventors of Telegraph systems the right to sell or use them in this Commonwealth, subject to future legislative action SI and it s
 ecures to our railroad companies, citizens or government, all the advantages likely to arise from furnishing capital to build the main line through the State, and having its active management. We understand that Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, have incorporated Telegraph Companies, and that New York and Ohio have granted free right of way over all their common roads, public works and waters. Railroad lines lo the extent of about nine hundred miles are now occupied by lines of Telegraph in the United Stales and there are about six hundred miles not on railroads. The free use of the Telegraph wires for their business purposes is the consideration given to the railroad companies for the right of way.

The importance of the Telegraph to the Southern towns is illustrated by every steamer's arrival from Europe. On the afternoon of Saturday last week the steamer Hibernia arrived at Boston. That evening the prices of wheat, corn, cotton and flour, in the English markets, were doubtless known along the Telegraph lines to Buffalo, Pittsburg and Baltimore, while the same information came to Richmond, by mail, twenty-four hours afterwards. Thus, all the Eastern merchants have a whole day's start on ours, in acting upon the foreign news; and with cities farther South, the disadvantage is much greater. The extension of this improvement will place the trade of every city and section of the Union on the same footing, so far as it is influenced by the foreign or even domestic markets, preventing inordinate speculations, and imparting to business more steadiness and certainty.