New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-04-16
New Orleans and Jackson Railroad.

very large number of our most respectable
and influential citizens assembled at the Ameri
can Theatre last evening, to receive the report
of the Provisional Committee on the NewOrleans
and Jackson Railroad, appointed about one
year since, and all seemed to enter warmly into
the subject Of this proposed work, so important
to the commercial interests of our city. We
regret exceedingly that the crowded state of our
columns this morning, prevents us from giving
full report of the proceedings. Mayor Crossman
was called to the Chair, and after explaining
the object of the meeting, Mr.. Benjamin came
forward, ond on behalf of the Provisional Com
mittee submitted a detailed report of the steps
which have been taken by that body since its
organization. From this report it appears that
with the advance of five per cent, which was
obtained on the 100000 subscription last
spring, surveys have been made, plans drawn,
and every preliminary arranged so that nothing
now remains to be done but to organize perma-
nently and commence operations Having COM
pared the different lines of survey, including that
of the old Nashville road, the Committee has
given the preference to n line running up to the
river on the back slope of the highland fronting
the stream, to Minor Kenners plantation, and
thence across through the swamp to the high
lands on the other side of the Lake. Forty six
miles of road will have to be built to reach this
point, sixteen miles Of it running on the high
land fronting the river, ten miles through
lower grade, and twenty miles through swamp.
The Committee has been unremitting in its
labors, and by most careful collection of data
on which to make calculations, they have been
enabled to lay before the public an estimate of
the cost Of each mile of road through the differ
ent kinds of land, which, we doubt not, will
vary but little if any from the actual results
Going into all the minutia of the expense of
embankment, woodwork, rails, ETC., it is est-
mated that the first sixteen miles of road from
NewOrleans can be made for $3.50; the next
ten miles for 1850 per mile; and the twenty
miles through swamp for $1S, 247 per mile; in
the latter the estimate being made for both
piling and embankment. This would make the
cost of the forty-six miles, to the high land be-
yond the Lake, about $6lS,000. From this
point, the whole distance to jackson, Zone hun
dred and fifty-fve miles) the line runs through a
level, finely wooded country, with only two or
three short bridges to build, and every facility
at hand for rapid and cheap prosecution of
the work. The estimate of the entire cost of
the road to jackson, distance of two hundred
and one miles, is ~ 200, 900, leaving margin
of 100000 on the capital stock of the COM
pany for the purchase of locomotives, cars, and
other appurtenances to put the line in working
order. MIR. Benjamin impressed upon the minds
of the audience that these estimates were by no
means the result of guess work, but that they
were founded entirely on well known data, de-
rived from actual experience. In a brief adj
dress, he pointed out in a lucid manner the
great benefits which the commerce of NewOr-
leans would derive from the contamination of
this enterprise, and the Importance of our citi-
zens at once coming forward to its aid