The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-08-24
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The jackson Railroad, Its Comm rcial
Importance. The Rural Facihties II
Affords. Ekn

/ ne jackson 68llTUttAy 1ee -s-I. "A
Importance. The Rural Facihties ~
Affords, Etc.
Having recently returned from journey
upon the New Orleans, Jackson and 1reaI
Northern Railroad, during which we had tne
opportunity of making aleisurely examination I
of the road, and Of the series of towns winch
have suddenly been created by an agency
more wonderful than the wand of mag1cial'
we have thought that some Of our obserYa-
lions might possess interest for our readers,
sufficient to Justify their publication.
The geographical position ofNew Orleans, IN
relation to the Southwestern States, lmparts
to her an Importance like that of Paris to
France In her commercial relations, her en-
couragement of education and the arts, and
her social character, she is their sole metropo
lis. Her imports are great and are rapidly in
creasing, while her exports exceed those OF
any other city on this continent For these
advantages she is indebted to her admirable
position.
When her railroad communications shall
extend to the Tennessee river, "she can defy
all competition of rivalry for the trade which
naturally belongs to her. Every road con-
structed, and to be constructed, east Of the
Mississippi and Ohio rivers, will become the
tributary of New Orleans, Jackson and Great
Northern Railroad"
This road is, on many accounts n remarka
BILE enterprise, whether we consider the extent
of its connections West, as well as East, or the
vast obstacles which it has had to overcome,
or the character OF thorough reliability which
distinguishes its present condition.
Eroy,1 Nauy 0rIaauc m tho TpnnpcSan river
distant of APO miles, the grade Of the road,
or ascent, nowhere exceeds thirty feet in a
mile and for more than half that distance, it
is either on perfect lever, or less than nine
feet in mile Its curves are very unfrequent,
and most of them on radii Of nearly six thou
sand feet-the radius Of no curve being less
than 1920 feet
Extraordinary difficulties Of railroad con-
struction, in the vicinity of New Orleans, are
presented by "Les Prairies Tremblants," the
Shaking Prairies"-a peculiar geological for
nation which is not known to exist elsewhere.
The appearance of such "PrairieD is that OF
a meadow, covered with rank grass, level as
the ocean surface, and seemingly as limitless.
Solid earth there is none, but in its place there
| is found black semi-fuid substance, into
| which rods may be thrust, by the hand, to a
| u6Dlu VI ACtIIy IOIIt lCcl, DclOIe Ill6l TEACH
the substratum of firm blue clay. Upon this
soft material reposes the tangled net work OF
living Vegetation, which is gathered in masses
of various dimensions, generally capable OF
supporting the weight of the cautious explorer,
and so connected that his footsteps cause per-
ceptible agitation Of the surface for consider
able distance around him. In such material
and at such depth, the ordinary expedient
of supporting railroad upon piles driven into
the firm clay, was impracticable, and some
new device was demanded Theone adopted
was that which has received the name of 'crib-
: work. and is thus described; Longitudinal
with the road is first laid kind of floor, to a
breadth of twelve feet, and formed of two-inch
/ plank Across this floor, are laid heavy tim
bers, twenty-five feet long, at distances of eight
feet apart. Upon these timbers are laid string
pieces, longitudinal with the road. and across
them are laid another series of cross-ties.
Above all these are laid the longitudinal pieces
and the cross-ties which are to receive the iron
rails All the parts being carefully fitted and
fastened, they form secure support for the
heaviest trains, and are adapted to received
the vast loads Of gravel which are to be cast
into them form the future consolidated earth
supporter the road, Through the shaking
prairies of the New Orleans, Opelousas, and
Great Western Railroad, a similar method
has been adopted; and on both these roads
the stability of this mode of construction has
stood every test to which it has been sub
jected for several years even where the
schedule time is thirty miles an hour
Nothing, indeed, can surpass the reliability O
Of this road which during an extraordinary
overflow has, for many weeks, avoided al
risk to its passengers by conveying them on &
steamboat, even at a heavy loss.
An indispensable want of every city il
healthy and pleasant environs-a suburban
| region, which may not only supply her mar
kets with neeedful vegetable products, bu
which shall afford desirable retreats to inval
ids, and to such other persons as need occa
sional change ofresidence, and pefmanet homes
to those who prefer country Life in the vicinity
i. of city. To New Orleans this want ha'
hitherto been but partially supplied by thu
river bank, and the shores Of the lakes ant
bays about the g,ilf coast. The beauty 0
these healthful summer homes is unsurpass
able but, with the exception the river banks
it is mostly of one kind, and such as distin
guishes a Southern sea-coast, the so-calles
! lakes lsaiua zlsa4ai4z sssE Aseuter IL s Ia
popular opinion of the South, that the mos
healthful region is that of the "Piney woods
These are characterized by elevated, undula
ting lands. of vast extent of dry sand ella,
soil, covered with lofty pine trees, aboundin
| in springs and brooks and the haunt of ever
kind of wild game occasionally intersperse,
| with scenery of the most wild and varied des
cription, and with tracts presenting soil ofricl
loan, and covered with every variety of South
I o,,.orryfh Many
distances annually resort to the pine woods
with their families, at serious sacrifice of time
money and convenience; but to the great ma
jority of New Oaleans citizens they have al
ways been inaccessible.
The New Orleans, jackson and Great North
ern Railroad has opened to us such country
as that just described, in the great dividing
ridge which is interposed between the Missis
sippi and the Pearl rivers furnishing sur
and easy access to suburban region which
possesses every quality that could be desired
The miracles Of Development so strikingly
displayed in the sudden peopling of the vas
prairies of the West, by means Of railroads
have been repeated here. Scarce year ha.
elapsed since the passage of the first train O
| cars from New Orleans to Canton, Miss, yet
along the whole line of the road are towns
which, in the number of inhabitants, in en-
terprise, and in material wealth, have already
outstripped many of the oldest ones in Louisi.
ana and Mississippi
| Where the richer tracts Of land prevail, ex.
cellent cotton farmes are now rewarding the
forecast of their proprietors and the pine lands
heretofore esteemed inferior, are found to be
adapted to the culture of melons, strawberries
the grape, the peach, the apple, and the pear
in an extraordinary degree. The quality Of
the last two named fruits is not to be surpass-
ed; and it is no visionary prospect to expect
that when the last line Of road connecting
with the Northern lines is completed, Gas will
be the case before another season, we shall
send to the New York market apples and
pears. six or eight weeks in advance of all
| othar roOionS