The daily comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1850-1856, 1852-11-23
= Communicated.
The Baton Rougs Z clinton Flank 1pad

| <vtu uDueT Tue siSldluIe Oh -. Is eltieI q
citizen Of Clinton or party intereste9zin
the Railroad from Clinton to Port Hudson
No other individual would imagine ad.
vance proposition at present for the con-
struction of Railroad from Baton Rouge to
Clinton. Your correspondent assumes to
himself the soubriquet of calculating man
by stating without hesitation, that the con-
templated Plank Road will fail to produce
the desired results Such statement must
be made by party Interested in some Other
project, or exhibit the authors profound
ignorance of the advantages to the country
and to Baton Rouge that the Plank Road
would have over a Railroad. Who the par
agon Of calculation is, know not, but he
states that he has the delegated authority OF
influential and wealthy citizens of East Fe-
liciana, to say, that they will not CO. operate
in building Plank Road, but will, and are
anxinus to unite in the construction of a
Railroad, this calculating man may, and
doubtless has met with FUoR individuals as
he says, who like himself are either other
| wise Interested, or have an utter disregard
to calculating the superior advantages to the
whole country that the Plank Road possess
ses-over Railroad, and cannot believe
that any man who possesses the most limit
ed knowledge of the demonstrated advan-
tages of Plank Roads, where they have been
Rouge and Clinton, would dare hazard
comparisonof the advantages to the planter
as well as to the merchant of the two roads
Your correspondent says that better in
vestment could not be made, than in Rail
road to Clinton. Does not such statement
shew that the author knows as much about
investments. as he knows about calculations
would ask him if he does not know that the
Clinton Il Pt Hudson r. r. cost about $780,
900 and does he not know, since the compile
ton of that road, the freight of the whole
country tributary to it, has been transported
by il; has its receipts ever been more than SUI
ficient to pay the officers and hands employ
ed upon it, to say nothing Of The cost of re-
pairs Is not the Clutoa .nd Port Hudson
Railroad. nov, IN the Is Of thlee or four
enterprisiu,, individuals who have had it for
several yea and VINO obtained it without
the cost OF che cent, and is, or has the re-
ceipts of the road at exor bitent charges for
freight, since it has passed into present
hands, ever been but little more than suffi-
Gent to keep it in very imperfect running
order. If the Railroad is good investment,
would its present proprietols be willing 10
disposed of it, for $4,000 as d. statcss |
answer no, and can unhesitatingly state TINT
if the nett earnings of the road could be
made to produce to its present proprietois
1Op pr cent OH 100000, they could not be in
duced TO sell it. If Railroad were TO be
built from Baton Rouge to Clinton it would
certainly be handsome transaction for the
owners of the Port Hudson Railroad to sell
their Iron Locomotives and fixtures for
$4,000, but if road were to be built, |
think their can be no doubt that Il company
organized for the purpose could not be in
duced to accept of the Port Hudson rails and
locornotiv es if they We're presented with
them to be used in the construction of a
road. The estimated cost of Railroad
from this to Clinton cannot fall short of
1925 900. The gross receipts of the road
for series of ten years, could not exceed
100000 per annam, and its nett earni nss
would not as your calculating man may see il
he wishes, amount to much. Does not tn e
result of the operations of the Clinton and
Port Hudson Railroad, and the Woodville
Railroad, prove that although they obtained
very exorbitant rates for freight, that the
amount of freight transported by them is
insufficient to pay farthing of interest on
their cost, and does it not also prove that a
Plank Road that can be built for $40 or 50. :
600 gives every farmer an opportunity OF
placing his own locomotives (which costs
him comparatively nothing upon the road
at such times as it may suit his convenience
or pleasure, and transport with his four
horses or oxen, his 30 bales of cotton or its
weight, with perfect ease, at the rate of
three or four miles an hour, lin any weather.
to market for the shipment or sale of his