The home journal. [volume] (Winchester, Tenn.) 1857-1857, 1857-03-06
THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAIL
ROAD.
ROAD.

of Directors of this Road has been is
sued.
The charter was passed by the Leg
islature of the State of Texas, an(
approved by the Governor on the 10th
of February, 1852, and, by a late aet
of the Legislature, the style of the
Company was changed from the Teas
Western Rail Road Company to the
Southern Pacific Rail Road Company
and authorized to commence cat q
suitable point on the Eastern bounda'
ry line of the State, and thence run
ming, by such course as said company
shall decree and determine to be the
most suitable, to Ell Paso, on the upper
Rio Grande." The capital stock is
sin its property, real and personal
franchises and rights of property to
be divided into shares of one hundred
dollars each.'
By a general law of the State Of
Texas, January 3Oth, 1854, provides
that any r. r. Co., chartered by the
Legislature CT the State, heretofore OF
hereafter to be constructed within the
limits of the State, shall, on the con-
struction of a section of twenty-five
miles or more of Rail Road, be entitled
to receive from the State sixteen Sec
tions of land for every mile construct
ed and put in running order.
A further grant is made of two hum
dred feet wide of the public domain
for the roadway, and as much more as
may be necessary for Depots, Stations,
and other works of the company. A
further provision is made that any r..
Road, or branch thereof, shall pass
through any public lands. All such
lands, to the distance of three miles
from the extension line of the track on
each side thereof, shall be reserved for
the State, from and after the time
such track shall be fixed or designated
by survey, recognition or otherwise,
and the said lands, as the road is con-
structed, shall be divided into sections,
fronting one mile on the road, plainly
marked, and to the reserved lands the
company shall have the right to every
other section, by virtue of any of the
certificates issued in accordance with
the provisions of this act. and the re-
naming sections shall continue the
property of the State until disposed of
by the Legislature.
This Road is entitled, by another act
Of the Legislature, to the loan of six
thousand dollars per mile for ten
years at 6 per cent. The total amount
of land grants, estimating the value
of the land at five dollars per acre, is
over forty millions of dollars. The
Road is estimated to cost $l4,63l, 1888
for the whole route to Ell Paso, 1888
miles, passing through rich agricul-
tural and grazing region, unbounded
in it's resources of mineral, timber and
water, and at FL Paso tapping the
richest silver mines in the world.
The vast traffic of thegreat plains and
the northern States of Mexico, partic-
ularly the State of Chihuahua, the
trade Of which is estimated at 81 1851
500. A vast amount of statistical
matter might be brought forward to
prove this to be the best route Govern.
ment could select for a Il. Il. route to
the shores OF the Pacltlc.
We shall recur to this subject again.
| -~~S~-.-
" We learn from the Nashville
papers that several attempts have been
made, in different parts of the city, to
enter private houses for the purpose Of
robbery. Several business houses have
also been attacked.
SUDDEN DEArn--We regret to learn
that the wife of Col. White, agent Of
the Pcntcntiary. fell dead in her room
yesterday morning. We understood
she arose apparently in her usua
/ health and was busy attending to hel
household duties, when the summons
came without moments notice. W.
b,I;oyo tho ,hysiciauS attribute hpI