New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1867-05-19

Extension of the jackson Railroad.
JACKSON, May II, 1861.
In the last Qwelfth) annual report Of the
New Orleans, jackson, and Great Northern
Railroad Company is the following para
graph relative to this great enterprise which
is of SO much import to New Orleans:
1t is with regret that have to inform you
that no bids have yet been received to lease
the proposed extension of the road from
Canton, Miss, to the Tennessee river, via
Aberdeen, Miss. This extension is becoming
vltalIy important to enable the New Orleans,
Jackson, and Great Northern Railroad to
compete with newly projected Northeastern
routes, especially the one from New Orleans
to Chattanooga, via Mobile, which will re-
duce considerably the time to Washington,
and will entitle il to carry the United States
mails, unless corresponding reduction Of
distance can be made on the New Orleans,
jackson, and Great Northern Railroad, via
Aberdeen aud Decatur, where that road
would have the advantage of connecting
directly with the Memphis and Charleston,
aud the Nashville and Selma roads, the
latter being already finished to Decatur.
The character and condition of this ex.
tension are as follows The original survey
of this extension ran ll0 miles from Canton
to tho crossing of the Mobile and Ohio rail.
road, or l20 miles to Aberdeen beyond, and
on to Chickasaw village, at the mouth of
Bear creek and foot OF the Muscle Shoals,
Tan easy point to bridge,) on the Tennessee
river Thence the line extended through
Mount Pleasant and Columbia to Nashville.
Or, rather it was to connect with Nashville
by road then completed from Columbia.
Sixty miles, or half the road to Aberdeen,
was graded and ready for the iron-40 of it
at the Canton end and 20 at Aberdeen; the
iron was also ready, when the war stopped
operations, and the iron was appropriated
TO other uses. When operations on this
line ceased, the Nashville road instead OF
continuing from Columbia TO the crossing at
Muscle Shoals, was extended due south TO
Decatur, where advantage was taken of II
bridge already built by the Memphis and
Charleston railroad, costing $500, 600, to
cross the Tennessee river.
The country through which this road would
extend, through hosCinsko and beyond is a
much better one than that along the ridge
OF the present road. Further to the north
east it strikes a rich cotton belt, known
AS the prairie or canebrake country. In the
vicinity of Aberdeen and Columbus, in
northeast Mississippi, and running in a
southeast direction toward Selma and De-
mopolis, Alabama, the country is called
prairie, and is excellent for upland cotton
AS you enter Alabama it is known as the
canebrake country, equally rich. 1t is the
great interior cotton region of the South.
AT present, to reach the East by the Jack
son road, one has to follow the Mississippi
Central away up to Grand junction, when
at least one hundred miles could be ssved
to the traveller II this extension were made.
1t would be nearly, if not quite, AS short a
route as by the contemplated Mobile and
Chattanooga road.
To complete it to the Mobile and Ohio road
aIone-ll0 miles-would cause at least
100000 bales of cotton annually to come to
New Orleans which now seeks Mobile, as it
would find better market of at least one
cent per pound by so doing. And so soon
as completed fifty to seventy-tive miles from
| Canton, the cotton from circuit of twenty
to thirty miles would all be wagoned to its
| terminus for the same reason.
We believe the charter is already forfeited,
| If the State of Mississippi shall so declare;
| for it required the completion of the road
several years ago But the State could gain
nothing by thus as this would not sooner
complete it; and we believe the company,
| too strained itself to do the work, offers
the road, or rather what alone it has
the right to do, the lease of it for almost
| indefinite time, together with its franchises
property at Aberdeen worth some $780,
900, well rented all the work done, of sur,
veys, grading, etc, costing probably $500,
900 to any company of capitalists which
| will complete it, so great would be the
gain of the present road in freighting the
cotton and other products which the eXten
sion would bring to it.
But capital is timid, and don't like to ven.
| ture near riots, or even rumors of riots
many of which we heard here, known by
us to be false, and yet eagerly believed and
circulated by large numbers. An extensive
railroad system is ready to start into rapid
construction as soon rs the political condi
tion of the State renders it safe in the judg
ment of capitalists. Large amounts O
Northern capital are waiting to be invested
in manufactures, in commerce, and il
agriculture and railroads, as soon as the
political and social aspects Of the State con
vince the controllers of capital that tht
danger of serious trouble is over, and tha
the political condition OF the State is estab
lished on Il secure and permanent basis
In settling the great reconstruction ques
tion. what effect will the proper decision o
Mississippians not have, and its railroad an,
manufacturing interests Should her citi
zens endeavor to allay or increase sectiona
contention?