The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-27


WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. %, 1869.
THE PACIFIC CENTRAL TRANSIT RAILWAY.
II the reader will cast his eye over the map Of
North America, and commencing at New Orleans,
the great commercial metropolis of the South and
| Southwest, trace westward the proposed line of
the Pacific Central Transit Railroad he will see at
once the immense advantages of the intended
route. Starting due west in almost an air line for
nigh six hundred miles, the said rad will pierce
The very center Of the Texas trade. and with the
numerous feeders which are now only awaiting
the construction Of this main line, will ct once
pour into the lap Of New Orleans, as its terminus
| all the immense business of that vast district,
which now so feebly fourishes, or seeks an outlet
by various different channels thence extending
southwest with its terminus at Rio Grsnde city,
on the river of the same nsme it at once taps the
whole commerce of that rich republic, Mexico,
and Immediately will become the main outlet for
all the vast productions of that prolific country.
Mexico, with its unbounded and undevelopsd re-
sources, and its untold mineral wealth, ia the fair
prize which only awaits the completion OF this
road to be grssped and converted into az lnfsil.
ing, unlimited source of revenue which will at
once produce such an immense amount Of trade,
traffic ana transportation as not only TO support
u
period pay for the construction Of the same,
while the local business through the Safe of
Texas would Of itself make the road most prof
liable investment.
If such are the facts in connection with this
road-and they most certainly sre-what shall we
say in regard to it, when extending from Rio
GrsDde City through the rich fields ana fertile
valleys of our sister republic TO the city CT xco
A. i a. Al. T. -.
pleted to San Bias, its objective point and final
terminus on the Pacific coast
Was there ever more magnificent railroad
scbeme-a more feasible one-a route which Of
fered greater advantages or inducements? What
an increase of business, of trade and of commerce
it would cause what wealth it would produce
what an influence on the South, the Southwesta ad
the whole Union the construction of such a road
would have, can hardly be imagined. IL would
become the great highway of the whole Eastern
world. Over this road would pour the wealth OF
the Indies the tea trade of China the products Of
Japan the spices Of Ceyon in fact, all the richie.
of Asia and the East, and the manufactures of the
whole of Europe would gain seek this trsns-con-
tinental route in return and New Orleans instead
of being the seaport for only Southern trade,
would find itself the great commercial mart and
metropolis of the world, whose harbor should DO
filed with the vessels Of all nations, and whose
levees should be covered with their productions
And why? Because being the shortest distance
from water to water, In the direct line Of commu.
nication, it would of necessity become the main
thoroughfare of trans continental transportation
since, az is well understood, being the shortest
line the cost Of railroad transportation on through
merchandise would be extremely moderate in
comparison with the other Pacific roads, whose
lines OF necessity are hundreds of miles longer.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER PACIFIC ROADS.
In comparison with other fc railroads
which are now proposed or 10 process of con.
strucion, this one is IN every respect far the su-
periOr. Not only is the route shorter the country
through which it run5 more fertile, tho physical
distractions fewer and less important, bat The
great objection TO all the Northern routes, viz
the vast drifts OF snow which will for four months
In the year render their communications very IN
certain and hazardous, will only render this South
ern line more popular and more reliable, since its
business can never be delayed by any inslr-
mountable obstacle of nature in the shape Of snow
drifts or storms. In comparison with the SD par.
allel road, as it is called, it has this advantage:
one would have to build up trade, country, to
support it, while the other runs through an inhab-
lite district, in some places thickly populated,
which only needs the construction of this road to
TEEN with business prosperity and Manufactures.
while as far as rans.eoninentsl transportation is
concerned, no road from ocean to ocesn need ex.
pect TO do one 1.-THE Of the business of this road,
for The simple reason that being 80 much shorter
than the oJher through routes, and railroad trans
portatiOn bei5g so extremely dear 10 comparison
with water transportation, as stated before, the
through freight must of necessity seek this thor.
0UghfaTe.
TIE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD.
This road, whose construction Is also of vital
importance to the South, ia a continuation Of the
Memphis. Ell Psso and Pacific Railroad, which |
MSS chartered by Texas prior to the war, and |
which was granted by that State eight aud one /
thru million acres of the most available land that
lies along AIS ronts- Oas hundIed and lfty miles
were under contract for grading. Sixty i've was |
ready Tor the iron, which was purchased and on /
its way, when, the war breaking out the iron was
seized and converted &c the uses of the Confed. |
crate government. One million one hundred aud |
fifty thousand dollars had been speut in the con-
struction OF the road up 10 that date.
new company, at whose head stands Gen. |
j ohm Fremont. have proposed 10 build this road |
10 ~ Faso and continue it thence onward to the !
Pacific coast, with its terminus at San Diego. |
From there, a branch to Fan Jose conuects Il |
with the Western Pacific and San Francisco |
From FL Paso also rGns a branch line to Gaaya- |
mas, on the Gulf OF California, aud from rexar- |
cara another branch to Galveston. The magul. |
Jude of this scheme Is Gully squslled by the gigan-
tic interests involved. This road will counsel |
with the various roads centering at Memphis: |
thence Onward to Little Rock, reXarcaus, FL !
Paso, Arizona City end San Diego. From New |
Orleans, connections would be made by almost 40 /
air line route connecting with this road at the |
most eligible point in the northwestern part OF |
Texas. That this road also will be more reliable 1
than the other lines to the north Of 1t cannot be
doubted, since its location is too far south 10 ad
nit Of its being obstructed by the severe snow
storms experienced by the northern roads. The |
character Of the country through which it is pro-
posed 10 run this line may be judged by the fol. |
low ing extract taken from government report |
of The " exploration and surveys for a railroad
from the Mississippi rive, 10 the Pacific ocean,"
Of the $50 miles Of distance from the Western |
line of Aikansas to tbe valley of the Rio Grande
at FL Psso, nearly 500 miles traverse fertile,
and abandanuy timbered region |
sud oftbe remaining $50 miles, $50 are through q
country which, though OF little agricultural value,
except ia the valley OF the Peoos river, is naVer-
theless admirably adapted to the raising of stock
IA -. 4.