Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-02-14
THE IMPORTANCE 0F CONGEES ~ :
TGxAh AID 10 THE SOUTHERN re
IL NJ q
ny voLNEY p. HOWARD.

THE IMPORTANCE 0F CONGEESs-
EGSAL AID 70 THE SOU
GTFGg RAILWAY.
BY voLNEY p. HOWARD.
TThe following article, which we shall
have to divide in two portions, we take
from the .Alfa Californian, published in
/ San Francisco. Nothing Is OF 80 much
Importance to the future Of Memphis, as
the Southern racie Railroad, which
will place it on the'best, If not the near
est route between the Atlantic and Pa
oifc:
Itisa general remark that for the last
! ten wears California he's not mace as
much progress ia population as her pre-
viCus history seemed to indicate. Our
! great difficulty hiss been the want Of
means Of cheap snd rapid transportation
from Tie Atlantic TO the racine. rms
4 means will doubtless be partially iuf-
inishad hv the Great Central Atlantic ana
Pacific R9iirosG Then compieteo. II
cannot, however, meet me Iull wants oi
tbe country, either as tO travel or freigh'.
The vast region from ATiz0nia to WASH
ington Territory cannot be supplied by
one railway. Wherever these roads are
constructed they will augment the busi-
nsss. commerce and growth OF San Fran
cisco. whoever locks at q globe or map
OF the world will perceive that the Uni-
ted States Is in the center OF the pcpui6-
lion busi.ess and commerce of the us-
tions That i'm time New York Will only
he second to London in commercial I'M
Dortauce, and San Francisco sec9nd only
10 New York. Whatever opens up and
settles the region between the Pacific
and the Mississippi, augments the growth
of San Francisco as well as that OF the
entire county. The city, therefore, has
a direct interest in the development of
the whole country.
CALIFORNIA To BE CONNECTED WITH
THE SOUTH BY RAILWAY.
It il confidently anticipated that the
Central rOsd, in the progress If coGstrHo-
tigu at this time, will be completed
through in two years and a half, meet
ing at Salt Lake.
Il Vould ipuear that the people of the
Ssu.hcru : ajes are much more alive 10
;ue imuCTtsBce Of the Central and
Southern routes to the Pacific than we
of { C.lifOTnis.
An article in the August number of De
BO,g's ReUjeU, speaking of the exertiOn
of the Southern people to extend their
"a lroad system, gays: Perhaps the
m rst extensive Of these new enterprises
are in Texas. Since the close OF the war
great aClvity has been manifested in
Tris particular in that State, and at pres
rut there are within It's limits not lees
than Twelve hundred mites OF road in
process Of construction. Some Of these
lines are Of crest Importance, and will
Open Up the resources of the richest part
OF the Sta.e TO commerce. The Texas
Central, 10 be finished probably in 1888,
I.
and will ultimately connect with the In
dian Nation, soon TO De opened to civili-
zslion, with Kansas and with the Great
Pacific line to California. Branch lines
are 10 be built to Galveston and Hous-
ton, and thence TO New Orleans, thus
Bringing the almost bundles resources
of L! @ interior of Texas within reach OF
the Gull pO.ts.
"Tae Virginia railroad and canal en-
terpTisgs, although OF the highest iDi-
pOrtsnct, on account of their influence
ia developing the resources sOf the cCur-
try, ere only subsidiary 20 still grandeT
pr. jsct, that il intended to divert to
Richmond portion Of ths-cOmmerce OF
the Pacific. Richmond has now direct
. communication with Memphis. The
raii;O8d from Memphis to Little Rock,
AIaaEssg, will Ge finished in 8 few
: y
taken he task Of building a road that
will unite Northern TsXas and the RiC
Grsuda with Arkansas. Gen. Fremont
i now pushing railroad through to the
Mexican provinces of ChihuaEua aBd
/ Sonora, that will connect with the Rio
cIrande and the James rivers, via Little
Rock and Memphis; also with GuaymaS
and CaliiOruis. Hence, before the eX
ui-atjon Cf another year, Ii is expected
That Richmond viii be 10 direct commu-
nicsiicn with SsT Francisco
Our Southern friend is a little fast, and
ratler ahead OF railroad time. But there
E is every reason 10 le,iarc that Richmond
as Wei. as Texas and New York, may be
ia di.act communication with San Fran.
cisco, by railway, in lS70-with proper
Congressional aid.
