The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-07-15

CAMP OF SURVEY, n. and j. Railroad,
jefferson Co., Miss, June u, 1869.
Major GEO, w. HARPER:

CAMP OF SURVEY. n. and j. Railroad,
Jefferson Co., Miss, June u, 1869. !
MAJOR GEO. w. HARPER:
Dear Sir: In a neighbOring paper of re-
! cent date, i observe an extract from the
! Kinds County Gazette, severely criticizing,
| if may be allowed the expression, the line
| Qf our survey through Kinds county; and
! although l do not for a moment attribute
| any such design on the part of the writer of
! the article referred to. its tendency was I'M
| questionably slurring upon the professional
| ability of the gentlemen of our party. As
| it is evident, Major, that you misapprehend
! some of the facts in the case, you will ex-
! cuse, | am sure, the liberty / take in address
sing you this, by way of explanation.
! The duty of an Engineer party is to find
the most direct line between any two points
| to be connected by rail-compatible with
| practicability and straight line, or as it is
technically termed, an ''air line" being the
most direct one, it follows that the nearest
| approach to this, consistent with favorable
| ground, must be the route desired. The en-
tire portion of our line, lying within the
county of Kinds, appToXimates very closely
to an lair line" between NatcheZ and Jack
son, being but two miles west of it at its
point of greatest divergence. More than
this-from Brent's house, at the head of the
longest branch of Tallahala creek, south
westerly to the COpiah county line, it traver-
ses for the entire distance the valleys of the
Tallahala and White Oak, necessitating no
greater amount of earthwork than slight
cmOankmenC Su11lcIenC 10 raise TIE track
bove ordinary overflow, and grades of the
lightest possible description. Any detection
from this line westwardly must of necessity
involve greater amount of work, and
proportionate increase of distance.
The question of DETECTING a railway line
from its natural direction, for the purpose of
traversing better section of country and
thereby increasing the trade of the road, is
a strictly financial one, in the decision OF
which the corps of Engineers have no voice.
That comes exclusively within the jurisdic-
ton of the Railroad Company; but have
no doubt that in all cases where it is appa-
rent that the additional cost of construction
is outweighed by the superior advantages of
the location, the Railroad Committee, which
in this instance constitutes the Directory,
will order changes to be made accordingly.
l am, very respectfully. &c- ID.
Our correspondent is quite correct in his
conclusion that it was not our intention, in
the article referred to, to reflect in any man
ner upon the corps of engineers. We now
distinctly disclaim an such intention. They,
no doubt followed their instructions to the
letter, which were, to mark out an air line
between Jackson and NatcheZ. 1t was the
Directory, as well rs all other persons inter
ested in the success of the proposed road,
that we were after particularly in the re-
marks referred to, and for whom we have a
word or two now.-Hinds County Gazette.
CThe Gazette in connection with the
foregoing presents an argument to show
that the airline policy if adopted in the
construction of the Natchez and Jackson
road, viii be fatal to the enterprise.)