The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-05-27

asm might perhaps be pardonab.e upon d SUI
iect of consequence SO vital to us, still we 90
not acknowledge the soft impeachment 80 lar
from over estimating the business, we are not
vet plumb up to the mark; indeed we mignt
say with entire truth and soberness the nail
has never been told. Our system OF railroads
is spreading itself. huge iron net work. EV-
cry day almost brings with it some expansion
some new link to the great chain whose sinu-
osities appear destined to ramify everywhere:
A few days ago, we referred to the enter
prise which is about to be undertaken to con-
sruct railroad up Red river valley, which
will be of great benefit to our commerce, as
well as to the rich and comparatively undevei-
oped section it will penetrate. we have every
reason to believethat this work is in such hands
as will insure its execution at no distant day;
while our great southern Pacific railroad has
already received a basis for operation so solld
as leaves not the slightest room to doubt that 1t
will be pushed on with all the energy which
abundant means and the dazzling prospect OF
almost fabulous ultimate dividends to the stock
holders cannot fail to inspire.
To-day we have the pleasure of announcing
another railroad enterprise having the most IN
innate and important bearing upon our pros,
perity, one that will be new to most, II not all
of our readers. This is the s'Sabine and Gal
weston bay railroad" though better idea Of 1T
would be obtained if we should call it the
Houston, Texas, and New Orleans railroad, as
its object is to effect a direct railway connex-
ton between this city and Houston in the State
of Texas We have seen the plans and ex-
amined somewhat carefully the statements and
explanations made by the president OF the
company, Col A. M. Gentry of Houston, and
we are free to say, that, considering the con-
nexions which this road will form at Houston,
and its various bearings, there is no road now
building or contemplated, whose immediate
and direct practical results promise to be OF
greater importance to the business and pros
perity of New Orleans than this. This is strong
language we know, but we have not used it
rashly or unadvisedly. We must confess that
we were somewhat surprised at the admirably
arranged system of railroads and their state of
forwardness which the people Of Texas have
made and are pushing on with all the power
and enthusiasm of that gigantic, rising State.
1t is worthy Of them and Of the age in which
they live. 1t shows that they are fully alive
to the advantages of their position, and will
reap from them the blessings they are so well
calculated to bestow. The great Importance
of the Sabine road is its connexion with this
system of railroads converging to and diverg-
ing from Houston. These iron Briarean arms
are projected in such a way as to reap all the
important portions of the great State, so that
the moment New Orleans and Houston are
linked together BY iron bands we shall have
ready access to all the great divisions of the
State, and they with US. 1t is difficult to con-
vey on paper an adequate and correct idea of
these ramifcations, and the great and varied
interests with which they are blended. Con-
slider that railroads are projected and actually
commentator some Of them the cars being
in operation for greater or less distances-from
east to west across the whole State in the ex-
IRENE north, nearer the center, and in the south.
The first is the Memphis and El Paso railroad;
the one south of this is our own great Pacific
railroad, and that in the south is the one of
which the Sabine and Galveston bay road will
form the eastern link, which we may as well
term the New Orleans, Houston and Great
Western railroad. Then, again, another set
of railroads rsn substantially north and south
intersecting those going east and west at va
rious angles Thus it will be seen at a glance
that when these shall have made considerable
progress all the great divisions of the State will
be reached. All of these roads connect at
Houston, which may be called the railroad Genre
of the State. Hence, therefore, the Importance
of the direct railroad connexion between that
city and New Orleans.
Such connexion brings the untold products
and rapidly increasing population of the young
empire State of the Union right to our doors
Let it not be supposed that these roads exist
+Io he
enthusiasts. Omiting the Memphis and 81 Paso,
and our own Pacific roads as not coming with
in the scope of our present purpose, we may
state in general terms that the charters of the
other railroad companies have been secured by
the actual commencement of the roads and the
completion of parts of them, and that7th work
on them is progressing rapidly. No body in
Texas doubts for an instant their earl and GER
tain completion. How can there be any doubt
when the work is seen going on every day, and
the cars actually running? For examples, the
Henderson and Mexican gulf railroad, which
will intersect at Houston with the Sabine and
New Orleans railroad has twenty five miles
cleared, and its continuation from Houston to
to Galveston has twenty five miles done and the
cars running. Il is to be done to Houston BY
November 1st, which will be forty miles
The road running west from Houston via Co.
lumbus on the Colorado, Gonzalez and San
Antonio to the Rio Grande, is completed to
Richmond, thirty-two miles, and the cars run
ming It is under contract and partly graded
fifty miles more, to Columbus. The Houston
and Texas Central railroad, running up through
the centre of the State to the sgd parallel, and
intersecting our Pacific road, and penetrating
the great wheat region of Texas, has twenty
FIVE miles done, and the company expects to
complete the second twenty-five miles by the
1st of July next. We may remark here that
all the companies referred to are organized I'M
der the general law, the same as our southern
Pacific road, and each one is entitled to the
same amount of land and money from the
State that the latter is to receive
New Orleans Bulletin fl
The SILVER MooN.-The Louisville Courier
says that captain Greenlaw, the Napoleon of
the river, has just added another to his list of
boats, the Silver Moon. He had her built ex-
pressly for Red river, but at the same time she
will prove of service in any river where business
is done and low water to contend with This
boat is very staunchly built, with capacity for