New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-16
TIE JACKSON RAILROAD.

'52t III
The reports of the President of the jackson
Railroad are documents Of so Important and inter-
esting character, that We deem It onr duty TO
lay at least a summary of their contents before
the readers of the CRESCENT At the beginning 81
the recent war the road was already very prohsa'
BILE, and its earnings more than justified the saga
city of its projectors and the faith and enterprise
os The states Of Louisiana and Mississippi and the
c;tv Of New Orleans, which had contributed SO
iarrer Ia ts construction Had it not been for the
ra,a nas If the war there can he but little doubt
/ tbat before this time the company would have
been nee from obligations and the stockholders
receiving profitable dividends. According to the
| report Of President Ranney, dated December l.,
1880 the total Indebtedness of the company on the
soth November preceding was s3,5s5, 1856 Is,
whilst the net earnings for the year ending on that
day were $3.50, 7I2 81. The increase Of receipts
from 1857 were more than $500 900 per annum.
Even during the year ending January /, 1861, the
gross receipts Of the road were 81, 12S57S S. and
the neat earnings $3.50 94T As, Notwithstanding The
total cessation of the through traffic with the
North West.
According to the last report of President Ran
ney, dated Jan. 1, 1862, the debt due and out
standing on that day was s3,67O,4 07 OF. On the
9TH Of August, 1852 the domicil of the company
was, by resolution of the directors, fixed in the
town Of Canton. In the spring Of 1868 it was re-
solved to invest in cotton the large amount of Con-
federate securities then on hand. Accordingly
$50 bales were purchased; but of this amount 500
bales stored in Canton were afterwards burned by
order Of the Confederate military authorities.
The remainder has been, in part, delivered, and
bas, xaI-a 10 frYflImnpf nf
their obligations on the part of some persons who
refuse to comply with their contracts
On the sth Of April, 1868, the last meeting Of the
directors during the war was held in Canton.
After that time the control and management Of
the road were in the hands Of the president, su-
perintendent and employees.
During the years 1868 and 1854 the rolling stock
and locomotives were, with few exceptions, de-
stroyed or rendered unfit for service. Without
going into detailed statement of the events
which led to the existing organization, it is suf.
cient to say that on the oath of june 1865 the road
and portion Of the rolling stock were turned
over, BY order of General Candy, to the board of
directors. The condition Of the road at that time
was lamentable in the extreme. Of the two hun
dred and six miles composing it, only forty-seven
miles-the distance between New Orleans and
Pontchatoula- in good order. In relation to
this part of the subject we cannot do better than
to quote the words of the Presidents report
From that point to Brookhaven-a distance Of 81
miles-the road had not been used since the spring
of 1868, as most of the bridges between those
points had been destroyed by the different armed
forces traversing that section of country. That
portion of the road not having received any atten
ton since 1862, it became enveloped with briars,
bushes and grass, the undisturhed growth of three
raor fi,r1c hxyc hal and, ,i-f,,r Al.
decay of the pine timber used in its construction.
There was scarcely single bridge on that section
that was not wholly OF in part destroyed by fire,
rendered unfit for use by decay. OF the cross-ties
on this section, fully hreefourths have to be
replaced to render the road safe for the transit of
cars and locomotives. From Brookhaven to Jack
soma distance of IS miles-the road, though
diiapidated, was in use, save some two and q half
miles immediately south Of the latter place, where
the road bed had been torn up and bridges and
cross-ties burnt.
From jackson to Canton the present terminus
of the road, distance of twenty three miles, the
road, though much out OF repair, having been
often torn up and destroyed was still being used.
Of the splendidly equipped road of 1861 and 1872,
of the 40 locomotives, ~ passenger cars, (many
of which had never been used, and $50 freight,
baggage and gravel cars, three remained fit for
use, though in a damaged condition. between
jackson and Canton: One locomotive, two sec
ond-class passenger cars, one hrstclass passenger
car, one baggage and one provision car, TWO stock
and two fat cars. s8
On the section between jackson and Brook
haven there were in use 2 locomotives, damaged,
having been partially burned A box cars, one OF
which was used for passengers, and fat ears.
AL the other locomotives have been burned or
damaged by time ard exposure and rendered unfit
for service. The amount of rolling stock turaed
over to the company by the military authorities at
New Orleans, consisted Of locomotive 1 passen-
ger car, box and 10 fiat cars, and baggage and
CATTLE cars. $5 s8b sg3fs -9bf55 q 3tE3i
all bat htyiIJ sYlot sfja&
tached, wood sheds and water stations and diTis-
ion houses, which were in complete repair in 1862
there remained only the buildings at Osyka, Mag
noia and Summit; the remainder having all, from
time to time, been destroyed by the armed forces
IN their vicinity. a3 8 Eiz
The energy, skill and enterprise which have
been exerted in rescuing the road from this ap-
,arently hopeless condition, are conspicuously il
ustfated by the fact that on the Sd of October,
hree months and nine days after the road was
urned over to the company trains were running
through to Canton, and since that time their trips
AVE been made with unexceptionable regularity. !
since the oath Of June last there have been pur-
chased Eve locomotives, one hundred and two box
;ars and fifty fat cars. There have been built and
repaired seventy-eght bridges and sixteen drains,
800 lineal feet; Az 900 cross.tes have
been purchased and placed in the road bed and
al together with the increase ofroling stock, TOOLS
ETC.. has been paid for out of the earnings Of tile
road and without mourning dollar Of indebted
ness, exceptth amount due to the United States
government for engines, cars, etc. +. 5.fzas
n Onthe 2dgof November last Gen. Beauregard
was chosen superintendent Of the road, and since
that date he has devoted all his zeal, energy
ind high abilities to the discharge Of his onerous
and important duties. gss1
+ The receipts from the transportation depart
nent, from the 18th Of June, 1865, to the 2sth of
February, 1866, were s765, l32, 49, The rolling
stock on hand the LIST Of March, 1866, consisted
Of Is locomotive engines, 0 passenger cars, s
baggage and express cars, 207 box, fat and stock
cars, II timber trucks and SO hand and push cars
On the 4th of April, 1865, the President was
served with noticed Of a suit at the instance Of
Mary Robb Mitenberger and others, on the
side of the United States circuit court
against the company The directors were imme-
diately convened, and steps we're taken to resist
the proceedings by the employment of proper
counsel to defend the suit. 5l lis
From the report of the superintendent, General
Beaure gard, we learn that, since the transfer,
about one hundred thousand crossties have been
laid and probably ninety thousand more will be
required Of which thirty thousand are on hand and
paid for All the bridges have been repaired, and
some rebuilt, and new draw has been constructed
at South Pass Manchac at an expense of $4,000
The estimated expenses of repairs for the cur
rent year tn mt the road in 10 p,n5 a a., a;t;o.