The Kansas herald of freedom., 1856-01-12
Original Correspondence.
Far tie Hrszs # Frssdsm.
nj Kansas C;tv Railroad


Napoleon and Kansas City Railroad
This grand enterprise of Arkansas has
not been the subject of newspaper re-
mark for several months; nevertheless,
it is progressing as fast as its most san
guine friends ever anticipated. The first
fsection of so miles viii be completed by
the 25th of December, 1856. 1t runs
through a rich bottom rs miles wide. of
lnexhaustible fertility, yielding 1000 lbs.
or two bales of cotton. per acre ); and of
corn 100 bushels per acre. 1t is well
adapted to the growth of wheat, oats.
clover, timothy, and the various kinds
of roots, and in fact all the necessaries
of life, save sugar and ice. I have no
doubt that shortly after the Napoleon
and Kansas City Railroad is completed
to Pine Bluff. the country in the vicinity
of the road win be speedily brought into
cultivation and become the very garden
of the South. Lands that sell at and
10 dollars will sell at from SO to 100
dollars per acre.
| If | could have, doubted the ultimate
completion of this road to Kansas City
before l moved to Kentucky, the great
impetus given to agriculture, commerce.
and manufactures BY the Chatanooga
and Nashville railroad in this section of
country Gao miles from the road would
have dispelled it. Before the road was
built wheat sold at 40 cents per bushel,
which now brings Sl,25. Corn sold st
80 and IS cents per barrel, and now
sells at Sl.25. Pork sold at S2, so and
S3. 80, and now sells at 30, 80 and So
per 100 lbs. Bacon sold at and Z
cents, and now sells at 15cents. To-
bacco sold at 3 and. Sd per 100 lbs.
which now sells at 5 and $40. Horses
sold at S75, and now sell at goo and
$500. Indeed. every thing is selling at
starvation prices, notwithstanding the
whole earth is groanihg under the mighty
weight Of the rich products of the soil.
Sucn crops of every kind have not been
raised in this country since its settle
ment. Lands that sold for and $40
per acre now sell at 25 and S35, aud are
much easier paid for at those prices than
when they sold at and $40, as ] am
lcredibly informed By the farmers. A
When the first section of this road
and the Memphis and Little Rock road
shall be completed, the vast resources
of Arkansas will be speedily developed.
Wealth and capital will flow into the
State; the people will continue to urge
the pioneer road up the Arkansas valley
and the Neosho through the rich State
of Kansas to Kansas City-the great
emporium of the Kansas valley
The citizens of Kansas City are urging
a project to connect Kansas City with
Galveston by railroad. That road would
run from Kansas City through the State
of Kansas down the Neosho, and would
cross the Arkansas River at the same
point that the Napoleon and Kansas City
road. We have no objections to meeting
them at that point. The people of the
Kansas valley and upper Missouri will
have southern outlet. They pay annu-
ally for the want of egresss aad ingess
from and to their rich valley money
enough to build road.
The farmers in Southern Kentucky tell
me that the increase ia the value Of their
produce would build such road, per
annum, as the Nashville and Chattanooga
road. They are all fully satisfied that
the road has produced the wonderful
change in commerce, agriculture and
manufactures alluded to above.
f A..RICE.
Keysburg. Ky. Dec /, 1856.