The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-01-28

u road commences on the Mississippi, opposil
d Vicksburg, and passes nearly due west, owe
: the northern range Of parishes, through Monre
E and Shreveport to the dividing line with Texa
- The distance from the Mississippi to Monro
is seventy-fou miles, to Shreveport one bur
: dred and seventy one miles, and to the Stat
t line one hundred and eighty nine miles, th
! point union is formed with the Southern Pa
:, cfc railroad, which has been most munifcentl
endowed by grants Of land from the State {
Texas It is estimated that the Texas exten
sion will reach the Trinity-nearly two hundre
miles-withn four years, or about the time re
quired to complete the Louisiana division t
the Mississippi river. -r g. r.
Congress, at its last session, granted to thi
company 42O, 1924 acres of land to aid in tn
construction of its railroad. The president o
the company, in his last annual report, thus de
scribes the value of the donation: 'sMuch oft
lying Immediately upon the line ofthe railroad
is the best quality of cotton land in the State
and none of it will be found too poor for cult
walton after the road is built
''The whole road has been placed under con
tract, and large number of men are now EN-
ployed in building the eastern and western dl-
visions. The first thirty-fve miles of the road
way formation from Vicksburg west has been
completed, and the iron superstructure is now
being laid down. The management Of this most
important line of railroad has been character
ised from its commencement by great prudence,
energy and discretion.
The New Orleans, Jackson and Great North
ern Railroad is approaching rapidly its final
completion to Canton, Mississippi, two hundred
and seven miles from, New Orleans; of this dis
lance, one hundred and thirty-seven miles are
completed and in daily use, and in the month
of March nineteen miles additional will be open
ed for transportation leaving only iftyone
miles of the middle division, south Of Jackson,
to be constructed A large force of men are
employed on the unfinished portion of the road
way formation; the iron and other materials for
completing the superstructure have been pur
chased, and an ample train of machinery pro-
vided for the transportation department.
ut is confidently believed that the road will
be completed and fully equipped for the fall
business of 1858.
The last congress donated to this company
also the alternate sections of public land within
six miles on either side of the road; but as the
lands in the immediate vicinity had been for the
most part entered by individuals, and those re-
mote not being of a quality likely to become i'm
available for the wants of the com
pany, it has not been deemed expedient, up to
his time, to accept the donation, andincur the
servitude with which the grant is burthened
The advanced condition of the work, and the
'olyency and good credit Of the company forbid |
my compromise of its future prospects for a
temporary consideration.
''This road will form the stem on which all |
he railroads east of the Mississippi, leading to
New Orleans, will be engrafted. Its branches
viii amount to many thousands of miles; and
IS grand trunk, its relation to other railroads
viii be the same as the Mississippi to its num-
rous tributaries. Uniting with the Mississippi
Central Railroad at Canton-which road is in a !.
onward condtion-the line of the road passes
earl y north to Jackson, Tennessee, two hun
red and thirty-slx miles; thence uniting with :,
be Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and pursuing
ne same direction, the Ohio river is reached at
'airo, and by branch road at Paducah At t
AFRO, union with the Illinois Central Rail
Dad Will place New Orleans in communication
y railroad with the whole system of roads north {
the Ohio river, and with the great lakes {
t Jackson, Mississippi. the Great Northern c
abroad is intersected by the Vicksburg and t
acksou Railroad, which forms connecting t
nix for travel with the Vicksburg, Shreveport
I'D Texas Railroad and the Southern Pacific a
abroad before described. ,Eastwardly from t.
'ckson, and IN continuation of the Vicksburp fl
I'd jackson Railroad, the Southern Railroad, t;
Id the Alabama Central Railroad, passing t,
rough Brandon, Marion and Selma to Mont. Il
'mery, connects us with the southern Allan l.
railroads. Passing, from jackson, Missis- Il
opl, two hundred and eight miles, by the north d
n route before described, the Memphis and
1arleston Railroad intersects the Missssippi
'ntral Railroad near the Tennessee line. This oil
injection brings into the great northern rail- Ii
ads the continents of the Memphis and Char pI
'ton Railroad, and leads to Washington city 1
the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, st
d the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. via tn
1oxvll1e, Abingdon and Lynchburg. Num- m
BUS branch roads enter the Great Northern tt
e first described, between jackson, Tennes- of
;, and the Ohio river, forming connections to
Sh Nashville, Louisville and other important so
sns In Tennessee and Kentucky. The State TO-
Tennessee has subscribed ten thousand dol an
S per mile to her principal railroads. PAYABLE gu
the road-bed is completed. This liberal aid SO
furnish the iron superstructure, and leave fra
hul'luua enterprise the burthen only of pre- LIS
ing the form on which it is laid. alb
Loci king west of the Mississippi, it will be nu
that the principal railroads of Arkansas, el4
sour and Iowa, run nearly east to the river. I'M
on the waters of this great inland sea must Id
borne to market the heavy burthens of her pr
tributaries; but large portion of the pas lgf
gers will reach New Orleans over the Great del
thern Railroad, which, by it's successive COZ
s. forms chain extending over sixteen de- IN
IS OF latitude. | extract the following sum- rle
y from an official report of the company; me
." hen our connection is completed with the IS
ROADS above described, we may reach Chi il'e
o. travelling at the rate Of twenty FIVE miles III
hour IN So hours, Washington CITY in 48 COZ
rs, st. Louis in 80 hours, Cincinnati in 90
rs Nashville in 22 hours, Shreveport and der
Iexan border in Is hours, and all the in Sta
ledlate points in the same ratio of reduction Ere
s'"sesn ~ ABOVE must convey to any re- legi
ing mind the great Importance of our enter this
), and when 1t IS remembered that all the gov
course and traffic ofthe vast system ofroads lion
h tend to New Orleans must pass over ours mar
main trunk, its value as an investment nav tba
lily be appreciated olaa
q f,,1