The weekly Mississippian., 1860-04-11

this because there are so miles Of it down the
Yallobusha and Yazoo valleys, where the ma
tural grade does not exceed ten feet to the
mile, and often does not reach five.
But, that I may err on the safe side, put
the whole cost, from Memphis to Jackson, at
| $4,000 per mile or say S5,oo0o0o for the
POS miles. If the earnings be but $5o000O
nett, it will be ten per cent. on the cost.
1t will be observed, in all these calculations
that have made them against me rather
than in taeor Of me. put the travel down
to lower figure than any man should do,
| who knows the immense commerce between
these valleys Of the North and New Orleans
This ts2xel isiH the natural line of com uie.ee
s,I,sh eaat.tad ny, si.s. ss.sz..... tIss 1I
ducts Of one cfifneTto % those d another, and
must constantly increase. | have estimated
the ,oay business at figure far below rules !;
and | have put the fire down to much less
than it will be. have PIT up the. working
expenses, and increased the first cost Of the
Road beyond any probable figure.
Yet, with all this, | have shown that the
Road must pay 10 per cent. dividend anaual-
ly. L do not mean it will do so at o,ace. But
l do mean to say that it will do so, as soon.
as it shall have paid off any floating or bonded
debt it may create in its construction.
The bane of all Railroads is that they j,a-
jsleE at the expense of bonded debt and
there are enough harpies in the land who,
with ample means, will do nothing to-
ward surfing a Road by liberal subscription
not pay yet, who are anxiously awaiting
an opportunity to buy up tie CoA.pany's boads
al 60 and 20 cents on tie do}lar Unwilling to
build up the prospirity of a country, they are
yet ever ready to speculate upon its necessi-
ties.
Their skin fits them two closely for their
hearts ever to give one full, noble, generous
puIsation and their life is but the absorption
Of others energies and means.
This Road can be kept out of the midew en-
braces Of such men, if managed rightly. \
plan can be devised by which it can be built
tcitllom one dollar Of aeJt, save what one years
operation will extinguish, if those 50 deeply
interested in it will adopt it
1t inyoves only a choice of submitting to the
grasp Of the Shylock and getting no dividends;
OF, OF adopting bold, liberal policy that may
work tightly for few years, but that will
make it one Of the best instruments
in the land. From Oct. 1895 to Oct, 1883
the northern end Of this Read, running then
but G5 miles, earned a nett dividend Of 9 per
cent on its cost; and this too, without any
What would it do, ifpaTt Of the
great artery of travel between st Louis and
New Orleans =! Fed at Memphis, by the lines
from St. Louis and syille-CharIesto and
Little Rock; and at jackson by the New Or
leans, Southern and Ship Island Roads,-the
volume of travel and freight that would pass
over this main stem between Memphis and
Jackson would he equal to that .of any
in the Union. The time between
New Orleans and Me=--ri---'--'T= = = Z;
Ia / Q or 90 hours between New orieahS ANA
St. Louis to ~ Iours, urtwrrrr jackson and
Memphis to or 10 hours jackson and st.
Louis 90 hours.
The long tangents down the valley, no TO
25 miles; the grades reduced almost to dead
level by nature ). .the vast local resources of |
the most fertile cotton region Of the world, |
will all declare that such a Road should be |
built withouta debt that will, like cancer, |
eat up its resources. At future time may |
explain how this can be done.
Respectfully,
j. T. IRRELEVANT. '. |
jackson Miss, April Sd, 1850.