ROAD BY THTBTY-FTFTH PARALLEL,
There are fur railroads now projected (
the Pacific, aud an Eugiish traveller, Sii
=. IL peiO, in . late work on the UniteC
Ststes, expresses 2 CgoUdeat opinion tha
% "a eventually there ESQ be little 0ouo
thew will be made. a= great object, G
ceurse, is 10 connect san Francisco viii
New York"
VITA the Central Railroad, and th,
grants to II, all are familiar. Another
railroad with which we hsve a direct ir
terest, is "The Union and Pacific Raj
! COMPANY" Southern branch oTgs1izeC
70 10 construct q road from Fort Riley
= Kansas, or near the military reservation
, thence down the valley OF tie Nesh'
Q rive. 10 the Southern line Of the State o
Kansas, and through a portion of th'
Indian Territory 20 Fort Smith, ArkRl
: sss.U To this company Congress, by ac
Of July, 1866, gIsuted ten sections Of lan'
Ito lie nils. Itpasses through one of th,
: mCst fertile regions OF the United States
, and il is Wiih ibis road, already referret
to, that the Southern people are anxious
to connect. The most important road t
California, certainly next to the Central
il that chartered by act Of Congress Q
July, 1856; by that act, begiRning at o
s near the town OF Springfield, Mo theme
by the most eligible route 10 point oil
the Canadian river ; thence TO the tow
Of A!Guquelque Oh the river Del NOrte
thence by way of tie Aqua Frio, or ethe
suitable pass, to the head waters of Tia
Colorado ChiQuito, and thence along tn
tbirty>hfth parallel of latitude, as nea
as may be found most suitable for rail
: way, TO the Colorado river, at such poin
as may be selected Tor crossing; theme
by the mott practicable and eligible rout
T to the Pacific The said company shal
have the right TO construct brsncl
from the point at which the road strike
the Canadian river, eastwardly, alOD
!, the most suitable route to point on tn
western boundary line Of Arkansas, a
or rear the town Of Van Buren, Thi
place Is within few miles OF Fort Smith
Congress granted to this road forty sec
tious of land TO the mile, exciu1in
mineral lands, but with the right 10 Sc
lect other lands in place Of the miners
AIDS and previous locations.
AGRICULTURAL AND MINERAL RE
!. SOURCES on THIS ROUTE.
The route from Van Buren,, on the Al
kansas, which at that point will eonneC
with Memphis, on the Mississippi, b
J, way OF Little Rock, and from Van Bure
to toe Canadian, aud thence to Santa +
and Albuquerque, is one CT the test i
The United States. There are few route
OF the same length that pass through
- country that will admit Of denser setti,
ment.
Tne official report of the Secretary {
War, Of 1866, says OF this route by ID
thirty-filth parallel:
Toe general features which have dt
termined the position OF this route, th
exploration OF which was conducted b
=, LIEUT.. A. w. Whipp!e, Topographic,
Engineer, are the lntersec cti0n, west an
east, Of the inteTlockiDg tributaries OF th
Mississippi the Rio Graude and the Co
orsdo Of the West. 1t would appear I
possess also q greater yearly amount
rain than the regions Immediately mort
and south of it and as q consequence,
better supply OF fuel ana timber"
"The principal characteristics of th
route, ia comparison with others, are
passing through or near more numeroI
cuItiyabie areas, its more abundant matt
- raj supply Of water as far west as tt
Colorado, ard the greater frequency an
= extent of forest growth on the route b